• How do you train your b's not to beg. Should I crate her when we have dinner? I have kids and they snack all the time and she tries to get right in their face even if it is something she doesn't like. I will give her a firm no and take her away but she is right back as soon as I put her down. What should I do to discourage this? She is only 12 wks so still small. I hate to think how bad it will be when she is bigger if I dont get a handle on it now.


  • My friend Ginny raised 2 boys with basenjis, the boys learned to only eat at the table, and to keep their things picked up. If a basenji grabbed their food, Ginny told them"too bad, eat at the table next time".


  • I would crate when you eat if they are begging at the table… and yes you need to discourage this now at her age.... or she will develope worst habits with age.... In my house... we don't eat other then at the kitchen table... after that... you are fair game... while mine "hang" around the table at dinner/snack time... they really don't beg... but eating in other places in the house... they do.. now we don't have kids... so it is not a big deal... and when we have company over... they are in their crate. You can also work on teaching "place" where there is a bed/mat that they learn to retreat to and they know they need to stay there..... until released... takes time and much work

    And I agree with MacPack.... learning to only eat at the table and if they lose the food... by eating someplace else... is a great lesson... gggg


  • As IMHO many/all dogs try begging for food when you are eating yourself (so Bendji isn't really an exception) we tried, and succeeded so far, this method :

    just before WE are having our meal Bendji gets HIS, so his hanker after food has diminished a bit when we start eating. And when he comes to the table afterwards to beg for some food we TOTALLY IGNORE him, not even speaking a word to him. 1 minute later he stretches close to the stove and waits patiently untill we have finished our meal !

    As simple as that ! No yelling, no need to feed him in the kitchen, no annoyance,…:)


  • At our home, the dogs get their food after our dinner.
    They know, we're the alfa's (is that the good word?) and we're eating first.
    When they were pups, the tryed begging but we'll say for over a million times "no, get away now" or just "no"

    Now, they just know they won't get anyting and they are not interested when we're eating.
    If we have visitors, Chafuko sometimes tries to beg and we have to say a couple of times "no"..

    I think it's horrible when my dogs sits in front of me with eyes they say "pleaaassseeee"

    Our Ibizan, learned from her old house to beg. Now after a few months she is getting the point but usually she is trying and loooking so very rude…
    We have to say to her "Hailey get away now"!


  • We walk Tillo before dinner (an hour or so), so he's tired. He gets his food, a chewy and then he goes to sleep on his place. I never ignore him when he comes over. I tell him my food is very very tasty.. and not his 😃

    Most of the time he gets a piece of my meal, but only when he lays on his pillow..


  • thanks for all the advice. I'm going to try a few and see what works best


  • @MacPack:

    My friend Ginny raised 2 boys with basenjis, the boys learned to only eat at the table, and to keep their things picked up. If a basenji grabbed their food, Ginny told them"too bad, eat at the table next time".

    This is what we do too. If the dog gets too obnoxious, they go in their crate. At our house, it is okay to sit quietly by someone while they are eating, but as soon as you intrude on their space, or try to take something. The dogs are told to leave it, and if they ignore that, they go in their crates. But first we had to train a strong 'leave it'…they don't just automatically know what that means. But once the kid gets up from the table, all bets are off, dog cleans up.

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