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My dog barks and begs for food during meals. How can I stop it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Bichon Frise | Male | neutered | 50 lbs

My dog is not being obedient. He’s consistently barking and begging for food when we’re eating and cooking. He’s driving everyone crazy. I don’t know what’s wrong with him and I hope you can help

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on December 9th, 2019

Hi there. If this is a recent change for Harley, I would be concerned that he may have some type of medical problem causing him to feel more hungry than normal. In that case, I would recommend a vet visit to discuss this issue and see what may be going on. If he's always done this, then he may simply be interested in human food - which is normal behavior for many dogs. :) It can usually be addressed fairly easily by giving the dog something else to do while you're cooking or eating, such as a rawhide or bully stick to chew on, or teaching him to wait quietly on a mat or dog bed during these times. If you need guidance on how to teach this, I would recommend getting in touch with a qualified trainer in your area who can work with you in person. You can search for one here: www.ccpdt.org

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