Is it possible to train a dog or puppy to leave a bowl of food that you place down on the floor in front of him/her and not eat the food until you give a command
Is it possible to train a dog or puppy to leave a bowl of food that you place down on the floor in front of him/her and not eat the food until you give a command? Sounds impossible you might think, but it really is achievable to train a dog or puppy to do this.
Ok, but why would you want to get a dog or puppy not to eat the food until you say so in the first place? Seems a little strange, as dog owners we have their health and welfare at heart. Surely his/her dietary needs are high priority and to stop them eating when the food is in front of him/her is just cruel?
Consider this, dogs are basically descended from wolves and as such it is instinctive in your dog/puppy to behave in a certain way. In the wild it really is each dog for himself and only the strong survive. That is nature’s way and those that are not able to fend for themselves die.
Like wolves, dogs are pack animals; again they will exhibit behaviour that is instinctive when it comes to eating. There are rules about who eats what and when in a pack situation. The dominant alpha male will always eat first and have his fill, after that it really is a case of be bold, aggressive and strong in order that you eat and live.
When you first get your puppy, he/she will have come from a pack environment, having spent the first few months of life in the company of litter brothers/sisters. During this time a pecking order will have been established amongst them all.
When you place food down in front of a dog or puppy the speed at which he/she will dive in and polish off the lot is quite breath taking. In a pack situation he/she can never be sure when or where the next meal may come from. So it is very important for a dog or puppy to eat as quickly as possible in order to ensure that he/she survives until the next meal and also so that another dog cannot steal his/her food.
When you take all these things into consideration just because your dog/puppy is now living in a house, as far as they know he/she is still surrounded by pack i.e. you and your family. So it makes sense that in his/her mind there is still a pecking order. This is why it is very important that you establish authority over a dog or puppy as alpha dog in your pack. You must be the one to give your permission for him/her to eat when you say so.
When you first get a dog or puppy from day one, as soon as food is placed down in front of him/her, hold the collar gently and say the word wait or sit as a command. Either word is fine but be consistent and use the same word each time you do this.
Hold the dog or puppy back from the food (of course he/she will be desperate to dive in at this point!).Then, after a short time say the word yes and let him/her eat. At this stage he/she will have no idea of what you are telling him/her to do but, it will soon sink in that until you give the command as top dog, no food is allowed to be eaten.
This can in some cases take time and patience to train on your part but it is well worth the effort to become the alpha dog in your pack.
Teaching a dog or puppy anything can be made easy by learning and using the correct training techniques. There are plenty of Secrets to Dog Training that very few pet owners are aware of that make training your dog as easy as following A, B, C. The Best Dog Training Guide online has helped over 200,000 dog owners so far and is well worth reviewing.