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Posted by rachael on March 06, 2003 at 18:27:32:
In Reply to: Training is confusing because every dog is different... posted by Chelle on March 06, 2003 at 07:42:03:
Thank you very much, that makes sense completely. We've been considering changing to scheduled feedings, the problem is that we give her a little food at one time, and then she ignores it and eats it as she wants for the rest of the day. Should we take it away after a certain amount of time? I don't want to teach her to scarf it, can't that cause flatulence and sometimes uncomfortable gas? I would just as soon be able to give food to her a few times a day and have her eat it at a reasonable pace, but I'm also afraid that it would make her be a greedy eater and growl because she is afraid it is a scarce item. *sigh* maybe I should just follow advice when it's offered!
:The idea of "nothing in life is free" can still be established when giving treats seemingly "randomly" to a dog. She's actually working quite hard to make the choice of what to do or not to do when you are around and the object she wants to guard is around. By "dropping treats" and trading for her bone, you are rewarding no reaction from her- shaping how she should think about the situation. She's thinking (silly anthropomorphic analogy ahead) "oh boy, I have this really good treat and these silly humans keep dropping better treats around me when it's around. They are just too kind. Too generous." Isn't that better than the lesson of, "Oh man, those darn humans are around again and they are going to take this bone away from me. Oh what should I do? I guess growling worked before, I can try that again, but what if it doesn't work?" Do you see how that situation excalates and can escalate fast?
:I have a 2 year old in my house and any type of guarding behaviors are very dangerous. So, I taught my girl that any time a person puts their hand in her food bowl something better will be left behind (I tend to use hot dogs, cheese, or boiled chicken). In her mind, a hand going towards a food bowl signals a very pleasant experience and she welcomes it with a wagging tail and snorts of joy.
:Just one other thing- free feeding any pup really isn't a good idea. Food (even kibble) belongs to humans and not the dog. If it's left out for them all the time they believe it does belong to them (undermining the theory of everything in life isn't free). They tend to get possessive of it. Also, metabolically speaking, as your dog grows, scheduled feedings are easier on the joints and back.