Now is the time to kick your pug's bad habit of begging for food to the curb.

First off you need to ignore him while you're at the table. Do not respond to his begging, staring, or even whining. If he doesn't get the hint, there are other training methods too:

Begging for food is a habit YOU created and your dog is responding to. At some point (probably more frequently then you want to admit), you gave your dog table scraps when eating.

Eliminate All Reinforcement – From this point forward, if your dog begs for food, do not give them any. You cannot periodically reward and expect your dog to understand – mixed signals are unfair.

Keep in mind, when it comes to making a behavior go extinct, your dog may “up the ante” in order to get what they want.

Send Your Dog to “Place” – Teaching your dog a reliable “Place” command is the next option.

1. Provide a comfortable target for your dog to lay
2. Tell your dog “Place” and use a treat and/or leash to guide your dog to the target.
3. When ready, release your dog from command by saying “Free”.

“Place” is a terrific way for your dog to be present, yet not disruptive while you are enjoying the holiday with your family. Start training your dog now, so both of you can fully enjoy the holidays.

Sending your dog to “place” is an excellent way to keep him away from the food and the tempting situation. If you reward him with occasional treats during the training process for staying in his place, he should be content.

Practice makes perfect so if he doesn't get the command down the first couple of times don't be hard on him. Being accustomed to begging for a long time is going to be difficult to break and won't take place overnight.

For more training tips visit The Dogington Post.