# my food-food problem



## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

If I sit and eat a cookie, she won't leave me alone. She will climb over my head to get that cookie. (28pounds). No matter which way I turn she will hunt that cookie down trying to get closer to it.

What do I do? Food obsession is not good.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

seminolewind said:


> If I sit and eat a cookie, she won't leave me alone. She will climb over my head to get that cookie. (28pounds). No matter which way I turn she will hunt that cookie down trying to get closer to it.
> 
> What do I do? Food obsession is not good.


Since she is just a puppy and will be a bigger dog, I would start to correct this behavior. When you have something she wants, you should really not give in....or, she will know you will eventually and will always beg. I would just ignore her, perhaps get up so she can't climb on you, walk away and don't make eye contact with her, and just ignore her until you have finished eating, then redirect her to one of her treats, or toys. I think consistency in doing this will create a puppy who knows she won't get anything and will eventually stop trying.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I would keep a small crate near where you eat, and the second he moves to bother you, wordlessly whisk him into the crate. If you are of the mind, you could do trials of coming out, and getting put back in for misbehavior while you are eating, or you could just keep him in and not give another chance until your next meal. You decide if you just want to not be harassed for your food, or if you want a down-stay while you are eating. If you just want non-harassment, I bet that it doesn't take more than half a dozen visits to the time-out crate before he gets he message!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

How I teach dogs not to bug me when I'm eating, I feed them. Sounds funny, huh. I showed them what behavior works to get a goody and what behavior doesn't. With that obnoxious behavior, make sure she doesn't get it, no matter what route you go with her. She needs to learn that her pushy behavior won't work to get her a treat. If you must, tie her leash to a door knob near you when you eat. (always supervise) Wait for her to lie down or sit nicely._ THEN_...go give her a treat. (her own preferably) 

When you progress from physically keeping her away and she can come sit near you, again...show her a "place." Put a mat or throw rug on the floor or at the far end of the couch if you allow couch privileges. When she lies on that and doesn't bug you, quick! Put a treat in her mouth. Be quick...before she messes up and while she's still staying on her place. Don't let too many seconds go by before she's rewarded, as long as she's staying put. If you wait, she'll get up and you just missed an opportunity to reinforce her nice behavior. So, reward frequently...quick, quick, quick as long as she stays put, one after the other for say...6 tiny treats-worth. Then wait for a little bit and do it again, one after the other as she stays put. The more times she gets reinforced, the quicker she'll catch on. Make a definite distinction between getting fed for staying put and not getting fed for the other annoying behavior.

I taught my dogs that they could be on the couch or anywhere, a few feet from me and by _not_ getting a treat, they_ would_ get a treat. Doggie zen. Reward behavior you like. Prevent behavior you don't like. Show her what works and what doesn't. No need for scolding or any punishment, which can carry it's own set of side effects. It works like a charm if you and _everyone_ else is consistent. 

When I had people for dinner a few years back, (haven't trained these dogs that yet) when everyone sat down at the table, the two Chihuahuas would go lie on their rug by the sink or the door and lie parallel, sphinx style. lol. Sitting down at the table _was_ the cue to go lie down. My Dobe would lie in the living room. No one bugged us while at the table. They stayed there the entire meal. And when I got up to do the dishes, that was their cue they could get up and come get a treat. That was taught by me sitting at the table for my dinner and jumping up like a jack rabbit every couple seconds as they lay there, bringing them a treat. And if they got up, I simply replaced them and started over, realizing I hadn't reinforced them quickly enough...before they got up. My fault. They need to be set up to succeed so they can build up a big bank account of reinforcement. That's what changes behavior. So, after several reps, they got right onto it. And then I could ask for a little longer duration before reinforcing, longer and longer until they only required one at the end of the meal.

People often try to stop a behavior they don't like but fail to teach behavior they_ DO_ like. Show your dog what _TO_ do, not so much what not to do. She'll learn very quickly if you do this in day to day training. It sounds long and complicated because my posts are always so long...oy. But I find that if you stop a behavior, you must show the opposite...what it is you do want. Well, I think it works better anyhow. jmo.


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

Funny, I've never had a dog that got treats at the table or anywhere else aside from standing in the kitchen. None of my dogs have begged. This is why I'm having a problem. I've never had to correct it.

