Our dog used to bother us at the table, too. We trained her to go to her bed while we eat and if she' patient, she gets a reward. Usually when we're done eating, I tell her to bring me her kong and stuff a few vegetables and a little meat in it. She has to go back to her bed to get it. Reinforces that when she goes to her place something great will come eventually.
We started the training by tossing her tiny treats from the table when she was laying down calmly xx feet from us. If she got up, the treats stopped. If she stayed, treats would come randomly. We phased out the frequency of the treats over time. Eventually she understood that a down/stay on her bed would result in a treat when we were done eating. She still gets up occasionally and puts her head on my husband's leg (he can be a soft touch - have to watch him like a hawk!) but if we're firm and tell her to go to her bed she will. Haven't found anything to stop the stare, though, short of tossing her a t-bone steak!
We started the training by tossing her tiny treats from the table when she was laying down calmly xx feet from us. If she got up, the treats stopped. If she stayed, treats would come randomly. We phased out the frequency of the treats over time. Eventually she understood that a down/stay on her bed would result in a treat when we were done eating. She still gets up occasionally and puts her head on my husband's leg (he can be a soft touch - have to watch him like a hawk!) but if we're firm and tell her to go to her bed she will. Haven't found anything to stop the stare, though, short of tossing her a t-bone steak!
