Food Refusal

[Purpley]

Hi,

I am starting to teach the dogs food refusal and I was wondering what word people use? I guess it has to be something that isn't commonly used, so that it cant be mistakenly said.

When I say word - I mean the word that means they CAN eat the food - so when you reward them for leaving the food etc. So the 'eat' command???

Does that make sense

[capanash]

I use the word "leave" for food refusal then "take" as the command to eat.

[mersonmalinois]

I taught my Rottweiler Gunther that many years ago.

I picked the word "Jade". One syllable, easy to remember, not a word others would think of to ask a dog to eat food.

Pick an uncommon word that you will easily remember and that other people would never guess in a million years. Always make sure that someone knows the word in case something happens to you!

[haven]

I use the command 'eat up' for my GSD. True food refusal doesn't require the use of a 'leave it' command, as the concept you teach the dog is that they are not to eat anything unless given the command to do so.

I use the 'leave' command for my Rotti, because she is not trained in food refusal and so will take food unless told otherwise.

Essentially you can use whatever command you like, depending on how serious you want to be with your training. Be aware that the kind of food refusal taught at most obedience clubs will generally not stand up against a real temptation because it isn't proofed anywhere near enough to overcome the natural drives of the dog, or the desire to eat when hungry.

[Purpley]

It is true food refusal that we will be doing. Now to pick a word to use. Hmmmmm

[tramissa]

I'm going to be doing this with my next puppy.

Minnie will currently eat anything - anything given to her by anyone and anything thrown over the fence, anything we find on a walk etc. It scares the life out of me. Next puppy will only eat when I tell it to - so thanks for posting this

I like Jade as a word. Nice and easy.

[SwaY]

Next puppy will only eat when I tell it to - so thanks for posting this

What happens if you in an accident and a friend needs to feed the dog, and they don't know the command?

[shellbyville]

I use the word 'wait' to get my dogs to stop what they are doing and focus on me. I use 'wait' for lots of things, I get them to stand & wait in the showring, to wait when I put their food dishes down, I get them to look at me and not at the food, when I feel they are waiting patiently and looking to me for instruction. I then simply say 'ok' and they can eat. I do the same thing when I let them out of their runs. I get them to 'wait' at the gate, I then open the gate, and they can't run out until I say 'ok!' Then they race out and have fun.

Since I have taught my dogs this, it has made life so much easier. Before they would jump all around me while I put their food down, I would open their runs and they would nearly knock me over on their way out. LIfe is much safer now!

[Purpley]

Next puppy will only eat when I tell it to - so thanks for posting this

What happens if you in an accident and a friend needs to feed the dog, and they don't know the command?

I asked someone about this today, and they said that a) a dog won't starve itself, and b) a dog is normally in 'work' mode when food refusal is enforced etc. She said that a dog would more than likely eat something on the ground if they had no lead on etc. She also said that dogs are natural scavengers and its hard to switch that off, when they are in 'free' mode.

[APBT Lover]

I use essen it's a German word and it means eat and I use warten (wait) if she goes to take the food before I say, but all her commands are in German, so I don't know if this is any help to you.

I would use a word that nobody else would associate it with food, this is in case of the dog being bated but i guess that's what food refusal is all about.

Edited August 20, 2007 by APBT Lover

[kendall]

Next puppy will only eat when I tell it to - so thanks for posting this

What happens if you in an accident and a friend needs to feed the dog, and they don't know the command?

I asked someone about this today, and they said that a) a dog won't starve itself, and b) a dog is normally in 'work' mode when food refusal is enforced etc. She said that a dog would more than likely eat something on the ground if they had no lead on etc. She also said that dogs are natural scavengers and its hard to switch that off, when they are in 'free' mode.

This confuses me a little. Do you mean that when they are off lead they can eat anything off the ground because they are 'free' - seems to defeat the purpose of teaching food refusal??? As someone said before, their dog eats anything off the ground, thrown over the fence etc. Food refusal and an 'eat' word would stop this even if they were free - isn't that what you want?? I ave heard of dogs starving to death (colud be urban myth??) because they either wouldn't leave their dead or injured 'master' or the eat command word wasn't used - dogs do starve themselves sometimes.

I think you would need to tell trusted people who may have to care for your dog if you are ever incapacitated the special word. Maybe have it written down in your important papers or in a phonebook or similar so that it can be found easliy by the 'right' people. I think it is a good idea to teach 'eat on command' as long as you aren't the only one who knows

[kendall]

double post

Edited August 20, 2007 by kendall

[kendall]

gremlins!

Edited August 20, 2007 by kendall

[Purpley]

Nah Sway asked about what happens if something happened to the person that knew the command word. I discussed it with a trainer and that was what she said.

A dog that was taught food refusal properly would NOT under any circumstances take food unless given the command word. Which is what I will be teaching.

I agree with your last paragraph. That it should be written down for other people to have, if something happened to you etc. I am guessing friends who are out with you and your dog would soon realise the word as they would hear you say it. So I think that what Sway is saying, would only really happen in extreme circumstances, and people that take it to the level where they are the only ones that know the word.

[tramissa]

I will have a number of people that know my command - my mother, who I live with, my best friend (and her fiance) who look after her if I go away, my dad, stepmum, 2 x brothers, sister, a couple of other friends who come over.

If something happened to me, either my mother or my best friend would look after Minnie for me. If, god forbid, I died, my mother would retain ownership of any dogs I have at the time.

[Purpley]

I guess it comes to responsible pet ownership. If you know your dog is trained for food refusal (in the true sense) then you would have a back up plan if something unforeseen happened.