By Doug & Elizabeth Simpson Owners of Tenderfoot Training
Does your dog get too excited when you are preparing his food? Does he dive into his bowl and protect it from intruders? Are you able to pick up his bowl, mid-meal, and take it from him? For that matter, can you even get near his bowl? A dog who trusts and respects his person should be calm when you approach his bowl and he should willingly back away from it as you go to pick it up. Ah, the good life.
The best way to teach a dog about food manners is to set him up for success in the first place. While preparing his food, you need to claim the space around you. You wouldn’t want your dinner guests crowding you as you try to prepare their meal, so you shouldn’t let your dog do it either.
He should not jump up, bark at you, or press into your legs. You can ‘shoo’ him out of the room or just out of your way, and give it a word like “out†to reinforce it. This is a subtle way to claim your space; if the dog respects you then he should back away. Now that your dog is calm and out of your way, youcan prepare his food. If he creeps back in then ‘out’ he goes again. Dogs will typically only challenge you 3-5 times if you are clear and consistent.
Prepare his food in a calm manner; do not succumb to his whining or intense energy. He should not get rewarded for demanding his meal from you. This is your food and you will share it with him when he is calm and has good manners. But if his energy says “FEED ME NOW!†just be patient until he calms down and he will quickly learn that calmness wins.
When the meal is ready, and he is behaving calmly, you can go ahead and feed him. Face your dog with the food bowl in both hands at your stomach level. Invite your dog in to “sit†in front of you and “stay.†Only when your dogis sitting calmly can you release him with a direction like “let’s eat,†and then you may lower the food just low enough so he can eat—keeping your hands on the bowl.
In 5-10 seconds, or if he begins to act agitated, pick the bowl up without delay and add a word of association like “enough.†Wait until the dog is calm and sitting before you offer the bowl again for just a few seconds. Repeat the same routine until the dog can calmly eat for longer periods of time without getting agitated or possessive.
After a few feedings like this, you would then hold the food bowl on the ground and practice “let’s eat†and “enough.†Then you can start to take your hands away for short periods of time (1-2 seconds) and continue practicing the drill, adding more and more time that your hands are off of the bowl. You can use a leash on the dog for control, and pull him away from the food if needed and start again. Begin to add some distance and eventually walk away, then come back and reclaim the bowl. You are desensitizing the dog to your approach and you have already taught him to accept your taking the bowl away, so you should be good to go. However, the longer a dog has the bowl, the more likely he is to try to claim it as his, so you might have to go back a step or two and work with short, 5-10 seconds intervals again.
You could also set him up for a pleasant surprise by walking by and tossing a tasty morsel into his bowl. Approach him with a treat in your hand, say his name to get him to look up, and wave the treat in front of his nose so he catches the scent. Pick up the bowl, add the treat, and offer him the bowl again. This creates a positive association with you approaching and picking up his bowl.
Your energy should say that you own the room, the food, and the bowl, and you only share it with a good, calm dog. Remember, if a dog claims his food, space, or things, it is usually a lack of respect for you. A balanced relationship is a balance of love, trust, and respect. It is always the person’s responsibility to ensure their dog has good manners, and that only comes with time well spent training, socializing, and setting clear boundaries.
About the Trainers: Doug and Elizabeth Simpson have worked with animals all of their lives and are thrilled to share their knowledge and understanding of dogs with their people. With 30 years of experience their methods are tried and true. They attribute this to good socialization, fair and consistent training and lots of love. Tenderfoot Training www.tenderfoottraining.com (303) 444-7780
