Teaching A Dog To Only Eat When A Command Is Given.

[Whipitgood]

I have heard of guard dog owners doing this to prevent their dogs from eating things they shouldnt or being poisoned.

Is teaching a dog to only eat when it is gven a command and easy thing to teach and do they stick to it? For instance, teaching a dog that the only time it can ever pick up food of any sort is when it is given a specific command or word. Do they adhere to this if you are not around, so much so that they will never pick up food without associating it with that particular command?

Would appreciate the experiences and feedback of those in the know.

[Mas1981]

My dog wont eat his food until i say 'ok,' he always waited for us to tell him he could eat its not something I was trying to teach him so I cant give you any tips on that lol.

[Whipitgood]

Thats pretty impressive for a Lab MM! I have Whippets that will gobble up anything within a 5 mile radius and will even counter surf to get a roast dinner off the bench!!

[macka]

I used the triangle of temptation to teach my lab to wait until I say OK before he eats his food. I can put it right under his nose or walk well away from him and he won't touch it until the command is given. He also has learned not to eat my other dog's food (but will still sit and stare at it ).

I don't know what he'd do if a stranger offered him food when I wasn't here (probably just gobble it up ) but if you start with TOT that at least teaches them to wait until the command is given, then you can gradually increase the time and distance from you that the dog will wait.

Don't know how you'd go about proofing it when you are not around though.

[mr.mister]

We taught our BC to do this. The code word was 'Lucky' and he would sit at his bowl looking at us until we gave the command, then he dove in. I think it was an extension of a combination of 'sit' and 'stay' commands. We would make him do these and then hold his attention until we gave the release word, then he would naturally go do the first thing on his mind - eat the food in front of him. We started with very short periods and then slowly lengthened them.

The problem, however, was he only ever did this with us. It was like he knew his manners at home, but if he was in boarding or something like that it just didn't apply. I don't consider it a fool-proof method to keep a dog from eating something poisoned/baited.

[swazzie]

I have heard of guard dog owners doing this to prevent their dogs from eating things they shouldnt or being poisoned.

Is teaching a dog to only eat when it is gven a command and easy thing to teach and do they stick to it? For instance, teaching a dog that the only time it can ever pick up food of any sort is when it is given a specific command or word. Do they adhere to this if you are not around, so much so that they will never pick up food without associating it with that particular command?

Would appreciate the experiences and feedback of those in the know.

We taught this to both our Labradors, Bru when we got him as a pup and Chloe our rescue when she came to live with us at 13 mths

I would stand in front of Bru with his bowl of food and put it down and pick it up until he sat- first step

Then after he mastered that i added a specific word and if he tried to dive in the food bowl was picked up again and again until bum on ground and he waiting for the word.

It was pretty easy to teach- it just took patience at the start.

Even when he went to stay with a family at xmas he wouldn't eat unless they gave him the word

Bru will take food off other people now but only if they say his word..

Chloe will sit and wait for the release word aswell but she probably would still take food off another person - we are working on that

[huski]

TOT is great for teaching a dog to look to you for permission to eat. Using this method not only does Daisy wait for permission to eat but she can also recall past her food bowl when I give the command and I can get her working away from it until I release her to it.

Teaching a dog food refusal in any other situation (i.e. when you are not around) can be a problem and personally I wouldn't want to do it. What happens if your dog won't eat unless YOU give the command and the dog needs to be fed without you there? A lot of methods also involve using pretty strong aversives to stop the dog from eating and I would worry this could create a dog who becomes stressed around food.

Edited May 8, 2010 by huski

[Tilly]

Our rottie was trained this ... and one day he sat by his bowl for more then 5 hours because I had put his food down and forgot to give him his release word. I eventually had gone out to collect the bowl and found him sitting there with a bit puddle of drool ... I felt really bad.

Only real problem with this is that the rottie don't just have the food word but the word must come from one of the "family". If a total stranger gave them the food word then he still wouldn't eat.

We have taught it to one extent for our boys but we haven't been over strict about it. They will sit and wait for their food until they get a release word.

[mr.mister]

Teaching a dog food refusal in any other situation (i.e. when you are not around) can be a problem and personally I wouldn't want to do it. What happens if your dog won't eat unless YOU give the command and the dog needs to be fed without you there? A lot of methods also involve using pretty strong aversives to stop the dog from eating and I would worry this could create a dog who becomes stressed around food.

I think I would agree with this. On a basic level like with our BC, I think it works great to make mealtime a lot easier but wouldn't rely on it, nor push it for much more than that.

[huski]

Teaching a dog food refusal in any other situation (i.e. when you are not around) can be a problem and personally I wouldn't want to do it. What happens if your dog won't eat unless YOU give the command and the dog needs to be fed without you there? A lot of methods also involve using pretty strong aversives to stop the dog from eating and I would worry this could create a dog who becomes stressed around food.

I think I would agree with this. On a basic level like with our BC, I think it works great to make mealtime a lot easier but wouldn't rely on it, nor push it for much more than that.

Daisy is pretty reliable when it comes to looking at me for permission to eat but I know if I'm not there and someone offers her food there is no way she wouldn't take it

On the other hand I can have her sitting in heel position giving me 110% focus while someone holds food out to her and/or waves it around and she doesn't even look at it. If I left her to her own devices though...

Edited May 8, 2010 by huski

[alpha bet]

Dogs can easily learn to wait for for their food until you give a command.

However it is unlikely that the dog would not wait if there is no one around - nor would you want this with a family pet. Otherwise how could you go away and leave the dog at a kennel or with friends.

