I'm not sure whether this is an appropriate place to ask, but I am looking for somewhere, perhaps another website that will give free advice via email about stopping my 5 year old cocker spaniel (lovely dog with wonderful temperament, but unfortunately badly trained) barking and occasionally jumping up at the table when we eat. As I'm sure you can imagine it is annoying and embarrassing when we have guests. Due to the layout of the house, we can't put him in another room.

I understand about maintaining consistency, and not rewarding him by giving him food at the table, but unfortuately other members of the household don't stick to it.

Are there any practical ideas that I am missing?
Thank you for your time.

Lucy Wilks

If you can't put him in another room, and the humans can't be trained, then I'd suggest you invest in a crate for him to be in at mealtimes. Once a dog has discovered that sometimes he gets titbits when humans are eating, he'll never forget and always be on the scrounge. So physical prevention is the only answer, I'm afraid.

Hi!
Put him in a dog cage when you eat. Nice and simple. :) My Cavalier has been spoilt rotten by visitors so he will beg like mad when we have any -he knows its pointless begging off me so he doesn't do it. So if he won't leave them alone he simply goes in his cage until we've finished. Don't use the cage as punishment though, get him used to it as his special place first -most dogs love them.

Marianne

First train your family
Second retrain your dog so that it is more rewarding for him to stay quiet on his bed/blanket etc during a meal by reinforcing this behaviour and not reinforcing the barking or jumping up.

Ie if he is dry fed throw him bits on his bed and only feed him there when you are eating and he is on his bed and he is quite gradually asking for longer periods of silence.

Alternatively tie him up so he cannot come to the table and still follow the above advice.

However if the dog is even only very occasionally rewarded for jumping up and barking you will never extinguish this behaviour.

The family must be trained to NEVER talk to him, feed him, stroke him anywhere near the table.

Thank you Thank you