12/14/2024
DOES YOUR PUP/DOG LIKE A LITTLE "FLESH" WITH THEIR TREATS!!?? The Holiday Season (Thanksgiving & Christmas) is upon us. I felt this would be a great time to share my technique for giving treats. This is so easy & will help your guests/visitors of all ages!!
Years ago, I developed a way to give treats that is easy & will work with almost every dog. Every person I have shared this with are thrilled with how great it works from the first time they try it. Granted, there are exceptions to every rule...but, so far I have not found a dog it does not work for.
Even young children can do this...with parental supervision (every interaction between your dog & young child must be supervised!). Granted, the good old standby for giving treats is having the treat in your open palm. but, I like to provide people with some alternative approaches.
Some "basic" fundamentals for giving treats: Give the treat at normal mouth level or below & up close to the dog. I prefer the mouth/muzzle to be pointed downward. Give treats close enough so the dog does not have to "reach" for it. Do NOT have the dog reach up, out, or in any way that "elongates" their neck. When they stretch that neck area, it pulls at the lower jaw "muscles". The result is...AS the dog "reaches" for the treat & the jaws "close/shut" to take the treat, the jaws will "snap" shut. The dog is not choosing to do this. It is the jaw's closing mechanism when the neck is elongated. Keep this info in mind as you read the two approaches below.
Lead with your index finger or back of hand. The dogs do not want YOU, they want the treat they can smell & know it is there. Your finger or back of hand "slows" the dog's "treat fervor" as they "work" to get at/find the treat.
The "finger" approach is to hold treat between thumb & forefinger (the "F" finger...LOL!). The Index finger is pointed straight, NOW..."curl" the index finger in front of the treat.
Second approach, & possibly easier for some people, is to hold treat between thumb & 2 fingers (index & forefinger). CURL for entire hand downward or inward (toward your body).
What both of these approaches do is to provide "more of YOU" between the dog's mouth & the treat. Like I said, they do not want you, they want the treat. When there is more of you between the dog & the treat, it slows them down as they work around to get to the treat.
Note re: senior dogs: Even if your dog has always been super taking treats or had what we call a "soft mouth", when they age they will reach a time when they will often have more of a snapping action of their jaws. It is like they don't have the control over their mouth action like they did when younger. And, they can't judge the distance like when they were younger. When a dog's eyesight starts to diminish, they will know the treat is there, but they can't quite judge where the treat is in relation to their mouth. This can cause more of a snapping action of their jaws. Using the approaches I have described really helps your senior dogs.
These are so easy & really, really work!! Another tip: For your overly exuberant dogs, especially those who have been used to "grabbing" their treats, be sure to tell them "easy, settle" something verbally to get them to calm down just a tad.
Overly excited dogs have trouble containing themselves, period. For example, how many times has your overly excited dog "accidentally" knocked their food bowl out of your hand as you were setting it down?? So, I recommend just a little "verbal reminder" to settle, easy, be nice, etc. This helps your dog be able to better (albeit, not fully...LOL!) contain themselves when getting a treat (or food bowl...LOL).
Please consider sharing this post with ALL of your dog friends & family.
