(disclaimer: i am sharing experiences with you. I am NOT a dog trainer. I do not have the education nor the experience. I am sharing with you what I have learned from others and thru trial and error. I will explain WHAT we have done and WHY we have done it and will show you this activity at various levels of progression. I hope this is helpful to someone somewhere . . .)
Food is a motivator for every dog. So, using meal time as a training time is a great idea.
BEAR, 7 week old British lab, being ‘puppy raised’ in our home
Beginning at 7 weeks, we start teaching the pup about SIT, WAIT, PATIENCE, FOCUS, LEADERSHIP and CONTROL with each feeding. At 7 weeks, he does not understand what we are doing, but we ‘lure’ him into a sit and ‘body block’ him until he stops struggling to get to the bowl. We catch a “nano-second” when he is not straining toward his food bowl and build upon that a little at a time. Bear is almost 7 weeks and can demo what this looks like at the Thornton house.
Already he knows that whenever he wants something, he must SIT. Of course, we have structured, regular meal times. Already, when meal time approaches, we find Bear in a SIT at the spot where he gets fed. What is being patterned is a dog who understands that the appropriate way to ask for something is SIT. He is learning not to charge his food bowl/ handler. He is building patience. Beth prepares his bowl of food. At this time, she needs to be no more than an arm’s length from him when she places his food bowl on the ground, because – at 7 weeks – she still needs to extend her arm to remind him to WAIT, not to charge the bowl. She places the food bowl down in front of him, says his name, waits for eye contact (not long at this age, but we will build upon this)
He is rewarded for this chain of behavior by the command “get it” and the treat of getting to eat. The reward is built into the training event.
We have used a primary motivator, food, to help teach some foundational skills to this puppy. I like that he is already offering an automatic sit at meal times. I LOVE the way he looks to Beth for his next command. Notice that Beth’s arm is extended, but he is not ‘pressing against it’. she is not using force – just a reminder. So, this is what meal time looks like at 7 weeks.
For those of you who will be working on a puppy for your child, it is my opinion that YOUR CHILD should be going through these steps for each meal time. Your dog will look to YOUR CHILD for commands and focus on YOUR CHILD. This is a great place to begin to build that model in your dog’s pattern
(remember, we are not dog trainers – we are just privileged to get to raise some pups who are really smart. I’m learning each step of the way, right along with everyone else. so, comments are welcomed!! I learn so much every time i post a video and someone ‘whispers’ in my ear.