# Train to only accept food from us......but have a few corncerns



## Brad0405 (Mar 16, 2013)

Such as if we have a family or personal emergency. I guess a frequent friend or family member could be accepted as a food provider?

Your thoughts?


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

That is what has always worried me about training a dog to take food only from certain people. I wouldn't do it for that reason.


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## Brad0405 (Mar 16, 2013)

Unless . . . . A command is associated with feeding. I think I might be on to something here.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

We had a dog trained that way when I was a child. When we left South Africa for England, he was rehomed with another club member... To avoid the then 6-month quarantine. 

I wish I knew how they did it, but as far as that dog went, I'm pretty sure he was a dog that recognized his handler as the food provider... Which would make the switch easier, I would think. 

Anyhow... He didn't starve when we left, that I do know  He continued to compete. 

I think if you're not there, eventually the dog will eat. If you are there, that's when he ideally would not. 


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

Command is a good idea. I make my dog sit/stay when I prepare food and she's not allowed to eat until I say "okay, go". You could obviously pick something more "random" so that when you need to leave her with other people you can tell them the secret phrase to release them to eat?


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

I think this kind of training is utter nonsense almost certainly based on an irrational fear that someone is going to try to poison your dog. ([EDIT]- or maybe based on the archaic view of dominance theory and "alpha" role in providing food.) I'd flip the script and say a much more rational approach is to responsibly protect your dog from such situations in the first place. Don't keep them chained up in the back yard. Contain them in your house when you leave.

If you're afraid of someone breaking into your house and giving your dog poisoned meat, I'm afraid you have much bigger issues than that.

I just don't think this sort of training has any realistic value at all. Now training your dog to not eat random things it finds on the floor, like- dropped treats on an agility field, for example- is an entirely different thing.


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## ShatteringGlass (Jun 1, 2006)

Personal protection dogs are often trained for food refusal, I would find a trainer who is experienced and talk to them about how you should go about this


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## lemonadeicedtea (Aug 8, 2011)

Are you planning on competing in ring sports? Otherwise, I don't think it's necessary to teach food refusal. There are lots of other things you can work on depending on what you're worried about, like solid "leave its" or ignoring gesturing strangers, etc.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Some dogs are just food hogs, I'm not sure a food hog could be taught to not take food from a stranger LOL..My aussies would eat anything you hand them. Masi on the other hand, will not take food from anyone that isn't in her 'close circle', and even then sometimes won't..I have to 'touch' it first and then she'll go for it.

I did not teach her this, she's just very discriminating I guess, or maybe thinks everyone is out to poison her


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I never trained any of my dogs not to take food from strangers, but they all pick and choose who they take treats from. The winners are a couple people at the pet store, the trainer, and the vet(all of these are done with my encouragement). This is treats. My bigger issue is that they don't eat unless I'm home, which I never trained them to do either. I doubt highly that my dogs wouldn't take food from a stranger if they had to, but I do think it might take them a while and they would have to trust whoever it was coming from.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Food refusal training is a tricky thing - something a novice should not attempt alone. I would focus on socialization, good foundation, bonding for now....


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

TDI dogs require refusing treats from strangers, just saying.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

Why are you doing it? Unless there is a reason (sport, working dog) I dont really understand the point.


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## lemonadeicedtea (Aug 8, 2011)

mego said:


> TDI dogs require refusing treats from strangers, just saying.


The handler has to tell the dog to "leave it". TDI really emphasizes that command and handler vigilance in general (versus something like French Ring, where a stranger is literally throwing food at a dog with the handler out of sight, and must ignore it). Not really sure what the OP has in mind.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

mego said:


> TDI dogs require refusing treats from strangers, just saying.


TDI food refusal is nothing like real food refusal/avoidance training. In TDI, you call your dog off food if you notice the dog paying interest - handler is always around during therapy visits. In advanced training for things like KNPV or true food refusal when owner is out of sight, it requires far more stringent and advanced training. There are many issues that may arise with this training if done improperly....so like I said, start slow and work on socialization, bonding, foundation work....


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i taught my last GSD to only take food from my wife an I and to
only drink and eat out of his bowls. i did run into problems.


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## herojig (Apr 3, 2013)

I don't know what the acronyms TDI and others mean, but in Nepal we have to train our GSDs to not eat food outside the house, period. My 7 year does this but it's a slog. I kinda confuse him when I take him into a restaurant and order him a plate of food and a bowl of water. But then, on the way home, he's given drop-it commands if he even sniffs at a dead rat or left out mutton bone. The hindus here leave offerings out just for animals like Krypto, and it's tough to get them to ignore that, but we work on it. I can always tell by his body language when he's squirred away a small bone he's found in his cheek... he trys to look away from me as if hidding his cache. Anyway, as they use poisened meat here on strays it's really important to train from pups that eating food off the ground is a bad dog.

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