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Question
We recently got a 1 1/2 Chihuahua mix from the pound.  He's a wonderful dog, except someone has fed him from the table in the past.  He's annoyingly trying to jump up on us or trying to get up on the table when we eat.  What can we do to break him of this?  We've tried "off" and "down" and "sit" and he comes right back and puts his paws up again.

Answer
He has no respect for any of you as alpha as he is obviously blowing you off when you tell him to do something. You need to get him into on-going obedience classes for a few months, start practicing "Nothing in Life is Free" with him, and work with him every day. http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

The easy thing to do would be to put him in his crate during mealtimes, but, of course, that teaches him nothing. If you want to forego the crate, have him do a down-stay on a nearby rug that is within your view so that you can praise or correct as needed.