22/10/2024
Something to consider 🤔
Scatter Feeding (with a real life story you may not have considered)
We educate our clients on why we don't recommend scatter feeding.
One of the things we explain to clients who already throw food on the floor as a reward for their dog, or to distract their dog, is that they cannot do it at our training fields. Not only do we not recommend it (for reasons I'll explain later in the post) we also know that it can be a huge distraction to other dogs training on the field (at the same time, or after) worse still, if it's not all found by the dog it is intended for, another dog may find it who may have an intolerance or allergy to it.
There are so many amazing ways that owners can provide enrichment for their dogs through play, through interaction, and through training.
In training we always say 'think about what your dog is learning'
Do you really want to encourage your dog to scavenge food from the floor? Maybe you haven't considered the consequences if they come across something potentially poisonous.
You may be thinking 'Well, I have trained a good 'leave' cue'...
OK, but what if your dog is sniffing ahead and you cannot see, that there is something just ahead of your dog that is potentially dangerous?
You may be thinking 'my dog only eats what I scatter on cue'...
OK, but it's important to remember that dogs are opportunistic predators. It is entirely possible, in fact, highly likely that many dogs, if they were to come across something they believed edible, and you haven't seen it to be able to say 'leave' they would eat it.
This following real life scenario was written recently written by a friend and fellow trainer. Luckily his dog survived.
My dog spent 3 days in the vets on an I-V, and nearly died… why?
- Scatter feeding.
I had just finished exchanging hellos with another dog walker and turned my back to continue up the path in the park. I noticed that my dog wasn’t following me as she usually does so looked back and saw her eating something...
She was told to leave, and come to me which she did immediately.
The guy who I had been talking to, who knew of my dog’s quite severe food intolerances, was ‘scatter feeding’ his dog in the long grass for enrichment, and my dog had, just for a moment, joined in.
Now.. my dog has leave and recall sorted, but she’s not yet good enough to pass up food if I’m not instructing her at the time
(my last dog got to that stage and I’m hoping to repeat it).
Scatter feeding of meals is a technique popular in zoos and used as behavioural enrichment for captive animals, but ‘foraging’ has somehow made its way into the pantheon of things people are encouraged to do with their dogs by certain trainers!
My dog was sick within a couple hours of returning home. She had ‘acute hemorrhagic diarrhea’ a serious condition that can kill dogs without swift vet intervention, as the dog stops drinking. It kills about 10% of dog who do get the correct treatment.
We nearly lost her on day two of the vet’s intervention. The vet said the most likely cause given her food intolerances, was unknown food items. The food scatterer didn’t know what was in his dog’s treats when asked.
She has now made a fully recovery, at a cost to the insurers of £1500 - an uninsured owner may have had serious problems with the money. She lost too much weight as she didn’t eat for 6 days. We’re building her back up now.
Anyway, I’m know I’m preaching to the converted here, and none of you would think that encouraging a dog to eat anything they find in the park was a good idea - but, if your clients still think scattering is a fun way to enhance their doggie’s lives, you can relay this story!
Best regards
Darren
This very sad story highlighted and supported our thinking, and shows how real our fears of scatter feeding are, not just from a 'what is your dog learning' perspective, but also the risk to other dogs.
Not only that, but with all the terrible cases of dogs being deliberately poisoned by food laced with poison left in parks why would anyone ever want their dog to think that it's ok to eat food he finds on the floor.
As with many things in training, we can see the theory behind the idea, but in real life, it's not a good idea.
There are other, far safer, and more effective ways to encourage a dog to 'get his nose down when hunting' or to 'distract a reactive dog' if that is required.
Let's take one more (real life) example...
You have a highly excitable dog, and you have been advised by a trainer to scatter treats around you when you see another dog, to distract your dog from lunging, barking, or losing their mind. That might sound OK, in theory, to keep your dog distracted. But, have you considered what the implications of doing that could be if the dog you spotted in the distance starts running over, with no recall, and is actually food obsessed, and unbeknown to you resource guards food?
Yes, this actually happened to a client I'm now working with. Except, her dog is now fear aggressive from that experience, not just excitable.
Is that a risk you are willing to take?
Please read, and share, you might save a dog's life
www.familydogservices.co.uk
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