Food.

Food has many uses beyond teaching tricks.

When Roxy and I lived in Singapore, Chilli Crab was frequently on the menu, for the two-legged at least. Not only was the sauce a hot and sweet type of delicious but a big part of the fun was the work involved in extracting the precious pieces of protein. If you’ve ever eaten crab you will know that the fleshy return on effort is low but well worth it! After much crushing, picking, pulling and slurping, you are rewarded at last with a delicious morsel of tastiness. One can never complain about a yummy meal being devoured too quickly when it comes to the crab.

For dogs, enter the FOOD CHEW TOY. Food chew toys are rubber meal dispensing toys that come in various colours, shapes and sizes. They hold food deep inside and have a small hole/opening for placing and extracting food. They are designed to withstand persistent gnawing and grinding and come in different “challenge levels”. The most well-known brand is Kong, so much so that people often call food chew toys “Kongs” (even if they are not of the Kong brand), similar to calling tissues "Kleenex” or ice-boxes “Eskies” (for the Australians).

If your dog is food motivated, consider feeding them most, if not all, of their meals exclusively from food chew toys:

• Dogs love to chew and chew toys offer an appropriate outlet for them to engage in this natural behaviour.

• The activity satisfies a dog’s seeking and working instincts to obtain food.

• Chewing is a stress reliever for dogs, helping them to manage anxiety.

• Treats become more powerful in training because dogs don’t fill up as quickly compared to eating from a bowl.

• Slower eating is better for their tummies and health.

• Preoccupying a dog with a food chew toy redirects them from engaging in other naughty behaviours like barking, howling, destroying furniture etc.

Over To You!

• Obtain a bunch of high quality food chew toys. Prepping several at once each morning keeps things convenient. Tip! Don’t be afraid to go one size up as even small dogs can tackle larger size chew toys. Tip! A dog may not show interest in one particular shape, like the cone, but will love another, like the bone. If your dog doesn’t take to food chew toys straight away, try out some other shapes before quitting.

• Measure out your puppy’s food for the day. Most dogs thrive with simply an age appropriate, nutritionally balanced offering of dry food (kibble). Allocate some handfuls for use during training exercises and fill your food chew toys with the rest.

• Offer your puppy these food projects throughout the day. Always ensure they have one or several well-stuffed food chew toys when your dog needs to spend time alone (more on this in Independence).

• For the more nimble snouted, you can increase the challenge level by adding water to the dry food so that the food becomes spongy and hard to get out. To create even more difficult projects, freeze the spongy food-stuffed chew toy beforehand.

• Surprise your dog once in a while by placing a piece of chicken, cheese etc. deep inside the chew toy.

• Not all dogs are food motivated. If your dog shows no interest at all, even after trying out a few different shapes, it is OK to feed your dog out of a bowl the usual way. But do keep the meals simple, remembering that fussy dogs are made not born.

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