Will Work for Food

Toad has not had to work for anything, so nothing matters to him. Kibble just magically appears, most likely he was free fed prior to coming here. (meaning his food was down all day long).

Food is the most reasonable place to start prove your value to a dog, any dog. In the wild, alpha dogs ate first. In the wild, dogs have to use all their senses to scavenge or hunt their next meal. That takes a lot of effort and time. We bring them into our homes and just freely give them food. Dogs that are of the "thinking" variety are missing a huge opportunity to wear off some of the mental energy. People with problem dogs are putting themselves at the bottom of the ladder of importance.

Mental stimulation is a good thing for dogs, it helps tire them and gives them purpose. If your dog is bored (destructive) or bossy, working for their meals with help change that. It's not the complete answer, but it is a perfect and easy place to start.

The kong wobbler is a really easy way to make them work for their meals. You simply unscrew the bottom, fill the top with their kibble, close it up. There is a weighted bottom and hole on the side that allows kibble to randomly fall out. The dog pushes, throws, chews, paws at the toy in an effort to earn their meal. It's as easy as that. I will add that this toy is hard plastic and noisy. Bully's can be aggressive chewers, but other then some teeth scratches, this one has held up really well.... hundreds of meals!

There are countless ways for dogs to earn their meals. Simply scattering it around the house or out on a deck or in the grass for dogs that are especially nose driven. Or filling muffin tins with some of their food and topping each cup with a tennis ball so they have to take the tennis ball off to get the food. Cutting a hole in the side of a pop bottle that allows food to dispense as they manipulate the bottle. Hiding it under used yogurt containers, so they have to flip the containers off the food. There are so many ways to have the earn their meals. You can buy puzzle toys, or fill a kong. Simple or elaborate, pricey or cheap.... start looking around the house at what you have. Some dogs, at first may resist... but after a few sessions, they will love it! Don't miss this easy and usually twice a day opportunity to work your dog, tire them out and let them have fun! 

Another way that Toad earns a meal is with a simple cardboard box, some rags and some crumpled paper. Layer the paper/rags with handfuls of kibble until the box is filled. Toad has to use his nose and root around to get his food. He will empty the box or dig or dump it. He will chase the over turned box around the floor. He stays focused and driven to get his food, both are awesome skills that I want to develop, currently, his attention span is about 2 minutes. He's ready for some calm teaching after his meal (when he gets the other half via the clicker training). He's less needing of attention and easier to watch.