Silaria
Forums Sage
A few good ways of dealing with this have been suggested. Ignoring him completely and giving him a place (mat) to go to while you are eating.
Ignoring is the easier of the two options but there are dogs who are stubborn enough to not take the hint. Shelties are pretty smart and will get it after a period of time. I did this with my dogs and it worked to a point I'm happy with. None of them actively beg via barking, nosing you, or putting their paws on your lap. Instead one of the lays down where they can watch, another sits or downs between two people hoping for dropsies, and the other will do something
(he's the baby and won't stay still) from sitting or laying down to trotting around the room to chewing on a toy. I'm OK with any of this as long as he's not actively barking, poking, or trying to climb on us for food.
The other idea I was going to suggest was a mat in the room he has to lay on while you eat. I know a number of people who do this with great success. You first have to train the behavior away from the eating area. Once he understands the command, you move the mat/bed into the room where you have your meals. You may need to re-train a little bit because your food will be more interesting than staying on the mat; which may include interrupting your meal to return the dog to the mat.
Ignoring is the easier of the two options but there are dogs who are stubborn enough to not take the hint. Shelties are pretty smart and will get it after a period of time. I did this with my dogs and it worked to a point I'm happy with. None of them actively beg via barking, nosing you, or putting their paws on your lap. Instead one of the lays down where they can watch, another sits or downs between two people hoping for dropsies, and the other will do something
(he's the baby and won't stay still) from sitting or laying down to trotting around the room to chewing on a toy. I'm OK with any of this as long as he's not actively barking, poking, or trying to climb on us for food.The other idea I was going to suggest was a mat in the room he has to lay on while you eat. I know a number of people who do this with great success. You first have to train the behavior away from the eating area. Once he understands the command, you move the mat/bed into the room where you have your meals. You may need to re-train a little bit because your food will be more interesting than staying on the mat; which may include interrupting your meal to return the dog to the mat.