Hand feeding means giving your dog part or all of their daily food via training sessions rather than putting it down to them in a bowl.
This is a technique I wished more owners knew and utilised because it’s simple and easy to implement into daily life with your dog, but will have a huge positive impact on your dog and your relationship with them!
Especially when bringing home a new dog, hand-feeding is your best tool for integrating that dog into your life and routine.
Too many people simple live as ‘roommates’ with their dog. The dog lives in the house and spends time physically near the family members, but interaction rarely goes beyond that. Without fun and purposeful interactions, you will have a hard time building an active relationship with that dog based on respect and trust.
A lot of people think they don’t have time for hand-feeding, but in reality it takes up very little time. Just one or two short (5 to 10 min) training sessions a day is more than enough to see great improvement with your dog. If you’re pushed for time, take food out on your walks and do the training during time you already dedicate to your dog.
By hand feeding, you will increase your value to your dog, establish or improve you functional obedience, increase your dog’s confidence, and tire them out mentally as well as physically. There’s nothing to lose and so much to gain!
