JD is 6 months old.
We can demo a little more control here. He has learned that nothing in life is free. Each meal is prepared and served in the same way. He gets nothing unless he ‘pays’ with a ’sit’ and a ‘watch me’. He too is on a structured feeding schedule and he, too, understands that if he wants something he must sit. Jumping up on people will get him no reward, so this behavior is worthless to him. He is rewarded for SIT. We require SIT before we pet, SIT before we go out or through ANY doorway and SIT before he gets ‘dressed’ or fed. For JD, we require that he WAIT for a longer period. We add various distractions – walking around him, people going back and forth between him and his food bowl, another dog being fed across the room and being allowed to ‘get it’ BEFORE JD.
so, in this video, you will see us placing the bowl down, about 3 feet from JD, walking around a bit and then coming BACK TO HIM, waiting for him to lock eyes with me, then giving the command, “JD, GET IT”. what i see here that i do not like is that i would have liked to have a longer pause between saying his name (which should result in him looking to me for the command) and giving the command. a 3 -4 second gaze / pause would have been much better. What looks good to me in this clip is how he frequently ‘checks in’ with me, even tho’ you can tell that every desire in his little body is for what is in that bowl of food.
video: JD.Nov 4. mealtime training