Part three of why your ‘stubbon’ non-foodie dog won’t take treats.
If you have just joined and want part 1 & 2 drop me an email and I will send them over.
① The environment
② The food you are offering
③ The value of food
④ Emotional state
Part 3: Is your dogs food valuable to him?
This is a biggy
If you leave your dogs bowl down so he can graze all day and have food whenever he wants then food is a less valuable resource.
He can have food any time he wants so why should he do stuff for you to get the food you are offering?
Think about it
If your boss paid money into your bank account every month whether you turned up to work or not would you get up at 6am, sit in traffic for an hour and sit at a desk all day?
I doubt it.
if your children still have piles of chocolate left over in their bedroom from Christmas and you offer them a bag of chocolate buttons for going to the shop to fetch you a pint of milk what are the chances?
Probably zero.
In a couple of weeks when they have eaten all the chocolate and you offer again your chances are much higher.
How do you make your dogs food more valuable?
- Switch from free feeding (letting your dog graze all day) to set meal times. Use half of his food for a training session, giving his food as rewards and then let him eat whatever is left.
- Do this to wean him off his bowl and work towards hand feeding more of your dogs food for training.
BANISH THAT BOWL
Nearly all the fun and good stuff comes from you …. and that includes his food.
The benefits are massive and it’s amazing for your long term relationship investment with your dog. It it a great relationship boost.
The biggest benefit is that instead of your dog having a relationship with his food bowl the relationship will be with you.
Nobody wants a fat unhealthy dog, so use his normal food (maybe mixed with a few treats) for some of his daily training INSTEAD of putting it in his bowl. That way all the food comes from you – how good does that make you now in your dog’s eyes as you supply everything he loves.
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