Dog Food Rule Number 1: Less is More!
The other day one of my clients said her dog was not motivated by food. I took her comment at face value and showed her another way to reward her dog (via affection and play).
As I was demonstrating various training techniques to my client, I noticed something that can be quite detrimental to the training process: dog food in the dog’s bowl. The food had been there all day. You might think this is no big deal. As a dog owner I like to ensure my dogs eat well. But, unlike my client, I stop short of leaving food in their bowls all day, every day. Why? Because I know that dogs will not ‘work’ for what they can get anytime.
If food is always available, your dog is unlikely to want to go to the effort of performing tasks for you. When you offer food as a reward, your dog can easily refuse on the grounds that she is not excited enough about the reward to be obedient because she knows it’s available all the time. Basically, it all comes down to delayed gratification – it works with humans as well as dogs. The ‘marshmallow experiment’ demonstrates how delayed gratification works – in the 1960s, a group of four-year-olds were given one marshmallow and promised a second one on the condition they wait twenty minutes before eating the first one. Some children were able to wait and others could not. The researchers then demonstrated that, in adolescence, those with the ability to wait were better adjusted and more dependable.
How does this translate to dogs? Well, teaching your dog that food comes at certain times as part of a routine and as a reward for good behaviour, will make your dog more dependable when it comes to obedience!
So, if you leave food around all day and want to change this, how should you go about it?
All you need to do is leave your dog’s food out for 10 minutes once or twice at the same time each day. If your dog is used to having food available all day, then she may not eat the food in that 10 minute window. Even so, remove the food after 10 minutes and wait til the next scheduled feeding. This might seem unfair, but your dog won’t starve. In fact, it’s almost certain that your dog will learn very quickly to eat the food promptly at the next 10 minute window. If you do this regularly, your dog will come to appreciate her food more and may become more motivated by food during training sessions.
Once you have established a routine, feel free to give your dog small treats between meals. But remember to make your dog ‘work’ (with simple, quick commands) for them!
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About the Author
Mia Montagliani, known by her clients as "The Aussie Dog Whisperer", is a highly sought after expert in dog training. Discover how you can apply the same techniques as professional dog trainers to improve your dog's behaviour by downloading Mia's complimentary dog training guides and video. Don't forget to follow Mia on Facebook.
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You have obviously never come across a GSD like mine! In the house, food is a great rewarder, in the yard food is nothing but play (his prey/hunt drives are massive) means all. Take him out the front door & it all means NOTHING….the world becomes shiny! Pinch choke is all that has worked & believe me, I’ve had the best trainers in the world work with this dog, I am a 30 year training veteran & this dog is a one of a kind who breaks through barriers to do as he wishes!