My 7 month old is really naughty at stealing food from our low coffee table.
We have tried gently pushing him away, we have tried getting him to lay down
but he just gets up straight away and comes back and if you are not quick enough he grabs the food and runs.
We have shut him out of the room, but then he isn't learning not to do it.

any other suggestions, our other puppy just lays down and chews his toys!

Get higher tables

Prevention is better than cure - don't leave food unattended on the table.
:)

Each time he is succesful means he's just going to do it more - it's worth the risk of being caught (and chasing him will make it even more of a game ;))  this is the sort of problem that can only be solved by management - don't leave food on the table!  Just as when we have children we have to move ornaments out of the way, when we have puppies/dogs, we have to change the way we do somethings.......

It might also be useful to teach a 'leave' command:

Give your puppy a titbit.  Hold another up, say 'leave', and keep it held tightly between your thumb and finger with just a little bit sticking out.  Allow your puppy to lick, chew and paw at your hand, but ignore this behaviour.  Be patient and wait until you see a space appear between your hand and your puppy's nose, then feed the puppy another titbit which you've had concealed in your other hand immediately.  Repeat until your puppy learns that when you say 'leave', he needs to take his face away to get a reward.  Practice this in several sessions until he will move his head away as soon as you say 'leave'.  Then gradually build up the time he can wait for until you can count to 10 before rewarding.Keep your hand absolutely still when you say 'leave', give the other titbit as soon as you see a gap appear between your hand and your puppy's nose and only say 'leave' once each time and then keep quiet and wait for your puppy to take his face away

I believe a simple answer is "move it or lose it" :)

Snatching food off your plate which is on your lap is not acceptable.

Stealing food that has been left unattended, on the coffee table whilst you sit back and watch telly, on the work top whilst you go and put the bin out, is 'Fair Game'.

If the latter is what is happening, then i prescribe thsi treatment.

Take a rolled up newspaper, keep it with you at all times.

Whenever you leave food lying around and your dog takes it...

Beat YOURSELF about the head with the newspaper and berate yourself for not putting the food away.

Dogs are scavengers and there are very very few dogs who would not take abandoned food. Its natural for them to do this and quite honestly, if your sandwhich is so  unimportant to you that you left it in the room whilst you went to the toilet, you dont deserve to eat that sandwhich!

It is that simple. Put food away. Dont leave food in a room with the dog.

Em

:D :D :D

I got a bit worried when I read the bit about the newspaper - until I read the rest of it ;)

Nice idea :D :D

I did have one that did this the way I stopped her was to put some bitter apple on the side of a plate when she went to steal this she got that taste on the third time she stopped and has not done it since.
  Never give them the opportunity of doing it remove temptation, if there wasa bar of Chocolate on the table you would not stop me from eating it unless it was put up high or removed from eye sight!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dog, Food and gently pushing away will not work.

You have a couple of options as others have said -

1.  Do not put food on coffee table.

2. Put food on coffee table and imagine it is something really precious and delicate to you - as soon as your pup notices it - flick out the words "leave it" don't just say them, really mean it and your pup should back off if you have it correct.  Immediately say "good dog" no more than that or he will take it as permission to try again.

You may have to do this a few times before he gets the message but whatever happens do not let him get any food off the table.  Once you are happy that he is getting the idea then take him in the kitchen and reward with a doggy titbit if you wish.  Never feed from the table or in the sitting room and they will learn to accept this.

The second approach you have mentioned is how I train my lot to not pinch food :)

Lucy
xx

hi we have a beagle and he is always trying to steal food.we are now trying to teach him not to take food from the dining table.and all the family eats up to the table.if he has sat and not tryed to pinch food while we have been eaten we praise him and give him a treat.it is a long process though so a lot of time and patience is needed.good luck