Premier MannersMinder Instruction Manual page 9

Chapter 2: How Fido Learns
reinforcers into consideration and use them to our
All dogs are motivated to eat because
advantage. But the main reward we'll use initially
they have to eat for survival.
for all training steps is food. Thus preparing your
Some dogs have just learned, like kids
dog to earn his food or treats is key to successful
holding out for dessert, that if they
training in this protocol.
wait long enough they can trade their
Dogs that love the training treats or food will have kibble for cookies.
an attitude that says they like the pay. Those that
will eat the food but aren't really crazy for it will
look lackluster, make more mistakes or appear
stubborn or stupid.
Turning Regular Meals into
a Flurry of Fun
While some owners claim their dogs don't like food,
By feeding regularly from the
all dogs are motivated to eat because they have to
MannersMinder machine, you'll
eat in order to survive. Some dogs have just learned,
turn meal times into a fun,
like kids holding out for dessert, that if they wait
interactive game.
long enough they can trade their kibble for cookies.
These dogs have to be convinced that their dog
kibble is cool.
With humans we make food more appealing by
placing it in eye-catching packaging or by doling it
out in petite portions and dressing it up with fancy
decorations.
These tactics are not likely to impress even the most
finicky Fido. Dogs are more motivated by the actions
involved with obtaining their food. By feeding regularly from the MannersMinder, you'll turn
meal times into a fun, interactive game.
Keeping Fido Healthy and Trim
Because you'll be training Fido using quite a bit of food, we recommend you use a nutri-
tionally balanced dry dog food — one that's approved for your dog's life stage by the
Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Approved brands include Hills
®
Science Diet , Nutro Max and Nutro Natural Choice .
® ® ® (For suggestions, go to Dr. Yin's website at
www.AskDrYin.com.)
If you decide instead to use dog treats, your sessions should be spread out over an
increased number of days and the total calorie intake should be subtracted from Fido's
daily allotment of food. Overall, treats should make up less than 10% of a dog's daily food
intake. In this instruction manual, when we refer to treats, we mean dry dog food (kibble).
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