Many cat and dog owners complain about their pets stealing food from the table. Some put up with this behavior of their pet, but in fact, such antics must be stopped. How to stop an animal from stealing from the table?
If you decide to have a pet, it will give you a lot of joyful moments. The main thing is to educate him from the very first day of his stay in your house, otherwise disappointment cannot be avoided. One of the most common problems is that the animal steals food from the table. Why is this happening and how to deal with it?
Reasons why an animal steals food from the table
If you do not want your cat or dog to steal tidbits from the table, then never treat an animal during your meal. Otherwise, it will quickly understand that the hosts always have something much tastier on the table than in their bowl, and will not fail to take advantage of it. In addition, do not leave food on the table when you leave home - do not tempt the animal and do not provoke the emergence of a bad habit of stealing from the table.
How to wean an animal from stealing food
If your cat or dog has already formed a habit of begging for food during the meal of the owners and grabbing pieces that have fallen from the table, you need to get rid of it. Try to throw tidbits on the floor on purpose, and when the animal rushes towards them, slap it with a newspaper or spray it with water from a spray bottle. Thus, your pet will quickly form a cause-and-effect relationship, and it will cease to be interested in what is on the table.
Scaring an animal with a tin box with coins inside works by the same principle. If you see that your pet is showing interest in food on the table or on the floor, shake the box or throw it towards the forbidden treat. Animals get scared by loud sounds, and your pet will quickly learn that forbidden behavior is followed by an unpleasant and frightening sound; soon he will give up trying to steal food in your presence.
It remains only to consolidate the lesson and let the animal understand that the absence of the owner in sight does not mean that it is possible to steal food from the table. To do this, leave a delicious-smelling treat on the edge of the table - for example, a piece of meat - and tie a tin can with coins inside it with a thin thread. When the animal grabs a tidbit, the jar will fall and thunder - this will be a signal for you to enter the room and scold the pet. After the precedent is repeated several times, he learns that it is forbidden to take food from the table and is fraught with loud ringing and censure of the owner.
