There is one difference between very successful dog trainers and the average pet owner in the way they feed their dogs. That one thing is responsible for a better relationship with your dog and the dog being easier to train, having a long life, and fewer health problems. That one thing is easily achievable by everyone and will also help with a dog’s picky eating.
In the episode you'll hear:
- The ways people feed their dogs.
- What free choice feeding or graze feeding looks like for dogs.
- The problems that can be created for dogs with free feeding.
- Why regular meals help with potty training.
- How free choice feeding could result in a dog being a picky eater.
- The health benefits of regular meals for dogs.
- About the issue of obesity in dogs.
- Why free choice feeding makes training difficult.
- How to use your dog's meals as a training opportunity.
- The risks of missing health issues with free feeding.
- How planning your dog's exercise is easier with regular meals.
- Why to know what your dog should weigh.
- How I feed a high percentage of my dog's meal in training.
- A plan to help dogs who are picky eaters.
- When to check with your Veterinarian.
Resources:
- Podcast Episode 62: 12 Keys to Helping My Dogs Live a Long and Happy Life
- Podcast Episode 48: Potty Train Your Puppy in a Week (Easy 3 Step Process)
- (PDF - Kealy RD, Olsson SE, Monti KL, et al.) Effects of limited food consumption on the incidence of hip dysplasia in growing dogs
- Podcast Episode 2: Reinforcement
- Podcast Episode 70: Critical Info for Your Puppy’s First Day and Night at Home
- DogsThat Online Dog Training Programs
- Video Blog: 5 Games for Puppies
- Podcast Episode 32: 20 Easy Ways to Exercise Your Dog at Home
- Podcast Episode 68: 3 Easy Tricks Every Dog Should Know
- Basis Stainless Steel Pet Dog Bowls
- Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube
I had made a comment on #90, and this is a follow up. First here – who cares about a dog that is a picky eater? If a dog is hungry enough, it will eat. IMHO, it is ridiculous to worry about this. Now going back to 90, which was about encouraging human children to eat – same thing? Who cares? No animal will starve if provided food.
This makes no sense to me.
If I am using the kibble to train during the day then how does that help the dog to want to eat at feeding times when they have had it all day during training? Especially when my dog is only 7lb at 18 months old. I just don’t understand.
Oops in my comment I noted the incorrect time about the protocol I meant 00:15:03 👍
Thank you for the protocol for picky eaters, at around 1:30 in this podcast, we have a pup who has turned into picky due to some GI issues we are working through, I want to get him excited about food and while I wasn’t adding other things to get him to eat and we were picking up the bowl, this protocol is even that much more strategic! We are on it and Francis will soon be gobbling down his meals I am certain!!! I always advocate not free feeding and this pup came to me with his first food experiences being free/graze feeding in his litter, so already had the learning of it will always be there add on the health issues he has had since coming to our home and wow I have a picky-picky puppy!!! Thank you again, we are on this plan starting tonight!
My 18 month old podenco isn’t a picky eater but he just doesn’t seem particularly food motivated at home. I don’t free feed and I make his food and mix with a little kibble. We walk early in the morning for 1 – 1 1/2 hours but he rarely wants his breakfast when we come home and it’s sometimes midday or later before he wants it. Then I feed him in the evening and most of the time he cleans his bowl. The exception is when he is at the dog minders with other dogs and then he eats everything he is given.
Love the video ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My relative went through all your online classes years back. She is telling me to starve my dog for a day or two so that her food reinforcement value increases. Her border collie works for kibbles in the midst of distractions and arousal. My rescue pup loves her meals and finishes it all the time. It’s still a training opportunity so I use it for crate games and head halter. But she is uninterested in treats when it comes to working/training. Does your program recommend starving the dog to increase food reinforcement value?
Great ideas from this video that I’m going to add to my arsenal, but one clarifying question: with a picky eater, do you still recommend doing the 75/25 split?
Here’s my situation: I have an almost two year old dog who for the last year or so will walk away from a partial – sometimes even a full – bowl of kibble. However, if I put that same food into a food-dispensing toy, she’ll go nuts for it. We also do a lot of training throughout the day (not quite the 75/25 split, more like 50/50) and there’s rarely a food during that time that she won’t take. Clearly experiences are more valuable to her than the food itself. With that said, I still want to increase her value for eating from the bowl. She’s a working breed who is developing a lovely work ethic as she’s been maturing, but I don’t want to ask her to work for all of her food because sometimes mom needs a break too. Thanks in advance for your advice!
I have an 8 week old puppy. I don’t free feed. She gets 3 meals a day (what the breeder was feeding atm) but she is very picky, doesn’t ever finish a meal, sometimes just not interested at all, dish is always lifted after 15 mins and new food offered at the next meal. It is hard to use food treats cos she just isn’t motivated by food. What do ai do?
I have a similar question on food. If I feed raw organic at meal times to my 8 week old puppy (25%) and organic freezed dried cookies of various ingredients, how do I keep track of her nutritional needs??
Can you do a podcast on what are some good foods to add to the dogs kibble that are healthy please?
Hi great info! My question is : how do you divide 75% and 25% cookies and bowl food for a puppy? Do you go by the calories on the cookie bag? I’m afraid I might be over feeding. Two bowls of food and what is the limit of cookies during the day.
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