Almost every modern dog trainer uses food for dog training at some point in their career, for some sort of behavior, especially if they're training dogs like Italian Greyhounds, Shiba Inus, Chihuahuas and breeds not associated with having much "toy drive". Even for dogs with toy drive, food allows handlers to train smaller pieces with MUCH more precision and perform more reps, since it's a less physically demanding game. But what happens when your dog isn't interested in your version of a dinner table? Many dogs haven't been shown how eating with the fam (you) is waaaaay more enjoyable than picking it out of the bowl. Dogs not fed from hand at a young age are more likely to feel uncomfortable when introduced later to hand feeding but not all is lost.
The single biggest misconception about food drive within dogs is that it's all about the food.
It is NOT about the food but about the game and connection you create around it. Many trainers have yet to unleash the greatest reinforcement power, the social implications of playing games with food. These easy games that do use food, are only at half mask when not properly combined with the handler's interaction, play, and praise.
So while we'll go over some cheat tips to get past your dog's disinterest, the social part of eating is the most important.
First impressions last.
When beginning with a dog who "doesn't have food drive", the first step is a trip to the market. Until the dog learns the game and becomes addicted, you must give them motivation to show up and participate. We HAVE to start somewhere, after all. Purchasing a large roast, cooking, cutting/cubing, and freezing it will give you a week or two of at-the-ready, crazy high value food.
Committing to this allowed me to move quickly ahead, even with the most difficult board and trains.
This does not have to last forever, and once the dog is happily working with you for the super high quality stuff, start to mix their regular food in with it (if they eat kibble). You may even want to switch to cooked ground beef and crumble 3/4-1 cup in with regular meals, using that for training. With most dogs, I'm able to switch almost completely to kibble, though having high value meat for field trips or more difficult/new skills is recommended for many dogs.
Additionally, feed a kibble the dog LIKES. Plenty of dogs have come through my doors on kibble they didn't like, only to perk up and love their meals when switched to a better one. One kibble I've found to be very tasty, healthy and easy on the stomach is First Mate, a small and affordable Canadian brand. I've been extremely happy with this kibble. (nope, I'm not affiliated with them in anyway and pay for all my food).
The bowl debate.
The concept of not feeding from a bowl is growing in popularity but has been done by competition and board and train trainers for a long time.
And it makes sense.
If the dog doesn't want to take food from your hands AND is getting most of their food from a bowl, how would it motivate them to learn? Especially when training toy breeds, you can only feed them so much before their "winter coat" starts to show, so taking advantage of every calorie needed allows you to do more reps in training.
This does not mean you must have the ideology that a dog should never eat from a bowl. It does not mean every dog must be "cut off" from their bowl. On average, when a new dog with "no food drive" comes to me, I don't feed from a bowl UNTIL they are eating from my hands comfortably. Once they are, I return to bowl feeding a few times per week. This may be when I'm busy and didn't have time for the amount of training needed to consume all their calories.
If your dog has plenty of food drive, well, you probably wouldn't be reading this article. But always remember to consider your dog and ensure they are comfortable with BOTH eating from your hands AND eating from a bowl.
The Game.
The best part of using food in dog training is it can be a fantastic way to learn how to PLAY with the dog. Just handing the food over isn't always very interesting or enjoyable so we are often going to put a lot of effort into giving the dog the goal of catching, finding, or chasing the food, in a similar way we might play with a ball.
Moving the food in BIG, sweeping, back and forth motions before letting the dog "catch" it or tossing the piece for a chase is much more enjoyable for the dog, after all, it more closely replicates what they would have to do in a natural state: catch their food. Prey, chasing a ball or toy, comes from that original drive of having to catch or find their meals, so setting up that scenario is nothing outlandish or remarkable. Dogs love to use their brains when getting calories, it's how they evolved to be such spectacular predators. Individuals who had more of a love for the hunt had an obvious advantage over individuals who didn't. Dispite the many thousands of years that separate the domestic dog from the wolf, one only has to watch feral populations to witness a canine's remarkable engenuity when searching/hunting for sustenance.
Use anticipation to build the dog's excitement of what's to come, whispering "Ready, ready, ready" as you slowly move the chunk back and forth above them. SLOWLY. Then say your selected verbal cue, like "SEARCH!" and throw or roll the chunk across the floor. Watch the accompanying video tutorial for visual examples of how this can be done.
Remember, this is a SOCIAL species. They often eat together and while every dog is very different, sharing the experience with you can be so much fun, it can sometimes lead to a dog not wanting to eat by themselves. Be sure you're raising a balanced dog, comfortable with both playing with you and eating AND eating on their own (from a bowl, throwing food around the yard or house, filled kong, lick mat etc).
Food as a reinforcer is simple for the user and effective for the dog, which is why so many pet obedience trainers use it. As dog trainers and educators, having as many options as possible to reward/reinforce the dog can help a larger variety of dogs, their owners and the situations that bring them to training in the first place. If your dog "doesn't take treats", don't despair, much can be done to help improve their desire for it.
Using the dog's love of chasing, catching and most imprtantly, YOU, you can quickly be on your way to utilizing this incredibly easy and powerful reinforcer.
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