How To Stop Your Dog From Begging For Food this Holiday

Have you ever asked yourself: How do I teach my dog to stop begging at the table? How do I prevent my dog from getting in the trash? Or how do I get my dog to stop jumping on the kitchen counter? This blog will address all three of those questions, so you can worry less about your dog from begging for food and spend more time enjoying company this holiday season.

How to Stop Your Pet from Jumping on the Kitchen Counter

First thing’s first: there is such a thing as too many paws in the kitchen! If you are hosting this year’s holiday feast, do a courtesy to your guests and keep pets out of the kitchen when you are prepping food. The last thing guests want on their plate is a few cat hairs. Not only is it a disturbance to the meal, but you don’t need the added chaos when you’re already stressed about mastering your grandma’s turkey recipe.

One way to curb the risk and nix this habit on Thanksgiving is to introduce new boundaries around your home. For example, you can add a Shields^® Gate to the doorway of your kitchen, so your pet can maneuver throughout your home without going in any off-limit areas (counters and trash).

How to Stop Your Dog from Begging at the Table

After your meal is prepared, it is easy to feel sorry for your dog and slide some scraps off the table. We all know at least one guilty dog parent who says they won’t feed their dog at the table and then drops food as it begs. But this only rewards that behavior and encourages more begging! This is one reason we recommend creating a wider boundary to avoid begging at the table in the first place.

Our most comprehensive indoor solution, the Indoor Shields^® Plus Solution helps pets avoid medium sized areas like a dining room table, kitchen island or commercial-grade range. The signal field works up to 12 feet in diameter, so you and your guests can eat in peace without the temptation of treating your pet.

How to Prevent Your Dog from Getting in the Trash

Survived cooking without your cat stealing food from the counter? Check. Finished eating without your dog begging at the table? Check. Prevent your dog from getting in the trash during clean up? Almost check. Post-meal boundaries are just as important, which is why it's critical that your dog doesn't get in the trash while you're throwing away turkey bones.

During the holidays, it's important to know what Thanksgiving foods are bad for cats and dogs so you can be sure to keep your pet out of harms way. We've put together a list of food to be aware of during the holidays:

1. Stuffing (often contains toxic ingredients to dogs and cats like onions, scallions, chives, sage and garlic)
2. Salads with Grapes/Raisins
3. Salty Snack Food
4. Casseroles
5. Yeast Dough
6. Nuts (typically contains high amounts of oils and fats)
7. Ham (meats with high fat are dangerous for already overweight pets)
8. Mashed Potatoes (anything heavy with milk or butter can cause diarrhea)
9. Cranberry Sauce (unlike grapes, cranberries contain healthy vitamins for pets, but the high amounts of sugar can be bad)
10. Turkey Bones (risk of puncturing, splintering or choking – especially cooked bones!)
11. Dessert (particular canned pumpkin, chocolate desserts or desserts containing nutmeg and cinnamon)

So now that you know why it's important to keep your dog out of the trash, the next question is how to do that? Invisible Fence^® Brand’s Micro Shields^® Solution is the perfect solution to protect your pets from eating leftovers out of the trash. It is the most discreet way to teach your pet to avoid smaller spaces. The circular signal field adjusts up to three feet across, so you can provide safe indoor boundaries for food-driven pets.

Ultimately, the surest way we know for pet parents to remove all worry, watching and wincing from their holiday gathering is by investing in Shields^® Indoor Solutions. Using the same Computer Collar^® Receiver set-up as our industry leading outdoor containment systems, Indoor Solutions establish new ground rules in the house that pets can learn quickly and naturally, ensuring their own safety, your sanity and the immediate preservation of your favorite stuff.