So now I have things to try and a different way of approaching it-rewarding a good behavior. Thanks!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Excellent explanation, PB. Mine have learned from long experience when I will share, and when I won't, and that they only get a tidbit when they say "Please" (Sophy started this by offering her latest learned behaviour, a very neat Down, when she wanted something). At the table, they know that nothing happens for dogs until he humans have finished eating and the plates are cleared into the kitchen, although Poppy can get a bit premature if the time between the sound of knives and forks fading and anyone getting up is too drawn out! The exception is if my neighbour Anne is there - they have also learned that she is a very soft touch with a very small appetite, who can be blagged into dropping half a chicken breast if stared at long enough... Sigh!


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

4 on the floor!
Eric


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

With the puppy I have in my beginner class right now we worked on food impulse control this week. What we did might help. Sit on the floor with the pup and let him know you have a goody in your hand. Then close your hand around the treat and offer it out to the pup. The pup will work very hard to get the food from your hand. When he stops (even just for a couple of seconds) and offers a static behavior give a bit of the treat. Repeat this until the pup figures out that being relaxed and not obnoxiously pushy is what will be rewarded. Then you can up the ante by having the treat in the open but ready for you to cover it or pick it up if the dog tries to take it without permission. I insist that the dog looks away from the treat and makes eye contact with me before I give permission to take it. The eye contact has to be offered freely by the dog not requested by me. This is a great way to teach impulse control.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

> With the puppy I have in my beginner class right now we worked on food impulse control this week. What we did might help. Sit on the floor with the pup and let him know you have a goody in your hand. Then close your hand around the treat and offer it out to the pup. The pup will work very hard to get the food from your hand. When he stops (even just for a couple of seconds) and offers a static behavior give a bit of the treat. Repeat this until the pup figures out that being relaxed and not obnoxiously pushy is what will be rewarded. Then you can up the ante by having the treat in the open but ready for you to cover it or pick it up if the dog tries to take it without permission. I insist that the dog looks away from the treat and makes eye contact with me before I give permission to take it. The eye contact has to be offered freely by the dog not requested by me. This is a great way to teach impulse control.
> __________________


This is how to teach "leave it"_ and_ eye contact. Shirley Chong has some great articles on doggie zen. _Leave it and you will get it._ For eye contact, it helps to move yourself a little bit...just a step to one side, then the other. Dogs really follow movement...are attracted to it and it helps speed things up for the default eye contact. I use default behavior a lot and if it's got to do with getting a treat, I just wait and don't say anything. Or... you can add a cue if you prefer for_ watch me_ so it can be used later on for other things but only when you ask. Then you reward only the _verbally_ cued "watch me." I whisper "watch" so it's hardly noticeable to other people. Pretty much just "ch." When it comes to food treats, the default behavior of watching first before they get it has become attached to the treat itself. In other words, the treat in my hand IS the cue that they better make eye contact. Otherwise, when walking around or doing some other thing when I want them to look up at me (heeling), I use a verbal cue. 

After the dog is getting onto it, stand up and use your foot to cover the food. But you better be athletic. lol. Quick. Be sure to vary the location you practice in and vary your position too. The more you do this, the better stimulus control you'll get early on. If the dog gets too use to doing it in one kind of scenario, they tend to get sort of stuck there and have a hard time generalizing the behavior to other places. So, start out on the floor but quickly transfer to other rooms, other positions (you standing, sitting, standing sideways to the dog, the dog sitting, standing, lying down). Then you add in distractions gradually so the dog can still look at you and ignore the treat no matter what's going on. 

Some of this may seem to be a little veering from your original problem. But it's not. Training brings about better behavior in a more global way, not only to do with the skill itself. And this self control stuff is really useful. The more your dog learns new things, the more she'll start looking for more ways she can "work" to earn the good stuff. Dogs trained like this vs. punishment offer more behaviors, try harder, think better, get smarter quicker.:alberteinstein: Happy training!:smile:


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

lily cd re said:


> With the puppy I have in my beginner class right now we worked on food impulse control this week. What we did might help. Sit on the floor with the pup and let him know you have a goody in your hand. Then close your hand around the treat and offer it out to the pup. The pup will work very hard to get the food from your hand. When he stops (even just for a couple of seconds) and offers a static behavior give a bit of the treat. Repeat this until the pup figures out that being relaxed and not obnoxiously pushy is what will be rewarded. Then you can up the ante by having the treat in the open but ready for you to cover it or pick it up if the dog tries to take it without permission. I insist that the dog looks away from the treat and makes eye contact with me before I give permission to take it. The eye contact has to be offered freely by the dog not requested by me. This is a great way to teach impulse control.



