We all find it hard to resist. Your pooch looks up at you, pleading with those puppy dog eyes, and you reward her with a bit of food. The next thing you know, she’s begging for treats at every opportunity.
The easiest way to keep a dog from begging is to never give into those puppy eyes in the first place. If your dog doesn’t learn that an adorable look in your direction will result in rewards, she won’t learn that begging can get her what she wants.
And if you’ve already given in and taught her that a well-placed paw at your arm means snack time? Stop indulging her, every time. She needs to learn that you’ll no longer reward her begging with food, but you have to be consistent. Rewarding her occasionally, when she is insistent or at her very cutest, will make things worse. It’s called random reinforcement and the message she gets is that she’ll get treats as long as she just keeps trying.
If you have a dog who begs, it’s because she has an owner that rewards begging! Change your behavior, and you can change hers, too.
