Have you ever tried training your dog first thing in the morning, before breakfast? Or shortly before dinnertime, when she was really hungry?
Some trainers even tell their clients to show up for classes or appointments with a hungry dog.
Because we use food as rewards during dog training, it is natural to think that a hungry dog would be more motivated to learn and complete tasks.
However, a University of Kentucky study showed that eating before training sessions can actually boost your dog’s performance. In this small study, they worked with dogs in three groups: one group hadn’t eaten yet, one group ate 30 minutes before training, and one group ate their meal 90 minutes before training.
In the study, the dogs were required to search for hidden food. The group that performed best was the one that ate 30 minutes before the task.
The hungriest dogs actually performed the worst, while the dogs who ate 90 minutes before showed no advantage over the hungry dogs.
This was a small study, and it only involved one simple task. So, you shouldn’t necessarily use this study to make decisions about your dog’s schedule.
I have noticed, however, that Matilda and Cow are best at playing and doing tricks shortly after breakfast or dinner. When they’re hungry, Matilda will ignore toys and keep leading me to her food bowl. If I offer her a few bites of food, she’ll start to work with me.
When To Train Your Dog
You will need to wait at least 30 minutes after a meal to start training. Activity right after a meal can contribute to bloat, a fatal condition in which your dog’s stomach twists and gas gets stuck inside, causing stomach distension and unproductive retching.
If you think your dog has bloat, rush to an emergency vet – it can kill your dog in an hour if left untreated. Bloat is more common in large, deep-chested breeds, but it can happen to any dog.
You can also use your dog’s meals as food rewards. If you offer a portion of their meal before training, you’ll avoid making her feel frustrated and overly hungry.
You can still reduce your dog’s meals to account for the calories in her treats, it’s not necessary for your dog to have a big meal before training to help her focus.
Does Your Dog’s Diet Matter?
What’s also interesting is that Dr. Miller, who led the above study, says that they do not see this same effect in wolves.
Our modern dog eats a carbohydrate-rich diet, which causes their glucose levels to fluctuate. A wolf’s meat-based diet is very low in carbs, so they do not experience that blood sugar drop that can lead to poorer cognitive skills.
Matilda and Cow also eat a low-carb diet, though. It might not be as low as the diet of your average wolf.
But it stands to reason that some dogs might have more trouble learning and completing tasks if they eat a lot of carbs from kibble, they might experience a brief blood sugar spike that quickly drops, making it harder for them to think.
You may want to try adding some fresh, low-carb foods to your dog’s diet if she eats kibble.
Maybe try an egg the morning before a training class, if you know your dog’s stomach can handle it. Eggs have a biological value of 100, meaning they are very easy for your dog’s body to break down and benefit from.
Boosting Your Dog’s Drive For Other Rewards
Some dogs are just not food motivated.
Even if your dog is a total food hound, it’s good to reward her through other means. That way you can train when you don’t have treats or when she’s full.
Praise and petting really do work as rewards, even if dogs do not get excited for them as much as food. I wouldn’t teach a new cue using solely praise as a reward, but I would try it with older cues.
You can also use toys as a reward.
Try using a brand new toy that you’ll store out of your dog’s reach, only bringing it out for training.
Probably the best type of motivation, though, that we never talk about: the joy of learning.
Some dogs enjoy some tasks more than others. While I can motivate Cow to paint like Matilda, she just doesn’t get the same joy out of it. She likes more physical challenges like running or backing up.
Switch up your dog’s tricks, try new skills, and keep them on their toes. Dogs really love to learn, and with the help of other motivators, they’ll always enjoy their training sessions.
She also uses her pet copywriting business to make sure the best pet products and services get found online through catchy copy and fun, informative blog posts. She also provides product description writing services for ecommerce companies.
As a dog mom to Matilda and Cow, she spends most of her days taking long walks and practicing new tricks, and most nights trying to make the best of a very modest portion of her bed.
You'll also find her baking bread and making homemade pizza, laughing, painting and shopping.
I usually wait more than 35 minutes after a meal to start training. It works great for my dog. She isn’t really food motivated. That’s why, I just use a brand new toy as a reward. It works fine too. Thanks for the good tips!
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Even though the study was quite small the results were interesting. Speaking from experience with my dog Jack, he knows his schedule and when it’s meal time he’s not interested in anything else but getting fed!
Theo is so food motivated that being hungry would be a detriment. He needs to be able to concentrate to be able to practice training. I get hangry too, so I never try to feed him when he’s actually hungry.
I free feed Layla, always have, its all home cooked with no carbs, she is incredibly healthy for her age and very energetic. She loves walking so that is what we do.
Ruby is very food motivated and almost always hungry (or at least interested in food). She’s not interested in toys so that doesn’t work for us. Also, she’s more agreeable to learning tricks (aka paying attention) in the afternoon. In the morning and evening she just likes to chill.
One of my cats is not motivated by food at all. I’m lucky I can get her to eat! The other loves food, and I can get her to cooperate for photo shoots with treats.
I don’t have a dog however this study kind of makes sense to me. I think of it like training at the Olympics. The best athletes in the world don’t NOT eat before competing and training. They need some fuel before training to do their best. I know when it came to training my girls (cats) they did well with treat reinforcement but also doing training mid day after they already had eating during the day. I guess different strokes for different folks.
My cats are not food motivated to do anything. Although they love deeply unhealthy Temptations treats and come running for them!
I can’t, honestly, see the point in training a really hungry dog. If I am hungry my concentration goes out the window and no amount of promises for food later will bring me round! A meal before training makes sense but trying to train a dog with its mind elsewhere sounds ridiculous.
I think that makes sense – if I’m hungry it is a lot harder to focus on what I’m supposed to be learning. Studies in children prove that kids who get a good breakfast and stable food supply do better in school. It seems reasonable the same would be true in dogs.
I guess once you get hungry enough you can’t think straight 😉
This does make sense! After all, humans have a hard time focusing when they are hungry, so it makes sense that the same holds true for animals.
I always figured it’s the same as me…if I’m hungry and you wiggle food under my nose to work, I’m going in for the food, work be darned! A hangry human or dog is not going to be cooperative. Two of my Huskies are food-driven and the one knows exactly when it’s time and when I’m late she gives me the what-for! Training for them was always best a while after, when treats were tempting! And always positive reinforcement. To this day, they look for that happy voice to tell them when they did something good…and, yes, that high-value treat! Great post!
This is a great post, anyhow my dog is not super motivated for training when he is hungry, he is food motivated and always in search of food when getting hungry, at that time he does not get interested in any other activity.
I don’t think that need a study. We all can notice our dog behavior when he or she is hungry. They always refuse to obey.
nice blog! thanks for sharing