diff --git a/src/Core/ConventionsTrait.php b/src/Core/ConventionsTrait.php
index 2ad7b257a67..832e1505892 100644
--- a/src/Core/ConventionsTrait.php
+++ b/src/Core/ConventionsTrait.php
@@ -48,12 +48,17 @@ protected function _entityName($name)
 
     /**
      * Creates the proper underscored model key for associations
+     * If the input contains a dot, assume that the right side is the real table name.
      *
      * @param string $name Model class name
      * @return string Singular model key
      */
     protected function _modelKey($name)
     {
+        $model = explode('.', $name);
+        if (isset($model[1])) {
+            $name = $model[1];
+        }
         return Inflector::underscore(Inflector::singularize($name)) . '_id';
     }