Do you feed your dog/s at the table?

[geonni banner]

I feed Sugarfoot when I'm eating - either at the table or when I'm sitting elsewhere for meals. I know lots of folk consider this a no-no, but the thing is, she doesn't beg. She usually sits or lies within easy tidbit-tossing range, but she doesn't stare or fuss or touch me. I think I trained this behavior inadvertently by sending her away when she tried being a bit more pro-active early on.

 

I've never had a dog that was allowed to eat at the table. I still feel a twinge of guilt about it sometimes...

 

But it isn't like my friend Andia, whose Chesapeake Bay Retriever sits with her nose six inches from her plate and warbles softly, with six-inch strings of drool hanging from the corners of her mouth. She looks like she swallowed a sneaker, and the laces are all that hasn't gone down. Yuk!

 

Anybody else a guilt-ridden tidbit conduit? Can you think of a good reason why I should put a stop to it?

[ejano]

I feed Sugarfoot when I'm eating - either at the table or when I'm sitting elsewhere for meals. I know lots of folk consider this a no-no, but the thing is, she doesn't beg. She usually sits or lies within easy tidbit-tossing range, but she doesn't stare or fuss or touch me. I think I trained this behavior inadvertently by sending her away when she tried being a bit more pro-active early on.

 

I've never had a dog that was allowed to eat at the table. I still feel a twinge of guilt about it sometimes...

 

But it isn't like my friend Andia, whose Chesapeake Bay Retriever sits with her nose six inches from her plate and warbles softly, with six-inch strings of drool hanging from the corners of her mouth. She looks like she swallowed a sneaker, and the laces are all that hasn't gone down. Yuk!

 

Anybody else a guilt-ridden tidbit conduit? Can you think of a good reason why I should put a stop to it?

 

 

Let's see .. my husband makes two slices of toast every morning slathered with butter and strawberry jam. One is for him, the other he cuts neatly into nine small squares so that each dog gets three pieces. He has Lady and Brodie on either side and Robin poking his nose up from underneath the table...that red nose looks kinda like a snapping turtle . They have their routine and everyone gets their share and its all surprisingly peaceful. They don't like any other kind of jam, though....just strawberry. . They line up the same way in the evenings in front of the recliner for popcorn.

 

As for other meals, I tell the dogs they can't beg when there's a tablecloth on the table and somehow it makes sense to them...they know they'll get scraps in their dishes later.

 

 

Liz

[martySQ]

It's your life... live like you like.

I don't feed the dog at the table. sometimes I give her a raw meaty bone while we are eating...but she must stay on the rug by the door with it.

Other times, I will put something into her dish when I am finished.

She still sits there and puts her nose on my leg in a way of begging I suppose. I don't appreciate it at the table. I ignore it.

[JohnLloydJones]

Absolutely no feeding at the table. If they come and sniff, they get a curt "Wait!", but mostly they just lie down quietly and wait their turn. If I'm eating something yummy, I do give them a little as a topper on their kibble as a reward for waiting patiently. Now that said, when my back is turned, I strongly suspect that my wife slips them a morsel or two even though she swears that she doesn't.

[IPSY]

No feeding , begging , whining , or staring at the the table .

 

But , that doesnt mean they dont get scraps. I just dont like them at the table when Im eating , especially when there is company. IMO , its just plain rude.

I often give them each something when cleaning the dishes of before putting them in the dishwasher, or Ill save something to add to their next meal.

[Maralynn]

Guilty... but only with Missy. She begs very politely and will go lay down when told. She's kind of spoiled, but she deserves it. It is not something I'd do with every dog!

[urge to herd]

My old Tillie dog was fed all the time by my then roommate - she was a horrible beggar, and somehow, the strings of drool and swallowing in concert with my swallowing didn't help my appetite.

 

I'm with IPSY and a couple others, they do get stuff from our dinner plates from time to time, but in their own dishes. I figure I don't stare at them while they eat, so I don't let them stare at me.

 

But, if Sugarfoot is well behaved and not a pest while you're eating, I don't see a problem.

 

Ruth

[Mariji]

Never have and never will!

My dogs are to sit at least a few meters away whilst I am eating. They are not allowed past the kitchen door when I am in the kitchen and if they see me pick up a piece of food they are to immediately move away and then they may get some. Nothing worse than having them staring at me salivation while I'm eating.

[alligande]

Not a chance, when I first got Jester my GSDx I made a decision then as I hated going to dinner at some ones house and having a slobbering head in my lap. In our dinning room we have dog baskets in the corners ( for now one is a crate) and the dogs are in their baskets when we eat. With my 2 previous dogs they knew human food was not for them and we could have appertizers on the coffee table with guests and they did not touch the food.

That said if it works for you why not... I know Brody in his past life used to eat at the table, sitting on a chair. Coming to live with us was a shock.

