Tired when your favorite cat or dog climbs the kitchen tables and steals food? Then read some helpful tips on how to wean them from this mess. Just like teaching a dog not to eat from the floor. Very often, the owners complain about their pets, they say, they are disgraceful and steal food from the table. At the same time, most people think that the character of the cat or dog is to blame for everything. It is these pets that most often become "thieves". In fact, the main culprit for this behavior is the owner himself. To avoid this, you need to follow some simple rules.
1. Feed pets only from their bowl
Many owners like to feed their pets from the floor, throwing some goodies or straight from the table. The animal must understand that it can only eat what is in its bowl. If you do not accustom your pet to this, unpleasant things can happen. For example, food poisoning. So on holidays, when there is a lot of food on the table, you can simply not keep track of your furry friend and he will eat too much. There have been cases when such overeating ended in the death of the animal.
2. Do not feed animals when you yourself are eating
Perhaps this is the most common mistake of all dog and cat owners. This behavior is quite understandable: everyone wants to pamper their pet with something tasty. But this behavior has some very bad side effects. Firstly, the animal gets used to picking up food from the floor, and this can cause food poisoning in the future. Secondly, the pet understands that what is given to him from the table is much tastier than ordinary food and will try with all his might to get the deliciousness again.
3. No food on the table during your absence
Leaving food on the table is simply provoking your cat or dog. So to speak, you are pushing for a "crime". Don't try the patience of the animal and put the food back before leaving the house. This will be beneficial not only for the animal, but also for the food itself.
All this, of course, is not difficult and everyone can follow these rules. But what if the animal has already acquired this bad habit and constantly strives to steal something from the table? Do not despair. Cats and dogs are very intelligent animals, so they can be weaned from stealing. To do this, however, is a little more difficult. The very principle of "education" of cats and dogs is similar. The difference lies in some technical points. More on this later.
Weaning a cat
First of all, you need to wean the cat from taking food from the floor. To do this, periodically throw food on the floor and when the cat tries to pick it up, hiss at it or spray with water from a spray bottle. After a few days, you will notice that the cat avoids food that is lying on the floor, at least does not take it with you. But be sure that as soon as you go out and the kitty will swallow the treat. To completely wean a cat from eating anything that is not in its bowl, you need to resort to using traps. Take a piece of treat and tie a string to it. Tie a plastic glass of water to the second end and place it on a hill. The thread should be taut. Place several of these traps in different places. You will see that in less than a week your cat will finally change his mind about eating what is not in her bowl. We also learn to train cats at home.
Wean the dog off the floor
The procedure is the same with dogs. Instead of a hiss and a spray, use Fisher discs or a "noisy can". Discs can be bought at a pet store, and you can make a can yourself. Take an empty iron cola can and put 10 coins in it. Close the hole and carry it with you at all times. If the dog is trying to pick up food from the floor, throw this can near it (just don't hit the dog). At the second stage, make similar traps, only instead of a glass of water - a can or a Fischer disc.
