Stray Thoughts Spring 2016
Ask the Trainer:
Beyond the Food Bowl
O
n a scale of 1-10, how excited does your dog get
when it comes to feeding time? 11? That sounds
about right. You pull the lid off of the food container to
the wafting smell of salmon and brown rice…or some
other delicious ingredients. Your pup looks up at you
with eyes that say it’s about time, I can’t even remember
my last meal! As the kibble dings the stainless steel, Fido
drools, and nearly runs you over to get to it. You regain
your balance, put the lid back on, and have discovered
he’s already done and looking for seconds.
hole in the front which requires a
lot of mental engagement.
There are many practical reasons
why you should incorporate this
into your dog’s life. Requiring
a dog to work for his food can
help give him a sense of purpose.
Most dogs do not have a job
that requires a large amount of
mental stimulation. They don’t
hunt for food, they don’t search
for water, and they don’t walk their territory for hours
per day. When we return some of a dog’s
primal instincts back into everyday life, they
become happier through the balance of
mental and physical stimulation. Providing
a few minutes of work for your adult dog each
day helps give them an outlet for their natural
curiosity and drive.
Dogs are not all that far removed from having to find
and hunt their food. If you think about it,
dog food as we know it is only about
100 years old. The modern canine has
it easy, as it’s served up on a silver (well,
stainless steel) platter. As dog owners, we’ve
reduced the event of feeding, which used to
involve hours of strenuous work, to a mindless
activity that lasts a matter of seconds. It’s
simply unnatural. We do not have to travel all
the way back to a dog’s primal roots, but
there is certainly an appropriate middle
ground that can be reached.
Another reason to make your dog work for his
food is that it can make your life easier as well!
As trainers, we often encourage clients to do
this with young puppies. Like little children,
young pups have a tendency to get into trouble
when we’re not watching. Grabbing objects like
socks and shoes, or even having an accident
inside the house. When you make your puppy
look for its food, it gives you time to make that
phone call, send an email, or prep dinner
without having to divert your attention
to see what they are up to, because you
already know what they’re doing!
Having your dog work for its food can
be lots of fun and is fantastic mental
stimulation. Whether your dog is obsessed
with food or a little on the picky side, you
can switch up the day-to-day boredom by
spending a few extra minutes to prepare.
Let’s start with a simple example. Take
your scoop of food and sprinkle kibble
over any designated area you choose. The
farther each piece of kibble is spread out,
the longer it will take for the dog to eat. Release your
dog from a stay command or from another room and
encourage them to find each one. For a bit more of a
challenge, take handfuls and hide them behind table and
chair legs, on each step of a staircase, different corners
of the room, etc. This practice makes your dog use their
most primary sense, their nose!
Turning feeding into a longer process is also a fantastic
option to avoid those sad, guilty faces you might see
before you leave the house. Hide some food or load up
your Wobbler, send your dog after it, and quietly slip out
the door. They won’t even know you’ve gone! At the end
of the day, it is our responsibility to ensure that our dogs
are happy and have a sense of purpose. Giving your dog
a daily challenge is one small thing you can do to help
them live a happy fulfilled life.
There are also a lot of great toys on the market that
help encourage your dog to work for their food. Our
personal favorite is the Kong Wobbler. Made of hard
plastic, the Wobbler is in a similar cone shape as other
Kong toys but is weighted on the bottom with sand. You
can unscrew the two pieces that make up the toy, fill it
up with your dog’s kibble, and set it down. Your dog will
have to knock it over to dispense the food through a
Please send questions and suggestions for future
Ask the Trainer articles to:
Matt Covey, West Suburban Humane Society
1901 Ogden Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60515
[email protected]
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