[Guest echoica]

my dogs don't really bother with me when i am at the table - probably because they know i won't give them anything. they don't hardly ever hang around the table even. if i am sitting at the sofa that's another story, because i will give them a piece of cheese i am eating or let them lick out an apple sauce single-serving container (as examples) when i am lounging around. but as a guest elsewhere i find it really irritating. my brother has golden retrievers - who drool like crazy at food - and they feed them pieces DURING meals from time to time. it's pretty gross to leave the table with slobber marks on your legs. and they leave like pools of drool there on the floor you walk through...it's really gross. you can't even go in the kitchen without the dogs under or around your legs begging.

[ejano]

I note Geonni's distinction that the dog is not begging -- simply waiting around in case something interesting happens. No one likes a drooly dog in their lap but Ladybug literarlly will not eat unless we humans are eating, so her dish is by the table and she's free will...eats a bit at breakfast...eats a bit at lunch....eats a bit at dinner. If we don't eat, she doesn't. Odd little critter - just one of those BOrder Collie quirks

 

Liz

[Anda]

Sometimes... and it's me who calls him to the table, he never comes to beg

[ErinKate]

Of course to each their own. My mom lets her JRT sit in her lap while she eats, I can't stand it!

You have a good thing going with the dog NOT begging. I just don't think I would ruin it. It is almost like saying, "excuse me, I do have food up here and you are welcome to it". I would think eventually maybe you would end up with a begging dog. I would leave well enough alone and not encourage the dog to be interested in table food.

[mbc1963]

I tend to eat half the time in the dining room, half the time in front of the TV. Buddy sits nearby wherever I eat, but he knows very well to sit quietly and calmly. However... the sound of my fork or spoon scraping the plate, or the tilt of my head as I tip back my mug, signals to Buddy that the meal is nearly over. Once that happens, he does get a very expectant look on his face. I always let him lick off the plate or mug.

 

(For the sake of my mother and the cleanliness with which I was raised, I keep a set of "company" dishes that the dog is not allowed to touch.)

 

Mary

[JohnLloydJones]

(For the sake of my mother and the cleanliness with which I was raised, I keep a set of "company" dishes that the dog is not allowed to touch.)

 

When I was a child, our dog was generally given the "job" of licking the plates after a meal. That is an absolute no no with my wife. But Shh! Don't tell. While my wife is away at our daughters, I do occasionally let them lick a plate or dish clean.

[Ooky]

Yep, I almost always give Odin bits of whatever meat I'm eating, sometimes eggs or cheese. Since he was a pup, he only gets these bits when he's laying down respectfully. No drooling. So therefore his "begging" consists of sitting near me with good manners while I eat! We also can have food on the coffee table or within nose's reach with no problem. If he investigates some unattended food, a leave it works just fine.

 

I don't know why but I just like sharing. As for the plate licking, he rarely gets to because I don't want him to have all the fat/starch/sodium that might be in the saucy leftovers of our meal. But I never understood the whole "guest plate" thing - which I have been asked about before because I sometimes serve him his raw on one of our plates. Doesn't cleaning the plate, well, clean it?

[JohnLloydJones]

But I never understood the whole "guest plate" thing - which I have been asked about before because I sometimes serve him his raw on one of our plates. Doesn't cleaning the plate, well, clean it?

 

In the rational world, yes, but not all people see things that way. I'm reminded of someone I worked with -- many years ago, when I was still in college. His wife was Indian and from a muslim family. When her family found out that he and wife ate bacon, they still invited them to their house, but they broke and threw away every cup, glass or plate they touched while they were visiting.

[Alchemist]

Duncan is allowed in the dining room when we're eating dinner, but he has to sit on his bed. As soon as he sees us move in that direction, he hops right on it. We will typically throw him a dog treat. He'll stay happily there throughout dinner. If we are eating in front of a movie in the family room, or if we have guests over and hors d'oeuvres out, he's never tried to snack on the human food (or the guests, for that matter). Occasionally he's glanced at our food if we're eating on our laps, but a "back up!" suffices to discourage him. He doesn't get scraps; he's had his share of diarrhea, and this seemed an easy potential trigger to eliminate.

 

My last Border collie would beg for food. But if we said "are you BEGGING?", she'd hang her head in apparent shame.

 

As far as dogs licking plates goes - wasn't it in an Ann Landers column once, where someone claimed they'd found the perfect cure for that annoying visitor who invariably seemed to "just stop by" right as they were about to dine, but never stayed to help clean up, instead always hopping up right after the meal to say they had to leave? The unwilling host said they'd figured out the perfect cure: one time, when the "guest" was getting up to leave, they pretended that they assumed the "guest" was offering to help. "No, no, please stay right there!" they insisted. "The dog will take care of it!". They then put the dishes on the floor - and immediately, as soon as they'd been licked clean, loaded them back into the cupboard, while the "guest" gazed on in horror. They said the "guest" had never come back again for another meal. Oh, and of course, they washed the dishes the "normal" way as soon as the "guest" had left.

[geonni banner]

Duncan is allowed in the dining room when we're eating dinner, but he has to sit on his bed. As soon as he sees us move in that direction, he hops right on it. We will typically throw him a dog treat. He'll stay happily there throughout dinner. If we are eating in front of a movie in the family room, or if we have guests over and hors d'oeuvres out, he's never tried to snack on the human food (or the guests, for that matter). Occasionally he's glanced at our food if we're eating on our laps, but a "back up!" suffices to discourage him. He doesn't get scraps; he's had his share of diarrhea, and this seemed an easy potential trigger to eliminate.

