Harold and Bev Carried Breakfast Out to the Patio. Duke Arrived Nose First.

Breakfast is served outdoors this morning on a weathered wooden patio table: mugs of coffee, a bowl of oatmeal, toast with avocado slices, and a few crumbs already scattered across the plates. Harold and Bev sit side by side in their matching knit sweaters, beaming and leaning toward each other. Their view, however, is mostly blocked by Duke. The fawn Great Dane has pushed his big, whiskery face right up to the table edge, nose hovering over the food and soulful eyes gazing sideways, as if hoping no one will notice him counting the toast slices. Potted plants and a blue cushioned chair sit along the fence.

With a dog tall enough to rest his chin on the table, mealtime manners are worth a little training. Teaching a reliable down-stay or a go-to-your-mat cue keeps a large dog from counter surfing or swiping a plate. It also helps to know which breakfast foods are not dog-friendly. Avocado can cause stomach upset in dogs, and grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, and the sweetener xylitol are all toxic. Many dogs also struggle with rich, fatty, or heavily buttered foods. If you like sharing, plain cooked egg or a few blueberries are generally safer choices in small amounts.

Duke's polite but persistent presence suggests he has been to this breakfast before. Harold and Bev look like they have long since accepted that every meal comes with a very large guest.