@Moth:
Once my pup learned sit…he was expected to sit before his meals were handed to him.
Another thing I like to do is give them their meals in food dispensing toys so they have to work a little to eat their meal. It's good for mental stimulation.
Ahh Yes, the dispenser! I have a round shaped globe I found at PetSuperMarket, it has a plastic separation piece that allows for kibble. The clear plastic then has another hole. Uzie has to 'roll' it and is intermittently rewarded with the escaped kibbles. I use it to keep him occupied while I feed the other two. He then gets his other half of breakfast in his bowl. I wish I could get his excited dance on the way to the feeding grounds!!! His front legs go up while he is jumping on his hind legs and I bust out laughing every time! I get him to 'sit' on a carpet piece, place the bowl down and he has to 'wait' til I say "ok" to eat. When I introduced this to him the first time, he sat, but when I lowered the bowl he went for it. (some dogs go crazy running around, but they get the idea you are not moving til they settle down and wonder what the heck you are doing with the bowl in the air!!)
I picked it up, and he had to understand that 'wait' meant wait til it is down on the ground. (do not use the term 'stay'-way different!) If he moves towards the bowl, it goes back up in the air….
A few seconds then a few more, three months later he waits til I say "ok", even around the corner. Patience! Persistence! Consistence!
So in time, he has 'waited' until I can walk a few feet away then say "ok" for the release and his time to engulf.:D
