Teaching Dogs Polite Manners Around Treats

January 18, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Games That Will Teach Your Dog Manners

Dogs love training treats, as they should, because dog training treats are their paychecks. Sometimes, excitement takes over around high value treats, and dogs snatch treats from their pet parents’ hands or bait bags. This behavior is frustrating. Dogs quickly learn that snatching treats from your hand works, especially if they were successful at stealing and eating the treat. If this has happened to you, then you were mugged by your dog. 🙂

Just like humans, dogs need to be taught how to behave politely around resources they want. Soon, your dog will learn that if you do this, she can have that. Here are a couple of games that will teach your dog manners around something she really loves. Remember, it’s all about self-control.

Leave It Game

When you’re standing in front of something you really want, it’s hard to stand still and ignore it. Imagine a deliciously frosted cupcake sitting inches from your hand, and your tummy is growling. Don’t like cupcakes? Then, picture a frosty mug of beer on a 110-degree day. Self-control is key here.

Your parents have likely taught you to wait until everyone else selects a cupcake before reaching for one. It’s manners 101. Self-control is a learned behavior, and most of us need daily practice to remind us to control our behavior.

Self-control is a learned behavior for your dog too. It’s time to teach your dog the “leave it” game. Hold a pea-sized piece of cheese in your closed hand and place your hand 1-2 inches in front of your dog’s nose. Of course, she’ll lick your hand, but the moment she stops touching your hand, say “yes” and give her the treat.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]It’s important to teach dogs that human hands make good things happen.[/perfectpullquote]

Using a marker word teaches your dog her action is why she earned the reward. Take another treat and practice again. If your dog stops licking or touching your hand for a nanosecond, immediately say “yes” and reward. Practice 1-2 minutes per day. Soon, your dog will ignore your closed treat hand because she’s learned ignoring makes the treat appear.

Touch Game

It’s important to teach dogs that human hands make good things happen. The “touch” game teaches your dog to touch her nose to the palm of your hand. It’s a quick and fun dog game that can be played anywhere. Plus, this game teaches your dog how to politely earn treats instead of mugging you for them. 🙂

Holding your hand sideways, place your palm about 2 inches away from your dog’s nose. Your dog will look at you for a second and likely sniff your hand. The moment you feel her nose touch your hand, say “yes” and give her a treat. Practice for 1-2 minutes per day. Once your dog understands to touch your hand, start moving your hand farther away. Dogs learn this behavior quickly, and it’s a fun game to play with guests!

Now, your dog has learned a game that makes dog training treats appear. Be prepared, your dog may start an impromptu game to earn some treats or share food from your dinner plate. Dogs are super smart, and you can’t blame her for trying, right? If this happens, ignore it. When your dog pokes your hand, leg or treat bag with her nose, just look away for a second. Walk away and play a quick game of “touch” with your hand. This teaches your dog that an open hand means “the bar is open” and when your hand is away “the bar is closed.”

Free Games for Dogs

October 31, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Free Dog Games

Free Game ideas for Dogs — Make meal times into puzzles!

Is your dog still eating out of a bowl? Try these free games for dogs! Great ideas to extend feeding time, which mentally exhausts your dog–this is a good thing!

Make Feeding Time a Puzzle

Sprinkle your dog’s kibble along a shag 3′ X 5′ rug. Now your dog must sniff and search for each individual kibble! Your dog will have tons of fun searching while you’re getting ready for work in the morning and preparing dinner for the family in the evening. What a great way to incorporate mental stimulation into every activity.

Hide your dog’s kibble in a large box filled with newspapers or old towels. This works great for terriers, which are natural diggers. Want to make it even harder? Choose a large box and remove the top. At the bottom of the box, cut a hole big enough for your terrier to enter and leave the box. Now fill the box with old newspapers and towels, sprinkle treats and kibble throughout the layers of paper, and watch your dog have a blast!

Hide a handful of kibble behind furniture (inside) or logs/outdoor furniture (outdoors). Bring your dog inside, so your dog doesn’t watch you hide his food. When done hiding food, let your dog outdoors to find treats. If your dog does not understand the game, bring him to a few spots where kibble is hidden, so he understands to search. 🙂 Add a cue, such as “Find,” to cue your dog to begin searching.

Find additional puzzle ideas here and here.

VIDEO: Free Games for Dogs

Share your doggie game ideas here. We would love to hear from you!

