Dealing with a Food Thief
We are all guilty of giving our dog a little human snack every once in a while. Whether it is during dinner or while you’re making lunch, dogs can make a bad habit of this. Not only is this frustrating for you, there is a chance that the food could be too hot or not good for dogs, ending in a scary trip to the vet. But how do you shake this habit?
The first thing to do is simply stop giving them human food. Giving your dog the end scraps creates a begging and stealing problem and gives the idea that all food is for sharing. If you stop giving them your food, they will learn that it’s not ok to take or beg for it.
Secondly, give your dog a regular feeding schedule. They will learn to expect food and feel special about their mealtime. This also cancels their natural urge to scavenge. If the knowledge that food will be, or is, available to them, they will be less likely to feel the need to take or beg for yours.
If the problem is still there, then try keeping your dog in a separate room during meals. Soon, they will learn that human meals are different than dog meals and stealing or begging for food is not allowed.
Did you know…
Dogs can get blood transfusions! There are, in fact, eight different typed of blood, some parallel by bred, but greyhounds are the only universal donors!