My dog is bored by his food. How do I train a dog that isn't food motivated?

I have a 9-month-old male unfixed Australian Shepherd. Ever since we got him at 8 weeks, he seems bored by his food. Doesn't matter the brand. Once I tried a 'topper' and still no. His vet can't find anything wrong since he is still as energetic as always and will happily take any sort of treats. I tried eating puzzles which he loves, but he will just empty the food out of them without eating it. He eats enough to maintain his healthy weight as he's grown.

I love dog training but I'm a little stumped on how to train a dog who isn't food motivated. My previous border collie LOVED his food. My puppy loves toys, especially tug, so once he knows the command I can reward him with tug but I don't know how to train new behaviors without food luring.

I try short, 5-minute, training sessions with his kibble and he will happily do the commands he knows but the moment I try to lure or reward, he refuses and walks away. He likes treats but I'm worried he will get bored if they are overused. Advice?

Cindy's Answer

I'd recommend our newly released course on Training Dogs with Food Rewards.

For dogs without a very strong food drive, you may need to manipulate the timing of his regular meals til after your daily training and you may need to find something very special for your dog, something he is really interested in.

Some favorites of my picky dogs of the past are string cheese, roasted chicken, small bits of steak, cooked liver, etc.

There is also a training process for luring and rewarding that some dogs will be overwhelmed with if you don't break it down into small steps. The herding breeds tend to be sensitive to someone "in their space" so to speak.