Is it bad to give in to my dog begging for food

Because unpredictable rewards are particularly effective at maintaining a behavior, even feeding from the table once every few weeks can keep a dog persistently begging at every single meal, since the dog cannot predict in advance which attempt will be the one that pays off.

Small bites handed over during a meal rarely feel significant in the moment, but regularly adding even 50 to 100 extra calories a day through scraps can meaningfully affect weight over months, particularly for a smaller dog with a modest daily calorie need overall.

Reserving a portion of the dog's own regular food, or a specific low calorie treat, to give at a separate time after the meal, rather than from the table during it, satisfies the desire to share without reinforcing the exact behavior of hovering and begging.

Many owners who describe themselves as never feeding from the table, when asked more specifically, do occasionally make an exception for a particularly persistent or appealing moment, and being genuinely honest with yourself about how often this actually happens is an important first step before expecting a change in the dog's behavior. If scraps are being given more often than initially realized, acknowledging that honestly makes it much easier to set a clear, achievable new standard going forward, rather than being confused about why a supposedly consistent no table feeding rule is not producing the expected results.