Your Food Obsessed Dog May Just Be Distracted

When pet owners are introduced to positive reinforcement, a common question they ask is, “Can a dog become too food motivated?” I must say the concern is a very misunderstood one.

When teaching your dog new behaviors, there are no black-and-white answers. Instead, there are shades of gray that can confuse novice pet owners and dog trainers alike. What seems like excessive excitement about food may simply be something completely different.

Before assuming your dog is too food motivated, you should make a few dog training adjustments, which can make a huge difference in food obsessed dogs.

Signs of a Food Obsessed Dog

When dogs get excited about food, many pet owners feel they’re “too food motivated.” From another perspective, I know many people that behave similarly when margaritas are served. 🙂 When dogs are excited, they may:

• Jump up
• Drool
• Knock over furniture and people
• Lack focus
• Focus only on food in hand, on floor, etc.
• Ignore (not listen to) “commands”
• Will only sit for a treat
• Mug, bump or steal from treat bag

Is It Really Food Causing Excitement?

Dogs get excited about food; it’s natural canine behavior. When dogs are introduced to high value treats (i.e. baked chicken, cubed cheese, chopped up lunch meat), especially if they’ve never eaten it before, over excitement is understandable.

Excessive excitement can frustrate the pet owner and dog, so it’s important to bring a dog’s arousal level down a bit. Plus, excited dogs have a harder time learning because they lose focus. During dog training sessions, pet owners should be aware of their own behavior too.

To keep your behavior in check during training sessions, record both you and your dog on your smartphone. Then, make the following adjustments suggested below and record again. You’ll notice a quick and positive difference in your food obsessed dog’s behavior.

Avoid High-Pitched Rapidly Repeating Sounds

Dogs love high-pitched and rapidly repeating sounds—that’s why dog toys have squeakers. When dogs hear squeaky sounds, they get excited. They jump up, run over to the sound, focus on the person or thing making the sound, and dance around because they’re excited!

Fortunately, humans can easily mimic these high-pitched sounds. While many pet owners use these sounds as rewards for good behavior, they can inadvertently use these sounds during dog training too. When pet owners rapidly repeat a cue (e.g. “sit,” “sit,” “sit”), this can cause excitement even if said in a deep tone.

When teaching your dog a new behavior, or practicing an old behavior, say the “sit” cue once. If your dog doesn’t respond, he or she probably doesn’t understand what the verbal cue means. Or your dog has never practiced this behavior in that situation, and is too distracted. Never assume your dog understands a cue. Even if your dog has done the behavior before or will do it elsewhere, it may have been a fluke or you forgot to reward it.

RELATED: What Is Your Dog Saying? Interpreting Dog Sounds

Go Slowly

Oh, this is a big one! Fast movement will get a dog super excited—and quickly! Don’t believe me? Try running around the backyard with your dog. Even better, try running around the backyard while your dog watches you from a window. 🙂 Not only is movement fun, but it’s very distracting for dogs too.

During dog training sessions, it’s important to move slowly. Stand still and hold a treat in one hand. When luring a dog, place the treat on your dog’s nose and move slowly. If you move a food lure too quickly, your dog will move just as fast. When in doubt, put the treat back in your pocket and take a deep breath. Slowly remove the treat from your pocket and try moving slower. Make sure to keep the food lure in front of your dog’s nose. Holding treats too high will cause your dog to jump up for the treat. When you move slowly, your dog will too. 🙂

Make It Clear

When teaching or practicing a dog behavior, clear communication is key. Confusion can look like excitement, especially if a treat is bouncing around a dog’s face. If someone is holding a $100 bill in front of you, while speaking in a foreign language, you’ll try to figure out how to earn the $100.

Now, if this person moves the money around your face really fast, while repeating a sound over and over again loudly, you’ll likely snatch at the money due to frustration. From your perspective (learner), this person is teasing you with a $100 bill, right? From the other person’s perspective (teacher), he’s just holding the money in his hand while asking you to “sit.” 🙂

When in doubt, stop and video record your dog training sessions. When re-watching the video, ask yourself if you’re clearly communicating with your dog. If not, take a moment and think through your plan. Better yet, ask a certified dog trainer for tips. They can help jump-start your training sessions.

Still Think You Have a Food Obsessed Dog?

High-pitched, rapidly repeating sounds coupled with fast movements are exciting for your dog. Add a dash of confusion into the mix, and your dog is bouncing around like a ping-pong ball. Ninety percent of the time, a dog will sit still around food when pet owners remove these exciting and distracting factors. As for the other 10%, these dogs will relax quickly after earning and consuming a high value reward a few times. If a dog still leaps into the air for baked chicken, it’s time to reward impulse control games.