# Barking Pup at dinner time (my dinner)



## MrBrent (Jan 9, 2014)

I have a 13 week old male that we are really enjoying. He as everyone knows is a ball of energy. He has slept through the night since we got him at 8 weeks. Yea! When we are cooking or sitting at the table to eat he will just sit and bark (really loud) at us. We use the quiet command but that doesn't really do anything. I put him outside usually and he gets distracted and seems to help. I wish I knew what was going through that little skull of his. He is also jumping up putting his front paws on the table or counter in the kitchen. We tell him OFF and he sometimes obeys. I don't want this to develop into a bad habit. I have a Lab that never did this so not sure how to really nip this behavior.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

Give him no attention. Literally ignore him. Don't even look at him. Every time he barks and you look at him or tell him off you are playing the game that he is training you in!

Act as if you don't hear it at all and he will in the course of a few days realise it is pointless to bark. 

So no feeding while preparing food or eating either.


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## CatK (May 29, 2013)

Morris used to bark for his dinner (and for our dinner!). We made him sit on the back door mat before his dinner would be put down each time and he quickly decided that was a more effective nag than barking. He always has a little ask for our dinner but as soon as we tell him to go away then ignore him he'll slope off and come back for cuddles when we're done.

Nowadays, if he harasses me while I'm making his dinner I'll stop doing anything, and only start again when he's backed up and sat on his mat. They are clever dogs, it never takes long for them to figure out the rules


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

MrBrent said:


> I have a 13 week old male that we are really enjoying. He as everyone knows is a ball of energy. He has slept through the night since we got him at 8 weeks. Yea! When we are cooking or sitting at the table to eat he will just sit and bark (really loud) at us. We use the quiet command but that doesn't really do anything. I put him outside usually and he gets distracted and seems to help. I wish I knew what was going through that little skull of his. He is also jumping up putting his front paws on the table or counter in the kitchen. We tell him OFF and he sometimes obeys. I don't want this to develop into a bad habit. I have a Lab that never did this so not sure how to really nip this behavior.


just a couple observations and comments that i hope will help.... You mentioned you tell the dog "quiet" and "off", but have you taught your dog what those words mean? If you have...then you can ignore the rest of my post. If you haven't, you can't just say Quiet and Off and expect them to know what you are talking about. Eventually they may figure it out, but a faster way is to teach them... Get your dog to jump up on your and say "UP" when the dog puts its paws on you or on the table. As soon as the paws touch say UP and offer a treat and/or reward. Now that that dog is "UP", and when the dogs paws hit the ground you say " OFF", any you treat/reward teh down. Repeat and repeat... Now you are teaching the dog up and off. Now when the dog is up on something it isnt' supposed to be on you can say OFF and the dog knows....

Same concept applies for Quiet....if you dog will readily bark, as soon as he is quiet for a moment, say QUIET and treat/reward. When the dog starts barking again, say Speak....treat/reward.... and thats how you teach your dog to speak....

CATK also offered GREAT advice - don't let the dog out smart you. The dog will bark and harass you if it learns its the fastest way to get its food. The dog just wants its food and will do whatever it is he leans ( or you teach him - both good and bad behaviors) gets his food the fastest.... that applies to anything - not just food.

nate


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## MrBrent (Jan 9, 2014)

Thanks all for this great advice. Just to be clear he is not barking to get me to feed him, he is actually pretty good about his own food. When his bowl is empty he will sit next to it and maybe make some sound to bring attention to it but while feeding him he sits very nice and proper and quiet as I get the food an put in the bow. I like the suggestions about the up and off and the speak and quiet. I will start that right away and update the family to the new procedure. We have a coffee table that he loved to put the front paws on and see what he could steal to chew on but he is actually pretty good with the off command on that now as we have been very consistent with the off command with him on that. We do not give him any food off the table so while we are eating it has to be just an attention thing as he is never rewarded with food but we have been using the quiet command which as others have pointed out, it is attention and therefore a reward. They are very smart but are very persistent. I have work to do but love this little guy!!


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## marathonman (Jan 15, 2013)

He's still pretty young so he'll grow out of it. I would suggest a "go to bed" command while you are doing dinner. That way he knows to go to his spot. Since he's so young, you may need to periodically get up from the table during dinner and reward him (or get him back to his bed).


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

MrBrent said:


> ... They are ... very persistent. ...


Is that a nicer way of saying stubborn? <G>


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