March 30, 2020
My dog has low food drive, a sensitive stomach and zero toy drive. I need to build engagement and I’m hoping one of your videos will help.
Full Question:
I have a 2 yr old bloodhound/coonhound/newfie mix with low food drive, a sensitive stomach, and zero toy drive. He has no interest in chasing a ball or playing tug, and not a great appetite. Does the Power of Training with Food video deal with building food drive at all? I've done marker training in the past with other dogs but was stymied by this one. I need to build engagement, and am hoping one of your videos will help. 
Cindy's Answer:
Hi and thank you for writing. Yes,the food video is what I would suggest.
One thing you may need to do is manipulate your dog's regular meals and use them for training. Let him skip a couple of meals and then see how he does. If he can eat lean meats or cheese without upset then try something very high value. Making the rewards an event that are fun for the dog also helps.
My oldest dog had almost zero food drive as a young pup and I was trying to train him for competition. I had to use ALL of his daily food for training, he got nothing out of a bowl for many months while I built up his food drive. It's not an easy thing but can be improved if you are diligent about manipulating his daily food and making it a more valuable resource
One thing you may need to do is manipulate your dog's regular meals and use them for training. Let him skip a couple of meals and then see how he does. If he can eat lean meats or cheese without upset then try something very high value. Making the rewards an event that are fun for the dog also helps.
My oldest dog had almost zero food drive as a young pup and I was trying to train him for competition. I had to use ALL of his daily food for training, he got nothing out of a bowl for many months while I built up his food drive. It's not an easy thing but can be improved if you are diligent about manipulating his daily food and making it a more valuable resource
User Response:
Thank you! I'm watching the video now. I've started using movement to make rewards more fun and it really is increasing his interest! I've also cut WAY back on his food that he gets in a bowl, and am feeding fresh bits of chicken and some other treats throughout the day utilizing Michael Ellis's techniques. People actually commented on how well he was doing today! And even better, it seems the small amounts of food all day are much easier on his stomach than two main meals - so he is actually eating his meals now! Before he'd often skip them. Thank you so much!
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