how to Teach your dog not to beg at the table
One of the most common problems that pet owners want to solve is dogs begging at the table. How do you teach a dog not beg? How do you restore peace to mealtime? One of the most effective ways to prevent that unwanted behavior is to replace it with a behavior that is incompatible. Incompatible behaviors are behaviors that interfere with other behaviors. For example, a dog that is lying down on his bed or mat cannot beg at the table at the same time!
In this video, Ken Ramirez and his two canine assistants, Marlin and Mr. Miyagi, demonstrate how to use an incompatible behavior (settle on a mat) to prevent begging at the dinner table. This method can be used to prevent any unwanted behavior such as barking, jumping up, lunging on the leash, and more. To teach an incompatible behavior:
1. Identify the behavior you want to replace.
2. Decide on an incompatible behavior to teach to replace the unwanted behavior. Some possibilities include:
- Barking - Teach "Quiet"
- Jumping Up - Teach "Four on the Floor"
- Lunging on the leash - Teach "Look at Me!"
- The list goes on!
3. Reinforce the new behavior while ignoring any unwanted behavior.
What other dog-behavior problems can you prevent by teaching an incompatible behavior? For more tips on how to become a better dog trainer, check out KPA's Dog Trainer Comprehensive course!
Happy Training!