The past weekend, I was giving Boo Bear a treat. I sat right next to him, and was petting his head while he ate. I've done this with all my other dogs, I've had in the past and could actually take food right out of their mouths with my hands. So I thought I'd start slow.
Boo Bear turned around, growled and snapped at my hands. I picked up the bowl, told him he was a bad dog in a few firm voice and was kenneled.
I've read articles on being "pack leader", feeding at regular times, and feed after the family has ate. All good and viable examples; but my problem is that Boo Bear won't eat when I put the food down for him... He eats when HE wants to eat.
Is there a good way to manipulate him into eating when I say its time to eat????? I work 2 jobs, and full time school; so feeding on my schedule is important, but I feel so bad when i have to kennel him when he hasn't eaten and I don't want to put the food in his kennel... Am I wrong in thinking this??? Plus I have to get my family on board with all of this, so I have to figure this out soon, so I can "educate" the hubby and the teenagers...
Stephanie...
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I like that... a solid eating schedule; solid pooping schedule!!!!
We've also been making him behave before he gets food, no barking at us when we are eating (although that is totally adorable, but very bad habit)... He's been sleeping in his kennel at night and during the day when we are in and out of the house... we no longer play tug of war games or roll around with him on the floor; all these were against the rules for "pack leader"...
What Sam Tsang says! when I started doing this, Didi stopped all her food nonsense with being picky and waiting for better nuggets in her food.
It turns out that once they're hungry enough they'll eat pretty much any time you'd like them to.
How old is Boo Bear? It is fine to get him to eat on a schedule, but if he is still growing I would leave the food down for a half hour or so before picking it up to make sure he has plenty of time to eat. You may also need to soften it with water if he's still teething, or try mixing in a little plain yogurt.
As far as food-guarding, please understand this has nothing at all to do with dominance or being a "leader." In a group of dogs, the lowliest of the low has the right to defend food it already has in its mouth. Let me put it to you this way: if you were eating a meal and your significant other came over and took it away from you, how would YOU react? What if your boss did it? Does your boss have the authority to steal your lunch? Well, of course not yet we get frightened when our dogs react to us going by their food.
It is true that for safety's sake your dog should learn to tolerate having you pick up food. There is a friendly way to teach it, though, and by taking away the food he already has you have just confirmed his fears: if he does not watch, people take away his food and he won't get it back, so next time he may try doubly hard to protect it from you, just as you would if your boss came by and sometimes stole your lunch.
So here is what you CAN do. Put down his food dish and make a big show of getting out extra-yummy treats (cheese, hot-dogs, etc). While he eats, drop pieces of the food in the area of his bowl. That is day one.
Day two (if this went well and it probably did), put down his food, get out the yummy treats, say his name and wave the food near his face. Feed him a few pieces then drop the rest in his bowl and let him go back to eating.
Day three, put down his food and get out the yummy treats. Say his name, ask him to sit if he knows how, and put the yummy treats in his bowl without the hand feeding.
Day four, say his name, ask him to sit, pick up his food bowl with his regular food in it, put in a few yummy treats and put the food right back down. Lather, rinse, repeat. By day four, chances are that he won't even be looking at his food bowl, he'll be watching your hands. What you are teaching him is that when you pick up his food bowl, GOOD things happen. Practice these kinds of trade-ups periodically to keep him used to it, but most of the time other than training you want to leave him to eat in peace. You can practice the same thing with valued toys and treats; offer him something better, take the toy or treat he has, give him the better thing, and then give him back the toy or treat he already had in his possession. He will think you are wonderfully wise and benevolent, and he will learn that people coming by him when he is eating or playing is a very good thing. He will have no need to resource guard because you will have developed trust with him, so on the rare occasion when you DO need to remove something that he should not eat he will not be upset (and you will reward him by getting him a great treat from the fridge for being such a good boy).
Good luck, and remember don't think in terms of being a leader who is respected and feared; think in terms of being a leader who your dog sees as so smart and savvy, such the bearer of good things, that he would not dream of rebelling.
I would soften his food with a little water and leave it down for 20 minutes. If he doesn't eat, pick it back up and don't offer him any food or treats until the next meal. Henry used to skip a meal here and there when he was little, he was a very picky eater too. I would also try hand feeding him at least part of his meal so he gets used to the fact that YOU control the food, not him.
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