Command To Get Dog To Eat Breakfast/dinner

[Agility Dogs]

My dogs earn every piece of food they get. No bowls for us.

Interestingly - when I fed from bowls I would get some resource guarding behaviour between the dogs if I handed out bones or pigs ears. (Two would retreat into a corner and bark on the off chance that someone MIGHT come near them.)

Since moving away from using bowls and making them work for every scrap this behaviour has disappeared. Not sure if the two things are connected, but it does seem a bit coincidental.

I think it can teach them that to earn a treat they have to comply with your commands not compete with each other, so it could very well have impacted on the resource guarding.

I was thinking that the other day. Amazing how little things can change the dynamic.

[raineth]

Cesar's method has merit - now hear me out.

What he does is a valid idea in beating aggressive responses - old fashioned yes. If the dog exhibits a behavior and is not successful it will not continue to exhibit that behavior, it will move to something that does gain it success. BUT you see - to make the dog not successful is incredibly dangerous no matter the size of the dog particularly when dealing with this type of behavior.

I tell all my clients, don't pick a fight you cannot win, and 99.9% of physical fights you will come out second best no matter the size of the dog.

Making a dog wait for it's food is really a 'trick', it has little to do in the causation of food aggression. This labrador seems to have more then just food aggression problems and I did agree, NEVER to be around children with that type of behavior.

Although because the dog has been successful before when resorting to aggression, you might have to endure more than one bite, while he learns that aggression no longer is reinforced, right?

[BlackJaq]

My dogs earn every piece of food they get. No bowls for us.

Interestingly - when I fed from bowls I would get some resource guarding behaviour between the dogs if I handed out bones or pigs ears. (Two would retreat into a corner and bark on the off chance that someone MIGHT come near them.)

Since moving away from using bowls and making them work for every scrap this behaviour has disappeared. Not sure if the two things are connected, but it does seem a bit coincidental.

This is exactly what I would have done with this lab, because I do value all my fingers. Obviously, if you feel you can physically best the dog, then I agree with Nekh, that way does have some merit. Personally, I do not get paid to risk life and limb on TV, so I don't go on a course quite as confrontational lol

Plus I generally have to live with the dog afterward. I am human and might feel some resentment toward a dog that had actively "attacked" me as the handler (I am not talking redirected aggression here, but all out attempts to physically force me into submission)

ETA: With a child in the house I would probably be really reluctant to have the dog anywhere near the child until the behavior was completely resolved either way though. Hard to believe that they let it continue this long in the first place.

Edit 2: Ok now that I have started watching the video, I have to ask: Why is there a lame greyhound present? Is the dog hurt? Why would you bring an injured dog in this situation?

Edited November 18, 2013 by BlackJaq

[Steph M]

But I am curious to know what others would do, I feel the command is a good idea because it can stop them from picking up scraps etc when you have guests over.

But then you have to mop! Hahaha!

I have to admit, I don't really bother with this. Gus knows food on our plates and in our hands, or the hands of kids is not for him. His bowl, however? Go nuts.

He does tend to hang back until I'm done dishing up anyway, it might be different if he didn't.

And Rosie needs the OK from me anyway, it seems. It's an unofficial ok for her.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Steph M

[Guest hankodie]

I've taught both of my dogs to drop, wait and give me eye contact before I release them by saying "ok" or "go get it". Both of my dogs are total garbage guts around food one of the first things I taught both of them was to not jump up whenever there's food around. Food is only used as a reward here so anything that I give them they generally have to "earn" (same goes with bones etc).

It also teaches them that food is not a free-for-all. Whenever we're cooking and something gets dropped on the ground they don't make a beeline for it but look to me instead (well most of the time any way - there have been a couple of incidences where Odie has been cheeky and she's taken off with something :laugh:)

[Nushie]

Jager has to sit and make eye contact with us before he gets dinner. Usually we dont even need to give the command to "wait" anymore and most times he has to look back away from the bowl in order to make eye contact so that we give the command "OK" for him to eat.

We have on the odd occassion of being worse for wear the next morning forgotten to give the OK command and he has been left sitting there for 15 mins. Poor monkey. Usually only remember when i dont hear the ching of his tag against the bowl.

Jager is not allowed in the kitchen when we are cooking and so has to sit on the carpet. This stops him from picking up anything that might drop. Generally we dont care about him being in there, but if we start cooking we tell him "out" and he goes out to the carpet. He then sits or lays there staring at us hoping for some carrot or a treat (he loves carrot!!)

He is allowed on the furniture whenever he likes except when we have food out. We generally eat at the coffee table so if we are there with food he knows he has to be on the floor and not on the couch.

[Leah82]

I'm another one that expects a few seconds of eye contact once the bowl is on the ground. We used to get Collie to do a couple of tricks before hand but he'd get so excited and start offering tricks that you didn't ask for so I didn't really see the benefit in it. I now just go with a few seconds of stay and watch so meal time is a bit calmer.

[blakkjackal]

I ask for eye contact too (or actually, I haven't had to ask for a loooong time as the dog will automatically do it), but IMHO it hasn't got much to do with the dog showing respect. It's just one more trick they've learned that gains them permission to eat.

[Daisy.Tea]

Yes. I forgot to mention that when waiting I ask for eye contact. Although that focus on me behaviour has become quite natural now. They look to me to come inside, go through gates etc and for rewards.

[Santo66]

I don't why people need to mess with a dog's food. It's good to get sit or the dog comply with a command before they are released to eat, but once that's done, leave the dog alone and let them enjoy it. You don't need to stick your finger in the bowl or take it off them to prove a point....that's all a load of crap IMHO. I think many food aggression situations are caused by the owners being stupid, taking dinner away from a hungry dog is understandable it could piss them off......I would get pissed off having a meal out somewhere and the waiter grabbed my plate whilst I was still eating it....It's a no brainer I think.....give the dog dinner and let them eat it in peace.

[Kazhak]

just to clarify my point about knowing I could take my dogs food away.. just a point that I could if needed & my boys would be fine because they don't resource guard but thats not to say I would take their food away. yup its their food/dinner, once their bowls are down & release is given (I only do this so I don't get rushed) then they are free to eat their tea.