bad table manners!

[emms]

Izzy is now 5 months old and has discovered that she can get her front paws onto the dining table. 

This is causing a bit of a nightmare when my OH and I are trying to eat.  She makes no attempt to get onto the table but will shuffle round it standing on her back legs trying to steal any food that is too near the edge.   

Meal times have now decended into chaos.  We have tried removing the paws from the table and a firm OFF, but she seems to view this as a game and then starts trying to play as well as trying to take food.

We tried ignoring her until she accepts that she cant reach the food, gets bored, and gives up.  But i am concerned that this gives the impression that trying to steal food and jumping up is acceptable. 

Izzy is currently being put in her crate while we eat, which stops the problem, but is not really an ideal solution.

Does anyone have any suggestions/solutions/advice, please?

[ClareB]

Putting her in her crate while you eat seems perfectly reasonable to me.  We did it to Milo when he was pup and now he lies at our feet while we're eating and waits until we're finished and take our plates through to the kitchen before he moves.  If you don't like crating her, you could buy a house line which one of you could put your foot on while you're eating, keep it short enough that she can only lie and sit, and doesn't have enough length to jump up.   

[Rhona W]

We have the same problem as you. But Casper is now tall enough to reach the plates and nearly choked on a pork chop he pinched last week. 
We have tried pushing them down, saying 'off' and have resorted to putting them outside in the garden - where they sit and whine and scratch at the patio door throughout our meal!
I've found the best thing is to give them something to eat at the same time (although this isn't always feasible!) They have had stuffed kongs, frozen carrots and chicken wings to keep them busy so far.

[Cob-Web]

Molo did this - like you, we crated him at mealtimes and eventually he got so used to it that he knew to go into his crate when we set the table 
The next step was to leave the crate door open at mealtimes but ask him to go into his crate (and give him something to chew on) while we were eating - and return him there each time he disturbed us at the table.

Now he totally ignores us when we are eating, but only after a lot of indigestion and disturbed meals (it took several months for us to have a meal with no interruption at all) - it was really worth it though as we can take him out with us for pub lunches with no problems at all, and eat dinner on lap trays in front of the TV with him laying on the floor infront of us   

[Pammy]

Jasper still does this, always has. Buddy never has. Good luck in getting it sorted - hope you succeed

[emms]

Thanks for the replies its reassuring to know that I am not the only 1 who has had this problem and that it can be overcome 

I will keep you updated on our progress   

[Petra]

Dill was behind a baby gate in the kitchen (he could look into the dining room to watch us eat ) until he learnt not to bother us whilst we were eating.
Now he just sleeps under the table (no doubt dreaming of scraps being dropped...)

[Helen]

Now he just sleeps under the table (no doubt dreaming of scraps being dropped...)

we should meet for a pub lunch petra, this is exactly what jarv does

[judebt]

When we are about to have our dinner, Roxi is given hers in a seperate room and the door is closed until we have finished ours. problem solved! She is quite happy with this and lies down and has a doze while she waits for us to finish. Dogs at human dinner time is a bad combination which usually results in begging!
Jude and Roxi