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How can I stop my dog from begging for food when we're on the couch?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | spayed | 8 months and 6 days old | 3.96 lbs

Another question, how could we stop Molly from begging? When we sit on the couch to have a snack during a movie or whenever we watch tv, she comes right beside us and sits and begs... how could we correct this behaviour? We try to get her off the couch but she just finds her way back up and we've tried to ignore her but she continues to do so. (Molly is a Yorkshire who's 8 months old)

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on May 16th, 2017

This is a very common problem for many dogs owners! :) The first, and most important thing is to make sure that you **never**, ever, give her anything at all from your plate while you're eating. If this behavior is rewarded with a tasty tidbit, even if it's only once in a while, it's guaranteed to continue - so this is the most critical part of stopping any kind of begging behavior. I have three dogs, and eat on the couch all the time. The dogs don't show any particular interest at all, because they know from experience that begging in this situation will not get them anything. You can do this too - you just have to be 100% consistent. If she has been rewarded in the past for begging like this, it may take a long time for her to learn that this behavior no longer works. In that case, I would recommend giving her something else to distract her while you're eating for now, such as a special chew bone or a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. You could also put her in her crate while you're eating to prevent her from bothering you, and let her out again once you're finished. Eventually, she will lose interest in begging as long as it never works. So be patient and consistent in the meantime, and make sure that everyone in the family is on board.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Debi Matlack

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on

    So many dog owners initially think it’s cute or just want their dogs to have “just a taste.” Before you know it, you’ve created a monster. 1. Avoid paying attention to or looking at your dog when you are eating. Paying attention to your dog will encourage the begging. You are setting her up to expect something. 2. Tell every member of your family to quit giving your dog food from the table, food from the couch, food from the chair, food from the desk etc. She should only be eating food from her bowl. This will only work if EVERYONE is on board and complies. No cheating. 3. When you are eating, place your dog in a sit/stay or down/stay and have her remain there until your meal is finished. 4. If your dog will not hold a sit or down stay and you want her in the room with you, then tether her to something unmovable so she can’t come over to the table. Of course, this means your dog is on leash and the leash is hooked onto something. 5. Place your dog in her crate or if you have taught her to ‘go place” or ‘kennel’. Have her go to her place and stay there. 6. Should your dog break her sit/stay, down/stay or place, calmly get up, return her to the stay position, repeat “stay” and walk away. Feeding your dog appropriate people-food leftovers is perfectly fine. As long as the leftovers are placed in the dog’s bowl and the bowl is placed in her usual feeding spot AND she has to give you a sit before she gets anything. The key here is to be consistent and patient. Food is of high value to a dog and if you’re trying to break behavior YOU created don’t blame the dog if it takes a while. You and your dog can break this bad habit together.

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