WAIT For Food Bowl
Asking your dog to Wait for their Food Bowl is a simple exercise that promotes calmness at meal times and helps teach your dog impulse control. It also positions you as the leader. Leaders control resources and establish rules. With this exercise, you are establishing that your dog must be calm and be in either a sit or down position to be fed. If they are too excited, the food goes away or at the very least it becomes unattainable until you lower the food bowl back into reach. Performing this exercise allows your dog to practice calmness every day and perhaps multiple times a day depending your daily feeding schedule.
Prepare dog’s food as usual
Hold the food bowl high enough so the dog cannot reach it. Simply wait until your dog naturally sits or lies down.
Slowly start to lower the bowl. If the dog jumps up or rushes towards the bowl, simply raise the bowl out of their reach again.
Repeat until you can place the food bowl on the floor and the dog remains calm and in a sit or down position
Lastly release your dog to proceed eating
As your dog becomes more calm around dog food, start raising the bar by asking your dog to WAIT and give you attention (look at you) for a couple seconds until you can build up to a full minute, then release your dog to eat.
Keep practicing in new places! Sign up your dog for an Adult Dog Attention and Impulse Control class to improve your dog’s overall impulse control and build a strong relationship with you and your dog.