Sunday, August 15, 2010

Dog Training Does Away With Modern Day Food Guarding

By Dr. Nortey Omaboe

Any top dog trainer, skilled in dog obedience training techniques, knows that dogs value food. So much, that food treats are the absolute best motivators for dog training success. But, when that food becomes a bone of contention among dogs, or between a dog and a human, a food guarding situation has developed, and can be dangerous for dogs and humans alike.

Your dog's ancestors guarded food because they often didn't eat for days at a time. When a kill was brought back to the pack, the wolves that fought for the right to eat got to eat the most, and the best, meat.

If your dog has a submissive personality, he may inhale his food at record speed to prevent other, more dominant dogs in the house from horning in on his treasure. And, if one of those dogs approaches, he might feel the need to defend his meal. Or, if your dog is the dominant natured one, he might growl or snap at other dogs, whom he sees as freeloaders that don't truly deserve a piece of his meal.

Just because a dog behavior is natural, doesn't mean that it belongs in modern day society. The best way to deal with this particular behavior is to properly train your dog and stop it from developing. These dog training techniques can help to keep food guarding habits from forming:

Put only a portion of your puppy's meal into her bowl. When she's finished eating that, pick up the bowl, put more food into it, and then replace it for her to finish. You can divide the meal into as many segments as you'd like.

Stroke your puppy while he's eating.

Train your puppy by having him eat from a bowl that you hold in your hands.

Ask your puppy to sit. Reward her. Then place her bowl on the floor. Partway through her meal, interrupt her eating to ask her to sit again. Reward her with a treat that's much better than what's in the bowl; a chunk of steak or hot dog is perfect.

Interrupt mealtime and ask your puppy to sit. Reward her. Now take a piece of steak or chicken and put it into her food bowl. Stir the contents with your hand. Allow her to continue eating.

Take the food bowl partway through her meal. Put her favorite meat treat into the bowl. Replace the bowl and allow her to finish eating.

Ask a variety of people, including friends, children, and other family members, to take part in preventing food guarding with these dog training tips.

These dog obedience training techniques will teach your puppy or dog that his food is safe, that mealtime is meant to be free of stress, and that when you're around, mealtime is full of bonuses. Add clicker training techniques to these food guarding prevention tips, and you've got the perfect way to accomplish all of this, quickly and easily.

It's important that you understand that these dog training techniques can only be performed safely if your dog isn't already guarding food. If he raises his lip or his hackles, growls, barks, or shows his teeth while eating, you could be injured if you attempt to intervene.

The ultimate message to your dog is this: food guarding is no longer necessary in this new, safer world. Sending this message during puppy training is the best way to make this belief part of your dog's life.

Your dog's development as a domestic pet has transferred the responsibility of survival from her to you. She can trust that you have her best interest in mind, and that dog obedience training, in and out of the bowl, is her ticket to a long and well fed existence.

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