Structured Feeding Helps a Trio of Dogs Respect and Listen to Their Humans

For this Omaha dog training session we show a family how to use structured feeding to help 2 year-old Boxer / Shepherd Bucky, 3 year-old Beagle / Dachshund Daisy and 3 year-old French Bulldog / Boston Terrier Abby develop self control and respect for the humans as authority figures.

Knowing the dogs got super excited, I shared a tip to stop the dogs from jumping up on people. We also had two of the dogs kenneled as dogs can often amplify each other’s energy. The guardians will need to practice this technique to stop the dogs from jumping up so I suggested they call one another and play the part of a guest knocking on the door to rep it as much as they can. Inviting friends and neighbors over till help as its best to do this technique with only one dog at a time.

Next we headed downstairs so I could show the guardians a structured way to let the dogs out of their kennel. Many people just throw that door open, but if a dog is excited and you suddenly remove a barrier, it can increase or amplify their energy. The blocking technique I use in the above dog training video I did with another client will help teach these dogs to calm and sit down in order to get released from the kennel

Increasing these dogs daily exercise will go a long ways toward helping them listen and behave as their guardians want them to. Since the family has a young baby and its winter in Nebraska, I shared some creative ways to exercise a dog inside. If the guardians can arrange for each dog to get an hours worth of exercise each day, in short 7-10 minute practice sessions sprinkled throughout the day, they should see a notable improvement in all the dog’s behavior.

I also recommended the guardians incorporate some rules and limits. Enforcing rules consistently is a great way to establish a healthy leader follower dynamic as the dog sees you acting like a leader. In our normal home life, we don’t display a lot of actions that are interpreted as leadership qualities when we are at home. Enforcing rules like staying behind an invisible line away from people eating is a great way to do this.

Adding structure is a great way to help dogs see and respect their humans as authority figures. Looking for opportunities to delay gratification (dropping the ball and sitting before the human throws it again, waiting for permission to eat dinner waiting in a bowl, sitting at an open door waiting for permission to go out) and petting with a purpose can all help the dogs develop more self control and respect for the humans.

A great way to combine delayed gratification and rule enforcement that also build up respect for humans as authority figures is to add structure to meal time. You can learn how to train your dogs to wait for permission to eat in the free dog training video below.

It will take a few days before the dogs stop challenging to come in during the feeding ritual. But if the guardians are consistent, they can get the same response that I do, barking out each dog’s unique command word from a different room while my pack of dogs wait patiently for permission to get their grub on.

To help the guardians remember all the dog behavior tips I shared in this in home dog training session, we shot what I call a roadmap to success video. You can watch this session summary by clicking the free dog behavior video below.