Have moved and recently joined a recommended Club.  The Trainer is impressed with Sammie (BC) and feels he has good potential (i think he knows more than i do).  The Trainer said to withold his meal so that he is hungry during training.  This is all very well but i usually feed him in the morning and the classes are obviously early evening.

Does this seem fair and reasonable?  Just not sure what to do.

Thanx

Hi guest,

If he only gets fed once a day and you feed him in the morning and the classes are in the evening then no I don't think with holding his food would do any good and might actually mean he doesn't concentrate as well. Was the trainer aware that he is on one meal a day in the morning when you were given this advice?  How old is Sammie?  Maybe you could split his daily meal into two portions and give him half in the morning and the other half in the evening after training.

Karen

Posted at same time Karen

Have you considered splitting his normal feed in two, giving him half in the morning as usual, and the other half after his training class?

Great minds eh!

Karen

A dog who has been fed certainly isn't going to be as motivated by food as one whose peckish, but one who is downright hungry is going to have little else on his mind apart from getting food by any means, and probably won't learn as well.  I'd be inclined to give a portion of the meal before training, and the rest afterwards.

I suspect your trainer assumed he was fed at night, as most dogs seem to be

Lindsay
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