# Jumping at dinner table



## [email protected] (Oct 19, 2018)

Vellyn, now about six months old, is responding to many types of training well now (e.g. recall, sit, heel) but we are making no progress on stopping him jumping up at the table ... and he is big enough now to reach our food! We started trying treats for staying down but he soon expected a constant stream of treats during every human mealtime. Sometimes we give him a distraction such as a new chew but that tends not to last a whole meal. He isn't hungry or thirsty or anything, he just wants to eat with us and thinks our food should be for him too! His crate is in the kitchen-dining room (for at least the next year until we create space to move it) so if we put him in it during a meal he howls, or if we put him outside he scrapes at the door and barks to come back in. So currently we are just shouting 'down' thoughout every mealtime which isn't particularly nice for anyone. Any suggestions?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I would just crate him during meals. 
You might give him a long lasting high value treat, until he gets the idea. Mine like kneecaps, and they last longer than bully sticks.


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## [email protected] (Oct 19, 2018)

Thanks. I haven't come across knee-caps so I'll look them up!


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

definitely crate time during meal times, let him howl, he'll soon settle down. We have to remember, however sensitive v's are, that unwanted behaviour is "unwanted", and the v's have to know it too.


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## vizlil (Aug 17, 2016)

Our Vizsla is 2 1/2 now. He has a spot in the family room that he goes and sit when we have dinner. He has a routine now, we sit at the table and he makes his way to his spot. He eats dinner before us by almost 30 mins. I've always fed him first because I think it's mean to eat in front of a hungry dog. After his dinner he willingly and happily lounges at his spot while we eat.

When he was 6 months old though things were quite different, haha!! He would look for every opportunity to steal food from the kitchen, jump on the counters, eat the crumbs off the floor and everything...we used to crate him at dinner time when he was very young. Around 6-7 months I used a MIST spray bottle (emphasis on the mist) and when he would put his paws on the counter, I sprayed him. I think I did this a total of 3 times, then the bottle was on the counter and he wouldn't jump on the counter. He gets a lot of love and attention from everyone in the family and he soon figured out that there is something VERY wrong with stealing food or jumping on the counter and he stopped the behavior. We stopped crating him after that, we'd put his blanket near us and he would just sit and chill.

If you are to use this method, please make sure the spray is very gentle. Hair salons use the mist bottle spray, some dollar shop have it too. Do not use a regular water bottle as you could injure his eyes or cause him pain. I even went as far as explaining to him before I sprayed him!!! ( Yes I talk to my dog all the time). Vizslas are insanely smart, they'll get it eventually but of course at 6 months they want to get into everything and explore. Enjoy this phase as they outgrow it so fast!!!!


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## [email protected] (Oct 19, 2018)

Thanks for your advice


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## [email protected] (Oct 19, 2018)

It's really good to hear both a practical tip - the mist spray - and reassurance that he will calm down eventually. I talk to Vellyn too and worry that I'm confusing him with too many words! When we do training work I try to focus on key words but otherwise I chatter at him!


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