he won't stop begging!

How do I get Yogi to stop begging for food? He stands there and cries all day long. Its driving me nuts!

Re: he won't stop begging!

Ignore the begging (I know it is really hard) and redirect the behavior...ask him to do something that he is "good at" like ask him to sit and reward him for the good behavior. I never believed that ignoring and redirecting the behavior would work but it really does...just be consistent.

Re: he won't stop begging!

we fed our begger when we were eating and when he did beg he would have to go in the kitchen and the baby gate would be closed and he would cry and we would just ignore. When he was quiet we would open the gate.

Re: he won't stop begging!

Completely ignore him...or get a small water bottle and spriz him in the schnoz when he begs. We did this with Logan when he was jumping, now all I have to do is tell him I'm going to get the water bottle and he doesn't jump on people (he just turned 2).

Re: he won't stop begging!

Is he whining/barking? When he whines or barks to beg, spin him in three circles as a consequence. Literally, reach down, put one hand on his shoulder, one hand on his opposite hit. Spin him around until he makes 3 complete circles. Then redirect his behavior. Ask him to do something and praise positive behavior (laying down quietly, going into his crate, etc.)

Don't use the spin consequence for fear-related whining or barking. ONLY for begging / aggression / boredom / for-the-heck-of-it barking.

ETA - The spinning normally redirects his brain/thinking away from the behavior, which is something the spray bottle doesn't always do. You HAVE to be consistent about it, though. EVERY time he begs, he gets the consequence IMMEDIATELY. Inconsistency will just confuse him and won't stop the behavior.

Message edited 4/28/2011 9:38:53 AM.

Re: he won't stop begging!

Re: he won't stop begging!

We are working toward competing in rally and obedience and this is a tried and true technique our trainer taught us. It does take some time, but if you are consistent, it WORKS.

One of my dogs is a Treeing Walker Coonhound and can do that crazy, lound hound barking for basically no reason. It put a stop to that. My Doberman Pinscher puppy also learned not to bark for attention or fun by using this method.

You just have to make sure that you don't use it when they are afraid because that's a whole different issue.

If your dog starts to "beg, bark, and run" because he anticipates being spun, keep a short lead attached to his buckle/flat collar whenever you are home with him. This way, he can't get away with the behavior by just running away. You don't have to be holding the leash all the time, but you can at least grab the leash so the dog cannot run away. Don't leave the leash on when the dog is not attended, though.

This also worked wonders with a small terrier in a group class we are taking who barks aggressively at other dogs and people.

Re: he won't stop begging!

What about for humping? He does this with his bed/blanket if he is not getting attention and/or is bored. Can I use the spinning technique?

Re: he won't stop begging!

Yes, you can use it for humping, but you have to be consistent. (You should also look into possible health reasons why your dog is humping first -- there are a few. It's not always behavioral, even though it often is!)

You can also use it for whining in the crate. In fact, I just did that twenty minutes ago. I crated my Walker Hound so I could take my Doberman outside to work on his obedience training (then I reverse and work with the hound while the dobe is crated). She was WHINING and BARKING her head off when I came back in, desperate for attention. (They LOVE training time!) I opened her crate, spun her 3 times, put her back in, closed the crate all without saying a word. The second the noise started again, I repeated. Once she stayed in her crate, calmly and quietly for 10 seconds, I praised her, let her out, and we went out to do our training. I had to spin for 4 separate times before she stopped whining.

Remember, you not only have to correct the bad behavior, but praise the good behavior. Too many people scold, but never praise. Example - dog jumps on you and you say off. The dog gets off, but usually doesn't get praise. In fact, I watched my neighbor scold her dog for jumping (the dog's worst vice). She said "No, off!" The dog got off and put all 4 paws on the ground. Then while the dog had all 4 paws on the ground, she continued to scold it, saying "No, no, no jumping!" The way to correct it when the dog jumps is to say "off" and walk into the dog. When the dog's feet are back on the ground, IMMEDIATELY praise the dog. You have to be very black and white or the dogs will get confused easily. So make sure you're not only correcting the bad behavior, but praising him when he is quiet and not begging.