feeding dogs human food from your plates...

[Helen]

do you do it?

I have to admit we do, and always have done...... (only dog friendly food though!)

I'm assuming people don't do this so their dogs wont beg, drool, bark and nag for food, be greedy or steal food  etc etc....

so we've ended up with a dog that doesn't do any of those things (ok he will nudge you with his nose if we're at a pub, but equally can be told to lie down and he will happily do so) and will not touch a plate of food on the floor or in reach unless he's told to - in comparison to his best mate who will leap on a table to nick stuff and who never get's human food (which was meant to stop him behaving like that )

so what's the dog psychology behind it?  Our take on Jarv is that he knows if there is something he can have we will give it to him so he doesn't need to beg, drool, bark, nag steal....but I could be completely wrong....

[spanielcrazy]

I do it too, but they have to wait politely till I've finished, although sometimes I have to tell them "too spicy for puppies" so they know they won't always get what I have.

As far as dog psychology, I'm not sure, but I don't believe that it's always the "alpha" that eats first; often it's pregnant females or juveniles that get to eat first. I'd guess that dogs see it for what it is, their "pack" sharing food, and you get what you get (or not  )

[Helen]

I do it too, but they have to wait politely till I've finished, although sometimes I have to tell them "too spicy for puppies" so they know they won't always get what I have.

As far as dog psychology, I'm not sure, but I don't believe that it's always the "alpha" that eats first; often it's pregnant females or juveniles that get to eat first. I'd guess that dogs see it for what it is, their "pack" sharing food, and you get what you get (or not  )

we say the 'too spicy' thing too, and if he doesn't get, he's not bothered   

He's very happy to politely wait till I'm finished too 

[Rats and Dogs]

I always gave Gari the last bit of toast or whatever, and he would just sit quietly and wait for it, as I got to the end he would start creeping towards me.

I decided not to give Duggie anything from my plate, but he jumps up, barks at me and drinks my tea!

So, I think I may start making him sit and wait and then give him something right at the end as a reward.  Not sure if that will work or if it's just luck.

[johndoran]

Bonnie Boo never gets anything from the table when we are sitting down and doesn't tend to pester us .She usually gets her food at the same time as us eats it then lies down. In the morning after we have had our walk she has her breakfast then waits so patiently for the last little bit of toast from me. We do give her some vegetables from the main meal and sometimes she has a  very small bit of Caroles meat

[bibathediva]

Yes we share as well  my two know the word *toast* ,*tiger bread* and *yoghurt *  ...they will sit and wait patiently although Lola will scoot forward but a quick finger point and she will move back  and Biba has a moan if im taking too long but Biba moans about everything in life   
they never sit and scrounge when we eat at the table  but any lap food they are there 

[Maria n Dennis]

Recently Dennis has got better and yes i do give him the odd bit of leftovers , until recently tho he never got anything , as a puppy he was so food obsessed he would try and nick food while you were eating it   he would also drink my tea ( he still would if it was left at his level ) Hes much better behaved now and if he hasnt been pushy then he gets a treat for that! You wouldnt leave food unattended tho , i think he would have it   He can sometimes try it on with the children  

[elaine.e]

William often has a small corner of my toast, or a yogurt pot to lick, or a little bit of meat or fish when I've finished mine. He doesn't pester me at home or when we're eating in a pub or (more likely in my case) in a coffee shop at a garden centre.

But he seems to have a slightly different attitude to my friend and her 2 daughters. He sits as close as he can and tries to get their attention by staring, maybe because when they give him a human food treat they make a bit of a fuss about it, whereas I just quietly give him whatever the food is.

I'm just applying for him to be a PAT dog. I wonder how he'll react to temptation in those circumstances if we're accepted?

[Nicola]

I normally feed Tilly and Rodaidh any suitable bits from the table/sofa when we've finished eating and pretty much always have done. They wait patiently until we're finished, Tills tends to lie under the table and Rodaidh will sit beside me but they don't pester or mither, don't steal food and wouldn't dream of jumping up at the table even if nobody's in the room. If I have a yoghurt or toast or something sat on the sofa they'll sit and watch me but they don't beg or try to jump up beside me, they know that if they sit on the floor they'll get the yoghurt pot or crusts when I've finished.

Caoimhe though hasn't reached that level of self control yet hence why I said I 'normally' feed Tills and Ro from the table/sofa, it's suspended at the moment while Miss C learns not to jump up at the table or onto the sofa while we're eating  She's learning but still tends to forget occasionally so I'm not feeding any of them from the table just now as it would just confuse her. Once she gets the idea and develops some patience then she'll get the same as the other two. As to the psychology I don't know... obviously they're happy if they do get something but equally sometimes they don't and they just accept it without pestering.

[allylou]

we have always fed them the odd bit at the end of a meal too.  

Marley has perfect table manners if we are around but he has been known to 'woof down' the odd sandwich or piece of cake if it is left
 
unattended on a table or too near to the edge of a kitchen counter  '. Wilbur's manners are slowly improving, he (mostly) no longer

bounds on to the table the second a plate of food lands there. However, they do both tend to sit by my daughter and i am always

amazed at the number of times she accidently manages to drop a piece of food on to the floor .

[Sarah.H]

Millie gets the odd thing but only when she's led a respectable distance away and not giving you the spaniel eyes  . I think it's people who give in when the dog starts nagging that cause a problem for themselves. Mind you if we're out then she will full on stare and nudge but thats only because of the tons of training I've done to keep her attention on me!

[BettyBoo]

I usually give my two little bits of leftovers after meals but it's only Millie who sits and watches. Betty's usually asleep at my feet(we eat quite late) but jumps up when she hears Millie chomping away Although one morning she did take a bite out of OH's bacon sandwich while he was sitting on the settee

[spanielcrazy]

I think "the stare" is to hypnotize you into giving them all of your food  

don't steal food and wouldn't dream of jumping up at the table even if nobody's in the room.

Now that's training  

[cazza]

Jock used to wait till you put your knife and fork down and then you would get his head in your lap 

Fen=rn has learnt well off Jock and lies down when we are eating and as soon as you have finished sits in front of you as to say 'Anything left for me' 

If there is then she get something put in her bowl for her if not then she gets a gravy bone 

[KellyS]

Were mean parents   we don't feed ours from the plate when were eating and they don't bother us as a result... i think if we did they would beg..when my dad was doing some work at our house he used to give them titbits when he was eating his pack lunch and then moaned every day after when they wouldn't leave him alone when he was eating