Kong Dog Toy Review

October 20, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Kong Dog Toys

Kongs make the best dog game ever. I love Kong dog toys and my dogs love Kongs—all dogs must have a Kong! Seriously, they’re that wonderful. Learn all about the Kong as well as my favorite Kong dog toy recipe below!

What is a Kong?

Kong dog toys are made of non-toxic rubber, so they bounce, making them fun for your dog. The best part of the Kong toy is the hole on the inside, which can be stuffed with dog food, such as canned dog food, peanut butter, cream cheese or other luscious treats! When your dog is done, pop Kongs on the top rack of your dishwasher and they’re clean!

Pro tip: Freeze a food stuffed Kong overnight, so it lasts longer.

When Should I Give My Dog a Kong?

Anytime! This is the ONLY dog toy I leave with my dogs when I’m not home. They know when I open the freezer, they run into their crates, as it’s Kong time! You can give your dog a Kong dog toy:

During group dog training class if your dog is a barker
During car rides, so he learns road trips are really fun
On rainy days
During mealtimes

My Favorite Kong Dog Toy Recipe

While I’ve experimented with many Kong recipes, my dogs love this one the most!

Ingredients

1 large can of yams
2 cups oatmeal (soaked in water overnight)
1/4 cup of blackstrap molasses

Directions

Mash the yams into small chunks in a large bowl.
Mix soaked oatmeal and 1/4 cup of blackstrap molasses into the yam mixture.
Now, using a large spout funnel, fill each Kong until full. (Personally, I use my fingers, but my hubby swears by the funnel method.) If some mixture leaks out, add peanut butter to the bottom and top hole (think of this as glue).
Freeze overnight.

Molasses is rich in minerals plus oatmeal and yams are vitamin powerhouses, making this the perfect meal! If your dog is on the chunky side, decrease molasses to 1/2 teaspoon and his waist will thank YOU!

Don’t forget to decrease your dog’s regular meals to keep him nice and slim!

WATCH: How to Use a Kong Dog Toy

What is your favorite Kong dog toy recipe? Comment below! I want to hear from you!

Indoor Games for Dogs

October 3, 2014 by Fanna Easter

The Perfect Dog Chew

It’s raining buckets outside and your excited puppy is bored. What should you do? Provide him with the perfect dog chew, which provides hours of indoor fun during a rainy day — it’s the ultimate game for dogs! 🙂

With all the interactive food puzzles on the market, we’ve forgotten one of the basic games: a good long-lasting dog chew. Don’t be fooled. It takes lots of energy, concentration and exercise to chew on something for hours. Plus, dogs crave chewing, especially puppies — it’s a natural behavior. Also, giving your dog a chew teaches him to happily remain in one spot, which most puppies and adolescent dogs need to learn.

Perfect Dog Chew Size

It’s vital to find the perfect chew size for your dog or puppy. As a general rule, if a chew fits in a dog’s mouth, meaning when he closes his mouth, you can’t see it. It’s too small. When in doubt, choose a larger size. There’s nothing worse when a dog swallows the entire chew toy — yikes!

My Favorite Dog Chews

There are a bunch out there and my dogs have tried them all. When I worked as a vet tech, I assisted in many surgeries to remove large knots of rawhide stuck in the intestinal tract. We called it the zipper surgery (that was scary stuff).

I have three requirements for dog chews:

Easy to digest, will not break into large pieces (will not get caught in the intestinal tract), and dogs must love them.

Before I tell you my fav dog chew, you must understand, my dogs are power chewers. This means they are furry termites and could chew through dry wall if allowed. 🙂

Fanna’s Favorite Chew: Bully Sticks

Yes, those stinky bully sticks are my fav chews for dogs! My dogs love them. They pass through the stomach and intestinal tract with minimal issues (maybe a bit of gas here and there), usually will not cause diarrhea and the stick remains intact even with power chewers. While many rawhides are compressed in stick form, large chunks can be chewed off and swallowed. A bully stick is whole, meaning it’s not compressed and nature made it this way. If you want to know what bully sticks are made of, then Google “What are bully sticks made of?” I won’t discuss that here, as we’re a G-rated blog!

I know there are vegetable-based chews out there, which work the same way as bully sticks. You’re more than welcome to try them. My dogs don’t love them so we stick to bully sticks. 🙂

Don’t forget to always supervise your dog when he’s chewing any type of chew.

In this video, I explain what chew supervision looks like: