{"id":60988,"date":"2025-01-31T23:52:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T23:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/animal\/step-away-from-the-feeder\/"},"modified":"2025-01-31T23:52:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T23:52:07","slug":"step-away-from-the-feeder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=60988","title":{"rendered":"Step AWAY from the Feeder!"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Step AWAY from the Feeder!<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Deborah Jones, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you are first introducing your dog to the Pet Tutor<\/a> you have an opportunity to instill the idea that maintaining a physical distance from the Feeder is a good thing. \u00a0I know this sounds counterintuitive. Wouldn\u2019t you want your dog to think that being close to the feeder is good? Actually, that can become an issue. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s Star sticking her nose up into the feeder.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

A dog who is too focused on the feeder is likely to become obsessed with it. \u00a0Many dogs are used to interacting with all types of puzzle toys in order to get them to release food. \u00a0It would be an honest mistake for them to think that the Pet Tutor<\/a> is just another puzzle that needs to be solved by physical manipulation. \u00a0Instead, we want the feeder to simply be a food delivery device that is activated after the desired behavior. The best way to accomplish this is to introduce the feeder so that your dog has no need to make direct contact with it. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I like to start by elevating the feeder and setting it up so that the treats fall directly out onto the ground rather than into the bowl. \u00a0Dogs will very naturally gravitate to the source of the food, so if the source is the ground rather than the feeder, then we have a good start at introducing a little separation between the feeder and the treat location. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what if your dog already has a strong desire to directly interact with the\u00a0Pet Tutor? \u00a0Star has a history of practically sticking her nose up into the machine. During her grooming sessions, she would climb inside it if she could! This is the first time in quite a long time that I\u2019ve changed up the picture for her so that the feeder itself isn\u2019t easily accessible. \u00a0In addition, I\u2019m looking for her to do something that is difficult for her; back away from the feeder slightly. Moving AWAY from the source of food isn\u2019t simple once your dog has learned that interacting with it leads to cookies. It is, however, a very valuable lesson. <\/span><\/p>\n