Teach him to wait is great and good manners for your dog - dont expect any further unless your prepared for the consequences of having a dog who is reliant on you 100% of the time.

[mr.mister]

Teaching a dog food refusal in any other situation (i.e. when you are not around) can be a problem and personally I wouldn't want to do it. What happens if your dog won't eat unless YOU give the command and the dog needs to be fed without you there? A lot of methods also involve using pretty strong aversives to stop the dog from eating and I would worry this could create a dog who becomes stressed around food.

I think I would agree with this. On a basic level like with our BC, I think it works great to make mealtime a lot easier but wouldn't rely on it, nor push it for much more than that.

Daisy is pretty reliable when it comes to looking at me for permission to eat but I know if I'm not there and someone offers her food there is no way she wouldn't take it

On the other hand I can have her sitting in heel position giving me 110% focus while someone holds food out to her and/or waves it around and she doesn't even look at it. If I left her to her own devices though...

That was exactly the case with our dog.

[Mas1981]

Thats pretty impressive for a Lab MM! I have Whippets that will gobble up anything within a 5 mile radius and will even counter surf to get a roast dinner off the bench!!

Lol lucky mine has not ever counter surfed yet but he is still young and anything could happen. He is a pretty submissive dog and looks to us for guidance all the time...

[Whipitgood]

Thanks everyone, ill have a look at the TOT way of training.

I can understand the issues surrounding food refusal if you are strict about it. I too have heard of dogs that literally starve if they get themselves into a pound or go missing etc. Not sure if this is true or just an urban myth. I find it hard to believe that instinct wont kick in if a dog was starving to death, but that is to the very extreme i surpose.

I mainly want to start training my dogs food refusal because i am tired of them constantly thieving food, our food, each others food, eating cat poo (and im talking raiding the enclosed litter tray, not just in the garden!!) eating blow fish at the beach, dead decomposing animals at the river ... im not kidding - anything they can eat they will! And i assure you they are not starving and get fed twice a day!

So its just another type of training and discpiline that i want to incorporate into their lives.

Dogs can easily learn to wait for for their food until you give a command.

They already do this. I want to train them to only eat things that i allow them to eat and to leave the things i dont want them to touch. I can recall them or tell them to leave if i see they are about to eat something, but i want them to learn not to touch it if i dont see them! I dont want them to think that everything is free and they can eat what they like.

Edited May 8, 2010 by Whipitgood

[Katdogs]

We taught our BC to do this. The code word was 'Lucky' and he would sit at his bowl looking at us until we gave the command, then he dove in. I think it was an extension of a combination of 'sit' and 'stay' commands. We would make him do these and then hold his attention until we gave the release word, then he would naturally go do the first thing on his mind - eat the food in front of him. We started with very short periods and then slowly lengthened them.

The problem, however, was he only ever did this with us. It was like he knew his manners at home, but if he was in boarding or something like that it just didn't apply. I don't consider it a fool-proof method to keep a dog from eating something poisoned/baited.

Same with our dogs, but I also use Stevie's special word as an emergency recall word - she always gets food if she comes to that word, and I've called her from 100m when she's been running at full pelt to another dog she wanted to play with!

If someone else is feeding them apparently 'ok' will do as a release word, and if a stranger offers them food when we're not around Stevie will happily eat it.

[corvus]

I think to be reliable you need aversion. OH thinks it's awesome to put Erik's food bowl full of meat right in front of his nose and then go into the next room and watch him drool into his bowl until I tell him to stop being cruel and release the poor thing. It was easy to teach. He also has a good "leave it" that is generalised to most things, but you have to see it before he does. He'll drop it if you tell him leave it, but if he doesn't hear those magic words he'll chow down on all manner of goodies without permission.

[Cath]

Just this week I realised how effective our training had been. Groenendael pup is fed is his crate. He must sit and wait before the bowl is placed down, then he is given the command to eat. I was in a rush and forgot to give him the touch and verbal command after he sat. He just sat there and drolled, waiting for the commands. I was impressed and embarrassed at the same time. He is 9 months old and has been fed in his crate from day one with us (8 weeks), with the chain of movements and commands implemented shortly after he arrived and settled in.

I still reinforce commands with our old boy (11yrs). We got him at age 6 but he understands the chain.

I'm not sure that either of them would wait for long periods without eating. I wonder if by making my young boy eat in his crate only I make it irrelevant. Time to change my training practices!

[raineth]

Thanks everyone, ill have a look at the TOT way of training.

I can understand the issues surrounding food refusal if you are strict about it. I too have heard of dogs that literally starve if they get themselves into a pound or go missing etc. Not sure if this is true or just an urban myth. I find it hard to believe that instinct wont kick in if a dog was starving to death, but that is to the very extreme i surpose.

I mainly want to start training my dogs food refusal because i am tired of them constantly thieving food, our food, each others food, eating cat poo (and im talking raiding the enclosed litter tray, not just in the garden!!) eating blow fish at the beach, dead decomposing animals at the river ... im not kidding - anything they can eat they will! And i assure you they are not starving and get fed twice a day!

So its just another type of training and discpiline that i want to incorporate into their lives.

Dogs can easily learn to wait for for their food until you give a command.

They already do this. I want to train them to only eat things that i allow them to eat and to leave the things i dont want them to touch. I can recall them or tell them to leave if i see they are about to eat something, but i want them to learn not to touch it if i dont see them! I dont want them to think that everything is free and they can eat what they like.

sounds to me that teaching 'Leave it' is perhaps more what you're after.

I highly reccommend this method LINK which is fun for both you and your dog