At some time, begging was probably unconsciously rewarded by someone in the household --maybe by a child or a visitor. Occassionally, I have had a friend who is a trainer spend some time with me watching MY BEHAVIOR. In doing so, my friend is able to identify areas in which I was unconsciously rewarding my dog for things I did not want him/her to do. As we all know, all the training classes we attend are as much for the handler as for the dog! I have also done this with my husband on simpler issues and we have been able to identify why our dogs were being perfectly rational given OUR behaviors.
On this particular issue, we have also taught a "leave it" command that results in my dogs "asking permission" before they eat anything -- including morsels dropped on the floor. For the first time in my life, I have a "counter surfer" puppy right now, so our strategies may be tested and need to be modified!! Good luck. Nancy Melone Mars/Cranberry, PA
