The method in which you feed your dog can help or hinder the training process. From the dog’s perspective, the leader is the one who holds the resources. If you are just putting food down in a bowl for your dog to eat at his leisure throughout the day, you are not utilizing this very powerful resource. As the food sits there throughout the day, your dog is no longer thinking about who put it there!
Put your dog’s food down for a maximum of 30 minutes at a feeding. If he does not eat it, then pick it up and put it away for later. If you feel bad that your dog may be hungry, there is no harm in trying again before the next scheduled feeding. It may take some dogs a few days to get it that the buffet is no longer open.
If your dog is independent thinking in nature or has problems with aggression, I highly recommend that you hand feed your dog whenever possible. Hand feeding clearly establishes you as the provider of that ultimate resource of food. I recommend hand feeding to my customers if their dog is resisting the training process and they are often amazed at the change in their dog’s attitude.
