Utilize Mealtime for Dog Training Corpus Christi

Utilize Mealtime for Dog Training Corpus Christi

Utilize Mealtime for Dog Training Corpus Christi

Using Kibble for Dog Obedience Training


For many dogs, just their food bowl being filled and prepped for dinner can cause excitement or barking. If their food is given to them while they're acting up like this, you can unwittingly reward and reinforce bad manners. Instead, you can use mealtime to provide a learning opportunity, counteract boredom, and encourage good behavior. Utilize the power of food motivation to make dinner time, training time. 

To start off, make them work for their food. A lot of your pet acting up can be attributed to boredom. If they aren't mentally or physically stimulated enough to meet the needs of their energy level, they will find ways to entertain themselves- typically through problem behaviors you want to avoid. You can use puzzle feeders to slow their eating and challenge their minds. Not only can eating quickly be a risk of choking or vomiting but- as an added bonus- the longer they spend eating, the less time they have to "beg" for your food under the dinner table, which is typically not a habit people want to encourage in their pet.

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Using Kibble for Dog Obedience Training


For many dogs, just their food bowl being filled and prepped for dinner can cause excitement or barking. If their food is given to them while they're acting up like this, you can unwittingly reward and reinforce bad manners. Instead, you can use mealtime to provide a learning opportunity, counteract boredom, and encourage good behavior. Utilize the power of food motivation to make dinner time, training time. 

To start off, make them work for their food. A lot of your pet acting up can be attributed to boredom. If they aren't mentally or physically stimulated enough to meet the needs of their energy level, they will find ways to entertain themselves- typically through problem behaviors you want to avoid. You can use puzzle feeders

Speak With A Dog

Training Expert

Speak With A Dog Training Expert

to slow their eating and challenge their minds. Not only can eating quickly be a risk of choking or vomiting but- as an added bonus- the longer they spend eating, the less time they have to "beg" for your food under the dinner table, which is typically not a habit people want to encourage in their pet.

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Food-Motivated Puppy Training Corpus Christi


You can also hand-feed (or spoon-feed if it's wet food) your dog to build a better bond; this is especially useful with puppies or new pets you have brought into the family recently. Sometimes puppies are unmotivated to eat without the competition of trying to get food before it is all eaten by their brothers and sisters, so making it fun and engaging by throwing little pieces or hand feeding can help them eat for the first few days before they adjust to their new home. It also improves focus, which is a valuable skill for training and obedience, as well as develops a positive association between you and something that makes them happy. You want to teach your pet that you are the source of good things. 


If you don't have time for the previously mentioned, more-detailed feeding tactics, you can use the ordinary food dish as a big reward. Ask them to perform a few tricks and ensure they are exhibiting calm behavior, then reward them with the bowl to help them cultivate emotional self-control. Only give them food when they are relaxed and calm. Ask them to sit or lie down, and if they move from that position while you are lowering the dish then lift it back up and repeat until they remain completely seated until it's on the floor. After they have mastered that, you can even add "stay" or "wait" once it's on the ground to further improve patience and obedience. If they exhibit food aggression, practicing this as well as a few other steps can help them overcome it. 

Rather than wasting the golden training opportunity that feeding provides (because most dogs are incredibly food motivated), utilize it to build a better bond, positively reinforce good behaviors, and enrich them with mental stimulation. Proper dog training can be challenging, but it is incredibly rewarding when you have a well-behaved pet that fits seamlessly into your lifestyle. If you need any advice or help getting started with the training process, Elite-K9 is ecstatic to make new furry friends and to help you on your journey with them. Contact us anytime through our forms, or call today!