Finn doesnt mind

[JudyHord]

Our dachshund/beagle mix has never been fed by us while eating, but he is determined to jump on us trying to get food.  How do we correct this?

[Adrienne]

Hi Judy, 

Welcome to the forums,

I imagine this jumping is occurring when you are eating at the table. I know you said that he is never fed while you are eating, but can it be that, every now and then, he gets some crumbs that fall off the table or he eats them from the chair as you get up from the table? That's often enough to make the behavior of jumping up reinforcing.  Not to mention that, dogs noses (especially beagles) are super powerful and just jumping up to sniff delicacies can be rewarding on its own. 

With cases of jumping up at tables while eating, we often need to take a multi-faceted approach, tackling it from different angles. This often entails a mix of management and training.  Management is mostly applied when we cannot train (or when we cannot supervise our dogs), and then we can strategically organize set-ups for those times when we can train. 

Management 

Management simply means taking steps to prevent the problem behavior from occurring. This is often underestimated, but there are many advantages in using management. 1) it prevents rehearsal of the problematic behavior. Every time a dog finds a little crumb, the behavior is reinforced, causing it to put to put roots and establish. Think of it as being addictive as playing the slots at Vegas. If we often play the slots and win a prize, we are more likely to want to play again and again. 2) it keeps our dogs safe. You may never know what your dog may get into. Baker's chocolate left unattended on a table and consumed in modest quantities can lead to an emergency veterinary trip. 

Management therefore prevents rehearsal of the problem behavior and helps keep our dogs safe. Management may therefore entail the following:

-Keeping table tops always immaculate and clear of food so that your dog's almighty nose won't feel tempted.

-Keeping chairs  free of crumbs as much as possible

-Keeping dishes on the table farthest from the edge.

-Sitting as close as possible to the table so there is less surface to jump on

-Keeping the elbows close to the body while eating to prevent the dog from sneaking through

-Ignoring the dog when he happens to jump up/ scooting away closer to the table to make it more difficult to be jumped on

-Erecting a baby gate. In some cases, it may not be easy to keep tables and counters always free of food (especially in homes with children). By erecting a baby gate, Rover doesn't get to visit the kitchen with all its wafting smells and temptations. Out of sight, out of mind!

Training 

Training aims to teach the dog better impulse control and resisting the temptation of begging/trying to steal things.  Here are some tips:

-Train an alternate behavior. We often tell dogs what not to do and invest very little time in telling them what to do. Since, most likely, your dog tends to beg while you are eating, if would be helpful to teach your dog to lie on a mat and turn that into his favorite surface to receive goodies. This way, your dog/dogs will eagerly go there when you're ready to eat and you have established a desirable routine. Feed some long-lasting goodie there such as a stuffed Kong, Kong Wobbler with a portion of his kibble, long-lasting chew (bully stick, Yak Himalayan chew). Always check with your vet first if your dog has allergies and for specific recommendations. 

Here is how to train a dog to lie on a mat: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

-Train the leave it and drop it commands. This can prove to be even life-saving if your dog is about to grab or has already grabbed a potentially toxic food or something she may chew on and risk an intestinal blockage.  Make sure to practice this even when you are at a distance from tempting items and always reinforce by giving your dog something much higher in value (from your dog's perspective, not yours!) than the item left/dropped.

Here is how to train leave it and drop it:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

I would also aim to provide outlets to your dog's natural "foraging" behavior. You know, that big desire for dogs to scavenge/look for food and stuff? You can provide outlets for this tendency with several brain gams such as the treasure hunt game, muffin game, bottle game and with food dispensing toys such as Kongs, Kong Wobblers, Buster Cubes, Snuffle mats and Licki-mats which you can fill with your dog's kibble/canned food to keep that brain busy. 

With no more food left around the table when you are not around, a fluent response to the "leave it" and "drop it cues,"  food being fed contingent upon your dog lying on the mat, and outlets for natural scavenging behaviors, with time, you should see a reduction in your dog's counter surfing behaviors. 

Here are some extra tips: