How to stop your dog from pestering you?

If you don’t provide your dog with what they need in terms of physical and mental exercise and social interactions, they can hardly be blamed for going self-employed. Very few totally fulfilled dogs need to attention-seek. Don't ignore your dog when they are being good, give them your attention when they are doing what you want them to. Reward good behaviour so they are very clear about the appropriate ways to get your attention. At times when you know your dog is likely to pester you, you can give them a chew or a toy stuffed with food to distract them and give them something enriching and rewarding to occupy them instead. If they do fall back into old habits, don’t give them any attention until the instant they stop the behaviour. Then you can give them what they desire - your attention. Spend some time teaching your dog to settle, in other words, to chill out at times when you are relaxing or working.

If you do want to discourage your dog from begging for food though, consistency is key. It’s easy to feel guilty when faced with those signature ‘puppy-dog’ eyes. In order to do this, make it a rule that your dog is never given food from the table, the sofa or anywhere else that you eat. It’s important that everyone in the household is on board with this as if a dog is given food even once, it becomes far more difficult to discourage the behaviour in the future. To do this, try your best to ignore them completely whenever they beg. This means not looking at them or talking to them, even to tell them to stop begging, until you’ve finished eating. A slight glance in their direction can encourage them to keep trying as they’re getting a response from you. But, if their begging is never successful, they will eventually give up. You can ask them to go lie down and settle in a specific place, such as their bed or a mat, whenever you are sitting down to eat.

I suggest completely ignoring 99% of pushy and demanding behaviors from now on. This is where the mantra of "no touch, no talk, no eye contact" applies. When you dog is demanding its best to act like they are not in the room. If your dog barks at you when you feed them I suggest completely ignoring until they stop and calm - then continue the feeding process. Instead of playing when they drop a toy on you I suggest a “special” toy be kept on top of the fridge that you play with when YOU want to play. Wait for your dog to be calm before letting them out of a crate. Wait for your dog to be calm before inviting them on to the couch with you. When your dog demands affection I suggest ignoring, the best way to give affection is to call them to you. When they come over you give all the love you want because they did something for you. Certain levels of touch cannot be ignored and must be corrected.

Ignore Bad Behavior, While you’re teaching your dog alternative ways to communicate their needs, you should not reinforce the problem behavior. That means ignoring all your dog’s attempts to capture your attention. You have to be fair. Owners must first ensure they are meeting their dog’s needs and the dog is not sick or in pain. Only then can they ignore the attention-seeking but start with short periods. Manage Your Dog’s Behavior, Because it can be tricky to ignore problem behaviors, and teaching alternative behaviors takes time, manage your dog to minimize their opportunities to practice attention-seeking. That might mean giving them a food-stuffed chew toy before you make your telephone call or making your call from another room. If you avoid your dog’s attention-seeking triggers, you will set them up for success. Provide Enrichment, If your dog’s needs are met, they will have far less reason to seek your attention. Establish a routine so they know when to expect playtime, walks, meals, and so on. And make sure you remove frustrations and provide enrichment. For example, give your dog a job to do, like searching for their dinner kibble in the folds of a snuffle mat. When you know your dog is likely to show attention-seeking, try providing for its needs beforehand: exercise, play, elimination. Then redirect it to self-managing behaviors, such as chewing or playing with a feeding toy. Also, the dog should have designated rest/nap times scheduled for those times. Reward Alternative Behavior, One of the ways to manage attention-seeking is to provide your dog with alternative behaviors. Your dog wouldn’t be asking for your attention if they didn’t want or need something in the first place. So, teach them a more effective way to get what they want. Then, reward that alternative. For example, if they want you to greet them when you get home, teach them to sit to say hello instead of jumping up. If they want you to play with them, teach your dog to fetch a toy rather than mouthing your hands. Stay strong, be consistent, and maintain your patience.

To reduce or eliminate demand or attention-seeking barking, you must ignore the unwanted behavior, reward desirable alternative behaviors, enrich the pet’s environment, establish consistent and clear expectations, and strategically avoid your dog during times that trigger the behavior. Ignore unwanted behaviors, this can be very challenging to do. Once you start ignoring, you must persist until your dog’s unwanted behavior has stopped completely. If you reward the behavior with any attention, you reinforce it, so if needed, leave the room and close the door to escape persistent barking. If your dog steals something, pretend not to notice, if he approaches you with the stolen object, pick up a book or turn away. Reward desirable alternative behaviors, if your dog approaches you for attention without barking or waving a stolen object in front of you, tell him to sit, then pet him or play with him. Add environmental enrichment, walks alone or with other dogs, games such as fetch, food puzzles, and snuffle mats all add interest to the dog’s day. Establish consistent expectations, create a new routine for your dog and stick to it, make sure all family members apply these new rules consistently. Avoid your dog during times that trigger the unwanted behavior, provide your pup with an alternative activity to occupy him during the times he is most likely to engage in the attention-seeking behavior.