This behavior needs to be dealt with the day you bring your puppy or dog home. A wayward relative or typical toddler may drop or throw food on the floor and therefore teach the dog to hover near the table during dinnertime. When a dog attempts to beg at the dinner table, it may not only signal bad manners, but bad judgement on the part of the human. “What’s it going to hurt if I give the dog a piece of food?” Well, what it may do is confuse your dog and lead him to believe that this is not only an acceptable behavior but a desired one. You are actually rewarding your dog for a behavior you would rather eliminate.
Some dogs are opportunistic when there is a sloppy or poor human eater present, but this also might be the result of a patterned or conditioned behavior whereby the dog is being rewarded for the negative behavior. Basically, the humans are creating and perpetuating the undesirable habit. Dogs who bark at their owners while sitting at the treat cabinet or drawer behave in a similar manner as dogs who nose bump or paw at their owners or guests at the dinner table, begging for food. Although it may seem cute to one person, it may not be so cute to someone else.
