Debbie Cilento: Dog Trainer | Dog Behavior Consultant | Owner of Playtime Paws | Belly Rub Specialist
YNP #107: Stop Dinnertime Chaos
JAN 14, 202610 MIN
YNP #107: Stop Dinnertime Chaos
JAN 14, 202610 MIN
Description
<p>Dinner should be a chance to relax, not a nightly negotiation with your dog.</p>
<p>In this episode of <em>Your New Puppies Podcast</em>, I’m breaking down one of the most common struggles I see with puppies <em>and</em> adult dogs: dogs begging, barking, or demanding attention while their humans are trying to eat.</p>
<p>It does make sense that this happens. Besides the obvious food, everyone is gathered together, and there tends to be a lot of movement and chaos. Your dog just wants in.</p>
<p>The good news is you don’t need to teach new cues, run training drills, or micromanage every meal to fix this. This is a perfect example of how we can <strong>train without training</strong> by using consistency, structure, and a predictable routine.</p>
<h3>In this episode, I talk about:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Why dinner time is such a challenging moment for dogs</li>
<li>Why attention (even negative attention) keeps the behavior going</li>
<li>How to give your dog something better to do before begging starts</li>
<li>When and how to remove access to the table altogether</li>
<li>How to build a predictable dinner routine</li>
</ul>
<p>These are things you can start doing <strong>today</strong>. It may not be perfect immediately, but with consistency, most families see improvement within a week.</p>
<p>Enjoying this podcast?  Please rate and review it wherever you listen.  This helps other puppy parents find it.</p>
<h3>Other resources mentioned and related to this episode:</h3>
<p>Your New Puppy’s Podcast:<strong> <a href="https://www.playtimepaws.com/episode18/" target="_blank" style="outline: none;" rel="noopener noreferrer">YNP #018: Ditch the Bowl and Make Mealtime an Event</a></strong></p>
<p>Your New Puppy’s Podcast:<strong> <a href="https://www.playtimepaws.com/episode25/" target="_blank" style="outline: none;">YNP #025: Is Human Food Good for Dogs?</a></strong></p>
<p>Your New Puppy’s Podcast: <strong><a href="https://www.playtimepaws.com/episode84/" target="_blank" style="outline: none;">YNP #084: My Favorite DIY Puzzle Feeders</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.playtimepaws.com/puppy" style="outline: none;">YOUR Perfect Puppy</a>: If you’re looking for ongoing guidance with situations like this, this episode is also a great example of the kind of real-life problem-solving we do inside <strong>YOUR Perfect Puppy</strong>, where I help you turn everyday chaos into manageable routines that work for <em>your</em> household.</p>