Toddler Won't Stop Feeding the Dog

Pretty simple. Give her one snack piece at a time, and if she gives it to the dog, then you tell her she gets no more, and excuse her from the kitchen. She'll get the idea soon enough that if she gives her snacks to the dog, she gets no snacks.

Tell her that she only gets X amount, and if she gives it to the dog, she's going to be hungry. Following through on that only took a couple of times for my kids. To my mind, that's not "punishing" with food - it's teaching the logical consequences of her actions.

(And you can give her a snack in about 45minutes, so it's not like she'll starve. Just long enough for her to feel it a little bit).

Good luck.

If she gives away her food, take it away. Or you could give her the snack one piece at a time. So say she is eating Teddy Grahms. She gets ONE cookie. after she eats it, she can have ONE more. If she gives it to the dog, she's done. She's not missing out on the nutrition if she's feeding it all to the dog anyway. I don't see it as 'stamping down her will'.... I see it as teaching her basic table manners. It has to start sometime, somewhere. My 10 month old already knows that this is how it works. Occasionally, she will test me... but for the most part what is on her tray goes in her mouth. My DD loves feeding our dogs, and I let her... but only when I tell her it's ok, only with their treats, and NOT near her high chair.

This is very simple to cure....I have gone through this with both of my kids and once you nip this in the butt, it should be a done deal. The dog is not the one who needs redirection here....your toddler does. Young or not, throwing food or putting food of any kind over the edge of the highchair or table is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Yes, toddlers do this and it is a part of growing up. It is a stage and a rite of passage but when you look at it for what it is....it's behavior that is not appropriate and if it continues, you'll really be in a tough spot. When she puts food over the edge of the highchair or table, you take her hand and you tell her "NO" immediately. If she does it again, take her hand again and say "NO....or I'm taking the food away." If she does this a third time, the meal or snack is officially over and you clean her up and let her down from the highchair or table. At this point, she may just move on to something else or a tantrum might start. Either way, the food goes away until the next meal or snack time. She has to learn that eating is not playing and this is also the beginning of table manners. She is not too young and this is not CUTE. Feeding the dog today turns into flinging food at you and in a restaurant tomorrow. You don't want that. Toddlers need limits and this is when you need to provide them. Trust me, when she's hungry, she'll eat the food and not play with it. When the playing around starts, the meal must be over. No child is going to ever starve themselves when food is available to them. They will eat and learn that it's not game time with the dog if you set limits early and be consistent with her. I've raised two girls and both have impeccable table manners and excellent eating habits. We can and did take them anywhere and to any restaurant or family gathering we wanted because they behaved. We are also fun and loving parents but we have limits and expectations....even when the kids were young like yours is. This is the best advice I can give you and it works. I'm backing it up with my own kids behavior and also the dozens of toddlers I've cared for as a Nanny and a teacher of 20 years. THIS WORKS!

Good luck! Toddlers + Dogs + Food = Fat dogs!

We have this problem and are on the three strikes your out routine. She gets one NO, then one no if you do it again I will take it away. Third time she's out and she loses it. Usually by the second time the (I will take it away phase) she says No No No and stops. After a few times of this she quit doing it all together. Every once in a while she gets a hair and tosses the dog something, but after No she stops.

Have her eat her snacks in the dog-free kitchen.

UNtil my kids stppped dropping food off the table the dog was gated out of the kitchen. In fact the youngest is 10 and they are still out of the food areas, kitchen and dining room. Dogs are dogs, put her in the living room or a crate and put your daughter in a high chair.
And if mine ever fed their food willingly to the dog they went hungry for that meal.

My daughter used to do this. She took her little tea set and would feed the dog goldfish crackers, or pretzels. The dog would sit there and wait for her to say OK. It was the cutest thing. And it gave my daughter a time to feed the dog. She loved her "tea parties"

What do you do when she does that?
She is 15 months.... does she sit in a high chair to eat her snacks, or is she free-roaming the house? Put her in a high chair and let her have her snack. Call the dog to it's bed or another area away from your daughter, put it in a "stay" and give it a doggie biscuit or chew toy or rawhide, and when your daughter is finished with her snack, let her down and the dog out of its "stay".

Or use consequences with your daughter: If she begins giving her snack to the dog, take the rest of it away from her. She obviously isn't that hungry.

Lucky pup ;) My 15 month old feeds the dog too. Like you, our problem is the child, not the dog. Our poor pup has to sit outside the house whenever my kiddo has a snack or meal... but he's a GREAT cleaner-upper!! As long as your dog isn't eating anything bad for him, let him relish in the clean up process (just not at snack/meal time)... hey, it's not like you wanted to bust out the vacuum and clean it up yourself anyway ;) Your daughter will get bored with this, I PROMISE!! :)

Is she getting a time out for it? If you don't want the dog to have the food, either keep her in the high chair, or in the kitchen for snacks. Let her know why, and you can periodically give her a try, and if the dog gets food again, back to the high chair or kitchen.

My dog had a protein allergy, and we let our son know that people food would hurt the dog. He was very good about not giving or teasing the dog with food.

Part of that is probably the thrill of being a toddler and since the dog eats it when she gives it to him, she continues. Continue to keep her seated during meal and snack times away from the dog or just be a bit firmer in telling her to eat her food.

Gate the dog out of the kitchen, but only when she's eating. If you want, set her up with her food and then go give the dog a little love while she's eating. And if she wants to feed the dog, let her do it at correct times, and put the food into his bowl. Teach her that dogs eat dog food, not people food. All she has to do is give him chocolate once for him to become very ill, so keep redirecting her tendency to feed the dog, and let her know 'Your food stays on the table. Doggie's food goes in the dish."

And don't let her walk around with her snacks, either. Children should be eating seated at the table, unless there is a planned 'picnic' on the floor. We have a "no walking around with food" practice in our home. That's often how kids end up choking!

I'd continue feeding her in the high chair even for snacks and keep the dog away. My In-laws have a small dog that is obese now. They've gone through this with every grandchild at a certain age. As the children get older, they stop doing it. So for now I think the answer is to keep her in the high chair to eat and keep the dog away.

yeah, let her go hungry for a bit. one will only realize the importance of something when one loses it. make sure you prepare her the food that she likes. you can also tell her a story of people who are hungry but they don't have food to eat.

Make sure all meals and snacks are at the table and put a gate up to keep the dog out.

Why don't you just stay right there when she's eating snacks and make sure the dog is occupied so he doesn't eat them? Or give her biscuits to feed the dog instead? Is your concern that the dog will overeat? You could also put him in another room at snack time and then fuss over him big time when he comes back out after snack, so he won't feel punished. She won't be 15 months old for longer than 1 month. Try to enjoy what's sweet and cute about this.

Adding: I disagree with Mamamegan. This is cute and she is too young. Her solution may "work" if you want to stamp down the child's will, but it won't "work" if you want to have a lifelong, partnering, loving relationship with your child. I would bet any amount of money that your child will be happier,and you'll be happier if you just take this in stride. It's really no problem.