That's called impulse control? I guess it covers more than just food, right? Good idea. 

The girl has a real good sniffer. I can not sneak anything past her. Good candidate for a scent dog. And I did get that book about fun with ........


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

seminolewind said:


> That's called impulse control? I guess it covers more than just food, right? Good idea.
> 
> The girl has a real good sniffer. I can not sneak anything past her. *Good candidate for a scent dog. *And I did get that book about fun with ........


So true. You could turn that intense desire to sniff and find food into a constructive outlet....something I haven't done with Jose`. I did do _some _tracking with my Doberman. He wasn't in the least food obsessed. lol. But it was pretty fun.

Jose` is the most obsessive compulsive dog I've ever seen when it comes to food. I mean it's over the top. It's a real psychological problem. If he had his way he'd kill himself eating. He barely thinks of anything else. I give him love, walks, stimulating things to do...always have. He's treated no differently than any dog I've ever had and yet, he has always been voracious, constantly wondering if there's a chance at a little something, including poo. He's healthy, good weight, nothing's wrong with him physically. He's just OCD about food. When I'm cooking in the kitchen, he's ever watchful, wondering if there's a chance he'll get something. (because he does sometimes...in the kitchen...my fault) You never saw anything like it. It's like a disease. And_ yet..._he can be at one end of the couch, me at the other, the other two dogs somewhere in between and none of them, not even he bothers me about my dinner. They have learned that there is not a snowball's chance in h -e double hockey sticks of getting anything if they so much as show interest in my food. But...just when they're all minding their own beeswax, not paying the slightest bit of attention to me, I just might surprise them with a tid bit of chicken right off my plate. After consistency with this distinction and no one else being permitted to feed when they're watching them or otherwise being pests, they get it. So the old wives tale that feeding a dog off your plate cause begging is just not true. It depends what behavior they're exhibiting when you feed them off your plate. It's all about what consequences follow a behavior.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Yes impulse control covers many things, but if you have a foodie on your hands teaching impulse control around food is a good foundation for getting it to apply to other things as well.

I also agree that taking a strongly driven behavior and turn it into a constructive behavior/activity is a great way to use your dog's attributes that you may think of as annoying into a good and fun activity.

When we have steaks to celebrate titles all of the dogs get parts of the steak. The deal is they have to be relaxed during the meal (down or sit) and they have to wait until we have finished ours. Each of them gets their goodies one at a time as long as they remain relaxed and don't try to steal from each other. They know they will get stuff but they have to show impulse control to get it.


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## shell (Jul 10, 2015)

By golly, since having a standard poodle (used to tiny dogs) I have learned that we often have to get physical with her to get a point across. This sounds bad huh? I don't mean it that way. You can get physical and still be gentle.

Here is what we do.

We ask for what we want-once. If it is not followed through with, we will make sure she complies. How I mean this is, if Addison is climbing on top of me for a cookie I will say in a firm voice 'Addison! Down!" And probably look incredibly offended at the same time. If she ignores me and continues I will then push (not shove) or pull (not yank) her down-I know those words sound horrible by they are not. It doesn't mean that you are nasty about it, you just gently redirect them. 

She listens to my husband 99% of the time, she listens to me about 70%, the difference is I wasn't following through. 

The impulse control games are fantastic! But really if he is half on top of you don't be afraid to tell him no, look and sound offended and physically remove him from your person if necessary.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

seminolewind said:


> If I sit and eat a cookie, she won't leave me alone. She will climb over my head to get that cookie. (28pounds). No matter which way I turn she will hunt that cookie down trying to get closer to it.
> 
> What do I do? Food obsession is not good.


Food drive is great! It will make a lot of things easier for you.  Tell her no, don't let her have your cookie, and ask for an incompatible behavior.


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

shell said:


> By golly, since having a standard poodle (used to tiny dogs) I have learned that we often have to get physical with her to get a point across. This sounds bad huh? I don't mean it that way. You can get physical and still be gentle.
> 
> Here is what we do.
> 
> ...


Your physical removement does not sound mean to me. Walking on my head is. Last night what I did several times is put a leash on her under a table leg that she can almost reach me, and she gives up and lays down.. This worked great. I'm tired of her stepping on my laptop, LOL. This way I can work on her positive reinforcement. The sit-stay will be a great tool from the training class.

In the morning, when I open my bedroom door she makes a bee line for my nightstand to see if I left crumbs. I should use that with some smelly treat!


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