 

My last Border collie would beg for food. But if we said "are you BEGGING?", she'd hang her head in apparent shame.

 

As far as dogs licking plates goes - wasn't it in an Ann Landers column once, where someone claimed they'd found the perfect cure for that annoying visitor who invariably seemed to "just stop by" right as they were about to dine, but never stayed to help clean up, instead always hopping up right after the meal to say they had to leave? The unwilling host said they'd figured out the perfect cure: one time, when the "guest" was getting up to leave, they pretended that they assumed the "guest" was offering to help. "No, no, please stay right there!" they insisted. "The dog will take care of it!". They then put the dishes on the floor - and immediately, as soon as they'd been licked clean, loaded them back into the cupboard, while the "guest" gazed on in horror. They said the "guest" had never come back again for another meal. Oh, and of course, they washed the dishes the "normal" way as soon as the "guest" had left.

 

Bwahahahahahahaha!

[mbc1963]

But I never understood the whole "guest plate" thing - which I have been asked about before because I sometimes serve him his raw on one of our plates. Doesn't cleaning the plate, well, clean it?

 

Yeah, it totally does. Like I said, I have no problem eating off plates my dog eats. (Heck, I kiss him - I figure that to me, he's sterile, in that I've taken in and survived every germ in his mouth.) Germophobia is a growing problem in the US, in my opinion. Kids are running around sterilizing themselves for no good reason, allatime. Tires me out. The world is dirty and germy! Get over it!

 

But, I grew up with a nurse-mother from the depression era: a real "people are people, and dogs are dirty" kind of person. She finds the notion of letting a dog lick human plates dis-gust-ing. And I figure there are a lot of people like that, so I keep my nicer plates dog-free.

 

And also... does anyone else's dog's spit produce the same effect as mine? After Buddy licks a plate clean, if I let it dry before I wash it, the dried saliva is like wallpaper paste! Rewet it, and it's slippery goo. Takes a bunch of soaking or scrubbing before I can feel "squeaky clean" on the plates. Aiiee!

 

Mary

[Root Beer]

Anybody else a guilt-ridden tidbit conduit? Can you think of a good reason why I should put a stop to it?

 

Minus the guilt, yes!

 

I enjoy sharing my food with my dogs. I have a deal with them. They will get tidbits, but I get to eat first. They patiently wait. I don't mind them hanging around me when I eat. I enjoy their presence. I tend to be near them when they eat since I'm usually working in the kitchen after I put their food down. After I eat, they get their freebies. I love it when they get something that they especially like and if I know that one of them likes something in particular, I try to save a little extra of that for that dog.

 

Of course, I don't feed them raisins or onions or grapes, chocolate, etc. But they have enjoyed a lot of different foods.

[border_collie_crazy]

eat at the table? my dining room table contains 3 gerbils cages lol, I eat at the computer or on the couch, and I dont care where my dogs are as long as that are not drooling on me or my plate. I do feed my own dogs "at the table" so to speak..only my 5, I dont give anything to my moms 2. my mom does not feed any of the dogs from her plate. ironicly when we have company and we move the gebils to use the dining table, its my moms dogs that cant be trusted with the food and jump on the chairs, while all mine will stay away with a simple "leave it" lol

[desertranger]

Absolutely not. Jin's an SD anyway and begging food is not allowed. Can't have him sitting there looking at my plate in a restaurant. The do hang around the table but they are not let close and told to go away if they get too close. Abby eventually gets the idea and leaves us alone. Jin still working on that. Tthey also know that they might get something after we finish.

 

I did have one dog that was a 5th Dan black belt in the art of Moo-ching. He would mooch food by making his presence know then going over and sitting down facing away from us with his head in the air saying, "I know you might drop something; if you do please do so over here".

[IPSY]

Absolutely not. Jin's an SD anyway and begging food is not allowed. Can't have him sitting there looking at my plate in a restaurant. The do hang around the table but they are not let close and told to go away if they get too close. Abby eventually gets the idea and leaves us alone. Jin still working on that. Tthey also know that they might get something after we finish.

 

I did have one dog that was a 5th Dan black belt in the art of Moo-ching. He would mooch food by making his presence know then going over and sitting down facing away from us with his head in the air saying, "I know you might drop something; if you do please do so over here".

 

Moo-ching ? Black belt ?

[JohnLloydJones]

I did have one dog that was a 5th Dan black belt in the art of Moo-ching. He would mooch food by making his presence know then going over and sitting down facing away from us with his head in the air saying, "I know you might drop something; if you do please do so over here".

Rhys bach loves to lie under my feet when I'm working in the kitchen for exactly that reason; good things may fall from above and he wants to be absolutely sure that he is there when it does. Apple peel? Yum. Cheese rind. Yes, please. End crusts from a loaf? Give me! Maybe they studied at the same academy?