How to train a dog to eat only at the ok command?

Q: how to train a dog to eat only when given an ok command?
There are people who have taught their dogs to only eat when told to, for safety (to prevent poisoning) and just to stop having to worry (I left my pizza on the coffee table!). How is it done? How do you teach a dog to be so well behaved, they won't eat without someone giving the command?

Photo Credit: Bennilover/Flickr

My dog is a black lab/Schnauzer mix, and he already has a fairly significant training. He heels when walked, knows his role in the pack, and would drop a ham sandwich if you told him to before he swallowed it. He is so intelligent that he quickly learned to open doors with the lever door knobs.
My dog is my baby, and everything this is about is for HIS safety, not my laziness.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Bob
You must practice with your dog, Ma'am! Keep him on a leash and place his food in front of him. When he goes for the food without your command, pull him back.
That's it, Ma'am!!..

Answer by Greek God AKA Greekm
Its done the same way all other training is accomplished in the real world. You praise/reward the dog for doing a behavior you want to see and you keep repeating that behavior for 4K-6K reps till it becomes second nature and you correct the dog, hard, when it does not obey.

This correcting thing is where 98% of people fail because they don't want to do it…they feel bad for the dog, attach emotional issues to it, whatever. The point is this, Cause=Effect in all things, training included, and if your dogs earn a correction, don't disappoint it, correct it hard.
In closing, in the absence of compulsion, neither human nor canine education is possible. Hope I helped.

Answer by MamaBas
I guess it is possible to train a dog to eat at the command, but having had years of living with Basset, the only thing that stops mine grabbing what's available, given half a chance, is PREVENTION. Yes, they know not to grab off a coffee table if we were there eating but I'd not assume that would be the same if we got up and left something on there.

By no means am I suggesting you are a lazy pet owner but I do think you may be expecting too much of A DOG. But again, it depends on the breed and the individual dog. I'd stress, again PREVENTION. And I don't leave my hounds with access to the outside when I'm not at home because I don't know what might happen. 'Leave' or 'drop' is an essential piece of obedience, however.

Answer by Lacey UD, RE
Does your dog have a good sit stay with distractions? If so have your dog do a sit stay for its meal. Put the meal on the floor and step back. Your dog should stay in a sitting position until released. This dog cannot be allowed to eat any food unless it in the bowl or from your hand. Eating on the floor or ground is off limits. The release command must be used every time that you feed the dog. Keep in mind that this type of poison proofing also has its issues if the dog is boarded often or if other members of the family is feeding the dog.

Since your dog is "your baby" you most likely will not like my following suggestions. You will have to have aversives. the aversives will have to be stronger than the reward of the food that the dog is getting into. The aversives will have to be used for at least one month depending on the dog. They will have to be faded slowly so as not to train the dog to look for them when he gets into trouble. The aversive that I use for the trash stealing is a shock mat or a scat mat. This mat emits a shock when something steps on it or touches it. It gives the same correction every time it is touched (as long as it's plugged in". It will correct when no one is home. Finally, it keeps the owner out of the correction process so the dog learns quicker. Do not step on the scat mat with your bare or stocking feet. If you do so, you'll do it only once.

To keep the dog from eating trash off of the ground also requires methods that are worse than the food. For this, I use a remote collar. I just don't put the remote on and shock the dog but go through a series of training steps first before I even correct the dog. Your best bet is to find an e-collar trainer in your area to train you how to use this device properly. You will have to have the collar on most times that the dog is out. You will also have to be in a position to correct the dog every time he tries to eat something that he shouldn't.

I know that the do-gooders will not like my methods but have been proven to work. Most police and military dogs are poison proofed using many of the same methods. In order to poison proof, the correction has to be worse than the tasty food that is being left out or offered to the dog.
Flameproof suit on. Let the TDs fly.
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