There's Nothing Good to Eat in this House! Troubleshooting Low Food Motivation

A lot of dog training uses food to motivate our dogs to do something that we like. At Moonbeam, we like to use treats because they're portable, dogs generally like food and feel good about food, and they're a great way to strengthen a connection between canine and human team members.

However, food motivation can vary from dog to dog and moment to moment.

Some dogs are extremely motivated by food (labs, potcakes), some like working for it (herding dogs), and others can be quite picky (toy dogs, huskies and other northern breeds). Some dogs get full quickly and other dogs are bottomless pits.

Daisy tolerates puzzle toys but if she's very hungry, she gets frustrated with them.

So, here are some questions to help you troubleshoot your dog's food motivation.

First: What is your dog's baseline opinion on food?

How does your dog respond to breakfast or dinner? Do they pick at their food throughout the day? Do you have to put "toppings" on their food in order to interest them?

Do they show more interest in certain treats or human food? Just like humans can be more motivated for 1000$ vs 1$, some dogs can be more motivated for cheese vs kibble.

If your dog is not interested in food ever, that's something to discuss with your vet. If they are not enthusiastic about their dinner but they eat it and they aren't losing weight, that's slightly less concerning.

Perry is inconsistent about eating his daily meals and sometimes only wants to eat them if somebody else seems interested.

Second: When are they more interested in food?

If your dog is eating enough to maintain their weight, good news! They are at least a little food motivated. The question then becomes - when are they more interested?

Are they more interested before their meal? When you're home with them? When they're relaxed and the household is calm?

If possible, try doing your food reward based training during one of these times.

Perry is most interested in food when Daisy is eating.

Third: Is your presence a contributing factor?

What happens if you put the food on the floor and move away? How long does it take for your dog to eat it?

Some dogs are worried about taking treats from the hand or treats near people. This test would help you figure out if that's an issue. We can always teach your dog a cue to get the treat you put on the floor and help them feel more comfortable taking treats around you.

Libby would only do her treat dispensing toys if a human was nearby but she would go forage on counters the instant she was alone. She contained multitudes!

Fourth: Is your dog too stressed to eat?

Just like us - some dogs stop eating when they're stressed out. Your dog might not be willing to eat in the presence of things that scare them (other dogs, strange people, cars, the outside world in general).

Even highly food motivated dogs will have a point where they will stop eating. Sometimes they get chompy as heck first so if your normally soft-mouthed dog suddenly turns into an alligator, that may be stress!

If your dog is too stressed, the best choice is to get away from the stressful thing. If possible, turn down the intensity of the stressor (less motion, farther away, not coming towards you) before trying to train around it again.

Daisy will not take treats when I am trying to get her out of the car. We might be at the vet :(

What to do if food is not an option?

So you've troubleshooted and your dog just isn't motivated for food - they don't really care for their meals, they don't have a time of day where they're more motivated, they will walk away from free food on the floor, and they're not stressed. What now?

What does your dog like?

Do they like playing with you? Playing with their toys?

Do they like investigating their environment? Sniffing?

Do they just want to move away from the scary thing? Go home? Stay still for a while and watch?

Do they just want to move toward the thing they want?

Make a big list of what your dog likes and try to figure out something that you can use as a reward for the behaviour that you like.

Rocketship Day School client Pancake likes making his own choices. Here, he wanted to watch the street.

Toys are great because they are portable, they build connection, and dogs feel great about them! They're tricky because they usually build excitement and we often want to build calmness instead.

Access is great if you can provide it. It feels natural - I want this, so I do that, and then I get what I want. However, sometimes we can't provide access to the squirrel or we don't want to provide access to herding the neighbour's kids.

Avoidance is key for dogs who are afraid. We want them to feel safe. So if your dog is afraid and you can move away from the thing they are afraid of, great! Do that. (You might find at a certain distance or once you get home again, they are able to eat.) You cannot make your dog feel more afraid of a thing by letting them move away from it and forcing them to confront their fears at that level is not fair - training isn't supposed to feel like Fear Factor.

Confused by your dog's preferences?

We can help! Our private training and day school programs take your dog's specific motivations into account. We'll help you increase food motivation if needed or work with other motivators to train your dog.

Not sure if we're the right fit? Contact us and tell us about your dog, we'll reply with what methods we would suggest to get them motivated.