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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Elaine has been training dogs professionally for 14 years. She is a CPDT as well as an endorsed member of NADOI. She is also certified in narcotics detection and is one half of a (twice) certified explosives detection team - the other half being her Dutch Shepherd Spawn, who is also titled in several protection sports. Elaine is the owner of Canine's Best Behavior, a Los Angeles based training company, offering Basic Manners, CGC, K9 Games (soon!) as well as behavior modification for aggression fears phobias etc.
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12/29/2005
We have a 5 month old Pharaoh Hound named Anubis. He's the youngest of 4 house dogs we have (all different breeds). All of the dogs are very well-behaved except for one problem with Anubis. He is constantly "scavenging" for food. Anytime someone in the home has any food, Anubis is trying to get right in our faces. He tries to steal the food out of our hands or from the table. Anubis is always well fed. The dogs never have to fight over food and are all very healthy and at their optimal weights. Besides putting him in another room or outside, what is the best way to train him to leave us alone while we are eating? (EricAlana, Ohio )
Having just gone through this with my 18 month old Malinois -Rakasha, I think I may have some suggestions that could help. After she snarped exactly one half of our Thanksgiving apple pie and then resealed the plastic bag it was in to make it look like nothing had happened....(she is a Malinois after all ), I came to the conclusion that the counter surfing/infatuation with food was more than just bad manners. The cinnamon breath was a dead give away!
At 5 months Anubis is growing as quickly as he will ever grow in his life. Pharaoh Hounds appear deceptively slight, when they are in fact very hearty. Sight hounds can burn calories just thinking about being fast!
Point being, he simply may not be getting enough food. Increasing his daily intake by a half a cup may help. Is he on a puppy formula of food as opposed to an all life version? If not you may want to consider putting him on a puppy formula with more calories. Sometimes adding some canned vegetables will help him feel fuller. I'd avoid the ones with corn, lima beans were pretty popular around here.
I know y
ou mentioned that they are all healthy, but you may want to consider deworming him. Even if he was dewormed, stool samples can be easily misread unless they have actual segments in that sample. All it takes is one flea to create a host of parasites feasting on what should be going into his system.
Additionally, I introduced a new supplement to Rakasha's diet. I put her on Hokamix (www.naturemix.com) and she did so well on it that I now give it to all 3 of my dogs.
The other side of the coin is obedience. Teaching him self control before he uses up his puppy card and one of your other dogs does may circumvent bigger problems within your pack dynamic.
I would start to teach him a station that he's to go to when you are eating. Recently we got a treat n train from Sharper image, it's a remote controlled treat dispensing device that we are having fun with. Planting that on the mat and dispensing his kibble while you are seated eating your meal will go a long way in returning dinner to a relatively calm experience. It is absolutely possible to do it without a treat n train, but it is faster and funner!
Lastly, increased mental stimulation may help too, he may be inadvertently getting "taught" that "I get in your face and I get attention." Puzzle balls and cardboard boxes with treats stuffed inside that he really has to work at may tucker him out just enough. As much as a 5 month old Pharaoh Hound would get tired anyway!
Rakasha's counter surfing is gone. Even the lure of Christmas cinnamon rolls did not entice her...that is unless she has figured out to brush her teeth!
Elaine Allison CPDT NADOI
Canine Behavior Consultant
Canine's Best Behavior
1.866.K9s.Best
www.caninesbestbehavior.com
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