Training Question

[Stacey]

I have been trying to teach Tonka some manners lately, and that includes trying to make him wait to eat until I tell him to.  My method so far has been to make him "sit" and then set the bowl down.  He will try to lunge for it and I stop him and make him sit again which after 2 or three trys he will usually stop rushing the bowl and wait for my OK.  The problem is that while he is sitting and the food is there he barks at me.  I didn't think much of this and then someone told me that is a sign of aggression (I thought it was just frustration that would pass once he realized that he is going to get to eat if he settles down) and that he is asserting his dominance over me and I am giving in by submitting to his "yelling" at me.  So.....is this true? and if so, what do I do?  How do I teach him to calmly wait for his food?

[RedyreRottweilers]

The easy answer to that is you don't.

You stop frustrating a hungry puppy.

How would you like it if someone kept you from your food until you sang the Star Spangled Banner exactly right every time? LOL

Ask him to sit, and when he does, put the food down and let him eat.

Practice your long stays somewhere else besides meal time.

[RedyreRottweilers]

Of course there is a very positive aspect to his food motivation. He'll be easy to train, and a cheerful worker if you train him properly with the right rewards and motivation.



How old is he again?

[Stacey]

He is 13 weeks old and I started trying this about a week ago, when I had read that you should teach dogs to wait to eat until given a command.  But you make way too much sense Red, I probably expect to much from him so early.  Another question....ho w do I keep him from rushing the other dogs bowls once he cleans his.....it is stressing them out and causing them to become a little food aggressive in their attempts to  protect their bowls from him.

[RedyreRottweilers]

You need to either separate your dogs inside and outside, or in different rooms, or in crates.

I like to allow my dogs to have the calmest quietest eating time possible.

I feel this is particularly important for the large deep chested dogs who can be susceptible to bloat and torsion.

Find a quiet private area for each dog, and feed them there. Feed your SENIOR pack dog first, and so on the so forth, down to the puppy.

It is fine to make him obey a command before he eats, but please try to remember he is just a little baby boy, and he's growing SO fast at his age. When it's mealtime he's HUNGRY!! Eating is the highlight of his day. Get a quick sit, and then feed the pup.

[Saintgirl]

He is probably also barking at you because he associates a positive reaction to the bark. He barks and you give him the food. I don't necessarily think that it is an aggression issue, but he learned quickly the first time that 'when I bark the food follows'. So he actually learned the behavior of associating food and barking. Good luck with training your pup, following Reds advice will help you greatly!

[BabsT]

I have to say...I have two dogs and both dogs eat in their own crates with a blanket dividing them...they both run right in there and sit (wel zero is too tall to sit inside LOL) I have noticed

Both dogs take their time eating

arent worrying about what the other dog is doing

and rest once they are done

Here they are before I put a blanket inbetween to divide the two crates

[Stacey]

I will start feeding him seperately from the other two.  Their mealtimes used to be so leisurly and calm and now everyone is trying to eat their food as quickly as possible to protect it from Tonka (who eats every meal as if it is his first and last!).

[Lyn]

I had to teach Bubba to wait until I give the ok. Otherwise he was bulldozing me to get to the bowl and half the time I didn't even have it on the floor yet. There's been kibble throw all over the floor more times than I can remember.

Now I have him sit, tell him to wait, put the bowl down and as soon as I stand up and get out of bulldozer range I give him the ok.

[jabear]

Great suggestions everyone. I too make Bear wait and sit until I say "ok". It is consistency that makes it work. Good luck!

[Stacey]

How old were they when you started doing this and how did you do it?  I have to put the bowl down and get out of the way as quickly as possible.  He will immediately sit when I bring his bowl over but as soon as I set it down he is running over me!

[RedyreRottweilers]

Don't you have a crate? You can stop all of this problem by just using the crate. Put the pup in the crate, and then put the bowl in the crate, and close the door.

OR stand beside the puppy, and put the bowl down in front of him.

OR put the bowl down in a room, close the door as you leave, and then go get the puppy and take him to the bowl.

I just don't think it's right to make a hungry puppy do obedience before he can eat his food. JMO, there are many different ways to get the same result.

[Newf Lover]

I have read many good points on this one and I agree with most of you.  I have found that any time food is involved with a pet, it could be good time to train them, at least a little bit.  It sounds like Tonka isn't acclimated yet to responding to your verbal commands.  Tonka will continue to rush the food bowl until you get him to listen to you.  There's a good solution to this...

Most of Drake's training came from his 4 week Family Dog 1 Class at the local Humane Society.  I really encourage all dog owners, especially new dogs, to attend these classes if they are available.  They give you a good base to work with and you're actually working with professionals with your dog rather than trying to do it on your own.  It's not too expensive ($25) and it's only a few nights a week.  We were able to train Drake in the basics and then go to more advanced commands.  We can put food on his paws now and he won't eat it unless we say "OK".  Family Dog 1 is a great investment in your dog and it's really fun too!  I honestly believe any dog, even Tonka, can learn good manners if you are willing to work with them.  Check with your local humane society, you'll be glad you did.

[Saintgirl]

I have to agree with Red on this. If you have already perfected the sit and stay, then by all means work on it when feeding. But if this hasn't been perfected their are so many other opportunities to work on this problem throughout the rest of the day. Why not use training treats to obtain the results that you are looking for first, then work on meal times. The puppy is hungry and doesn't have his full attention focused on you when it is meal time, and getting the pup to understand that his full attention is required will take some time and training. Patience is the key here. And of course some pups are easier to work with than others. Either way, consistency is vital, without it the pup will not understand what is being asked of him.

By the way, your pup is so beautiful !

[pndlake]

I agree with Red also but there are other ways too.  My friend has a fire investigation dog that sniffs out accelerants after fires to find out the cause.  He has a daily routine that his dog "Andre" must do everyday, and I mean he never misses a day.  Only after he has finished his daily accelrant identifying mission does he get fed.  Sounds pretty stern but Andre won top fire dog for the entire country.   

Peggy