Mealtime

MANNERS AT MEALTIME

It's never too early to start teaching your puppy some patience at mealtimes. Think of it as an exercise in self-control and a way to curb any resource-guarding habits before they start. The goal? Get your pup to sit calmly while you prep and place their food bowl on the floor like a well-mannered little diner.

Step 1: For the first week, feed your puppy in their crate. (Need more details? Check out the “Crate Training” section.)

Step 2: After that first week, it’s time to graduate to feeding outside the crate. To set your puppy up for success, choose a quiet room away from other pets or distractions. Hold the food bowl up high like it’s the crown jewels, and wait for your pup to stand with all four paws on the ground. They might even plop into a sit naturally because, hey, gravity works! Once your puppy has all paws on the floor like a good little pup, say “break” and put the bowl down.

Step 3: After you’ve practiced the “sit” command outside of mealtimes, start asking for a sit before your puppy eats. This isn’t easy, so be ready for lots of practice. To speed things up, you might want to divide your puppy’s meals into three portions. That way, you can practice three times at each meal until they’ve got it down.

As your puppy gets the hang of the “sit” command outside of mealtimes, start incorporating it into this routine. Until then, use the bowl to lure them into the sit. Once they do, say “break” and place the bowl on the floor.

Step 4: Now for the big leagues: teaching your puppy to stay seated until the bowl is on the ground and you give the release word. This step is best tackled after you’ve practiced the “stay” command outside of mealtimes. (For more on that, see the “Stay” section.)

Getting your puppy to stay seated until the bowl hits the floor is the endgame, but it’s going to take some serious self-control on their part. This is a gradual process. Hold the bowl over your puppy’s head and say “sit.” Once they’re seated, slowly lower the bowl. If your puppy jumps up, lift the bowl back up and cue the “sit” again. Lower the bowl bit by bit, and if your puppy stays put, say “break” and reward them with the bowl on the ground. Keep practicing until you can get the bowl all the way to the floor without them popping up.

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