I was at a new Home Dog Training session in Kennesaw last Thursday working with a new Home Dog Training client and his family. He had called us out because he told us that he was in desperate need of some guidance with his three-year-old Labrador Retriever named Chili Pepper. For the most part, Chili Pepper was a pretty good dog. Like most labs, he had a lot of energy and would not always pay attention when my client wanted him to do something. It didn’t take too long to establish the proper pecking order between Chili Pepper, my client, and his family. Chili Pepper quickly showed that he could obey, provide them with respectful focus, and still be a great and somewhat precocious doggie.
As I have just mentioned, Chili Pepper was a very well-behaved dog by the conclusion of the lesson and my client was very happy with the results. Before I left, I asked him if there was anything else he could think of that Chili Pepper was doing that he found annoying or inappropriate. He thought for a moment and then remembered “one more thing”. We had not addressed Chili Pepper’s mealtime insanity.
All dogs love mealtime and Chili Pepper was no different. He would go absolutely nuts when anyone brought out his dog bowl. He would run around and then jump on the person with the bowl. This often made them spill the food. Not to slow down, Chili Pepper simply would insanely devour all the spilled food on the ground.
After hearing that, I put my dog training bag down and we addressed that issue. I would like to share my process with you.
The first step of this process is to understand what Chili Pepper is thinking when he is “going after the food”. He is being just the same as a human spoiled little child demanding to have his Happy Meal the moment you park the car in front of McDonalds. With the human child, this inappropriate behavior is taking place because he is spoiled (and I wonder who made him that way?). When it comes to Chili Pepper, his inappropriate actions are occurring because he firmly believes that he is the boss. He should naturally get what he wants first and then “other things can happen”. This needs to change.
We must “communicate to Chili Pepper” that he is not the boss. He must understand that everyone in his immediate vicinity is not there to “serve him and address his immediate needs”. Luckily, the process that I used for this issue was the same process that I used for all the other behavioral issues we had addressed with Chili Pepper that day.
Once my client had clearly communicated to Chili Pepper that he was the “head of the group”, we were on the path to having a calm canine meal experience. I reiterated that the main point they must remember is that THEY are the ones in charge of when, how, and where Chili Pepper’s mealtime will occur. I provided the following suggestions:
- Place a leash on Chili Pepper about thirty minutes before mealtime. During this time, Chili Pepper can meander around the house.
- As mealtime approaches, have someone take the leash in their hand. Position Chili Pepper about ten to fifteen feet away from where you normally place his dog bowl. He should be able to clearly observe the dog bowl area as well as the area where you will be preparing (or getting) his food.
- Give him the SIT and STAY commands. He should stay calm with the leash remaining loose. He should not be pulling, jumping, barking, etc.
- He must calmly remain in place as his meal is being prepared. Don’t rush in the preparation of his meal. You are the boss, and you are making his meal on your time. You do not want to rush your actions because of him.
- Slowly put his food bowl and water bowl on the ground where you normally place them. Now, slowly stand up and face him.
- If he gets excited or leaves his STAY, his handler should firmly tug the leash to gain his attention. At the same time, both you and his handler should verbally correct his inappropriate and disrespectful behavior. This will communicate to him that going nuts for food is against your rules.
- Have his handler return him to his original position (if he had moved) and place him in a STAY.
- Continue this process until he is remaining calm and respectful as the food and water bowls have been placed on the ground and you can calmly stand up. He should remain stable and calm in his position for at least five seconds.
- Calmly lower your stance and issue a COME command.
- Chili Pepper should now slowly and respectfully approach you and his food. His handler will follow behind Chili Pepper, keeping him on a loose but short leash.
- If he starts to rush towards you or becomes otherwise excited, his handler should give the leash a strong tug to redirect his focus back to the handler. Once Chili Pepper is calm, they can continue their slow trek towards you and his food.
- Calmly stand up as he reaches you and his food. This will send a clear signal to Chili Pepper that you are the “dominant one in the room” and that everything he does is only allowed through your permission.
- Even though he is now close enough to his food and water bowls to begin eating, place him in a SIT and do not allow him to eat.
- He must remain calmly sitting in front of his food and water bowls for three to five seconds. If he starts to eat or becomes excited, his handler should firmly tug the leash and direct him away until he is calm. Once calm, his handler can return him to the bowls and repeat the process.
- Once Chili Pepper has calmly sat in front of his food and water bowls for three to five seconds, you can issue your “Eat It” command. He may now eat, and it has been calm and on your terms.
If your dog is a food gulper, you might think about feeding him with a “slow feeder” bowl. These bowls come in several forms, but always look like they have mazes inside of them. These mazes slow their ability to inhale the food. The reason we suggest this type of bowl for fast eaters is because when a dog eats too quickly, it can cause their stomach to “flip”. If this takes place, you must immediately (and I mean now) take him to the vet and probable surgery.
Please call or text us at (770) 718-7704 if you need any dog training help. You can also email us at [email protected]. We are blessed to have been your local dog training experts for over nineteen years. We have trained over 6,000 wonderful dogs and great families and are ready to help you.
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