Bye, Bye, Food Bowl!

A couple of weeks ago we began Canine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) training with Athena.  Our first two classes were exceptional and we have really enjoyed the new trainer.  With all of her suggestions, we have seen a huge improvement in Athena's behavior.

During our first class we talked to the trainer about Athena's high energy level and her tendencies to get into trouble around the house (like when she miraculously finds a used tissue or dirty sock when we swore there were none left out).  The trainer simply said, "put away her food bowl."

Bye, bye, food bowl.  Hello, yummy treat toys!

When we first adopted Athena, I read all about No Free Lunch Training and other methods that expect dogs to earn their food rather than be given it for "free."  Although I read that many people swear by this type of training program, I just wasn't that into it and so we continued to feed Athena from her food bowl and used fancy treats during her training sessions (now I realize that it was those dang fancy treats that probably made Athena three pounds fatter...).

Eating a snack from the Contempo Halo Bottle treat dispenser

When I heard "put away her food bowl," I was a bit skeptical.  But, the trainer told us that Athena's high energy and tissue hunting drive probably stems from boredom and lack of mental stimulation.  As much as we physically exercise her with walks, games of fetch, and play time in the house, she wasn't being given enough opportunities to exercise her brain during the day.

So, for the past two weeks we have been rationing out Athena's usual two cups of kibble (plus a few yummy treats) throughout the day.  She eats her breakfast, snack, and dinner in food dispensing toys and then receives the rest of her kibble during daily training exercises.  Now she must work for every bit of food that she receives which provides her with the much needed mental stimulation.

All of the wonderful things that we bought from Pet Mountain for only $80!

Seeing as treat dispensing toys are often expensive, we decided to do some online shopping for reasonably priced toys.  We came across Pet Mountain which sells their toys (and other pet supplies) for ridiculously cheap prices (nobody can beat a half priced Kong!) so we bought an entire box full of toys to keep Athena occupied and stimulated.


Here is a list of the food dispensing toys that we purchased (and how much they cost us):

• XL Kong Extreme- $10.79
• L Kong Extreme- $6.97
• L Kong Stuff-a-Ball- $8.99
• Kong Wobbler- $10.40
• Contempo Tessa- $6.00
• Contempo Halo Bottle Treat Dispenser- $4.00
• 5" Atomic Treat Ball- $7.47

Food dispensing toys that we already owned:

• StarMark Bob-A-Lot
• JW Pet Hol-ee Roller X Extreme
• StarMark Everlasting Treat Ball

Food dispensing toys that we wish we owned:

• Premier Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug
• StarMark Treat Dispensing Chew Ball
• Buster Food Cube
• Smarter Toys IQ Treat Ball
• Premier Twist and Treat

Spoiled Athena now has plenty of toy options to choose from when working for her food.  Soon we will review some of our favorite treat dispensing toys to let you know how long they keep Athena occupied and how durable they are for power chewers (so far we are in love with the Contempo Tessa- why have we never seen this toy sold in a store?!).

Contempo Tessa in action

Since putting her food bowl away two weeks ago, we have seen some MAJOR improvements in Athena's behavior.  She spends quite a bit of time each day tackling her food dispensers.  Whether it be a kibble filled Bob-a-Lot that takes thirty minutes to clean out, or a frozen pumpkin/peanut butter/kibble   Kong that lasts up to three hours, Athena is now very well occupied throughout the day and ready for some major snoozing afterwards.  The rest of her kibble is plopped around the house for mini training sessions such as doggy pushups and recall.  Athena also earns quite a bit of her training kibble during walks as she works to perfect her loose leash walking.

Have you ever put your dog's food bowl away and traded it for treat dispensing toys?  What are your favorite treat dispensers on the market?

Does Your Dog Have C.L.A.S.S.?

We're not afraid to admit that our dog doesn't...yet.  That is until we begin Canine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) training in two weeks.

I think I look like I got the class...

"So, what's C.L.A.S.S. training?" you might ask...

C.L.A.S.S. is a training program that focuses on positive reinforcement to strengthen the relationship between dog and owner.

The components of C.L.A.S.S. include:

• Assess Real-Life Skills
• Encourage Ongoing Training
• Expand Opportunities for Well-Behaved Pets
• Support Shelters/Rescues
• Educate Responsible Dog Ownership and Positive Reinforcement

Something that's different about this training than say, the basic training we received at Petco, is that there is a component of assessment.  Each dog and their owner is evaluated on their training skills learned in C.L.A.S.S. classes through a series of real-life activities.  The three C.L.A.S.S. assessment levels include:

• Bachelor's (B.A.) Level- Core life skills
• Master's (M.A.) Level- Life skills with distractions
• Doctorate (Ph.D.) Level- Team performance reliability

How classy is Athena?

Even though Athena has completed 7 weeks of basic obedience training and many people compliment us for how well she is trained, we will find out tomorrow just how classy she really is.  Before beginning the C.L.A.S.S. training we must first be evaluated to determine which level we will be placed in.  So, tomorrow we are going to meet our new trainer and take the Bachelor's (B.A.) level assessment.  Generally, here are the skills that we will be evaluated on (and my thoughts on how we will score):

• Wait at the door (there's a 50/50 chance we will score well on this one)
• Come and leashing up manners (come is iffy and leash up manners should be good)
• Loose leash walking and attention (eh, we shall see how Athena is feeling tomorrow...)
• Meet and greet (50/50...depending on how exciting the person is that she will be meeting...)
• Leave it (What will she have to leave?  Food, toys, people?  We will fail...)
• Wait for the food bowl (We've got this one 100%!)
• Stay (We better get 100% on this one too!)
• Settle (Yeah right)
• Give and take (YEAH RIGHT!)
• 2 Bonuses- rollover, spin, fetch, speak, or paw (We aren't honor students...)

As you can see I'm expecting a big ole' FAIL on this assessment.  Especially since the C.L.A.S.S. program prohibits the use of the Gentle Leader and we use this tool like a crutch!  Along with Athena's training assessment, we also have to pass the Student Knowledge Assessment multiple choice test about responsible dog ownership.

Even though I don't have high hopes for the assessment, I'm so excited that at the end of this new 6 week class we should be able to successfully complete all of the above skills!  In a way we are also happy that we can't use the Gentle Leader in the class or during assessments because it is our ultimate goal to have Athena trained on a flat collar.

Overall, we can't wait for this new set of classes to begin!  Have any of you gone through any C.L.A.S.S. training or something similar?  What did you think of it?

**All of the above information comes from the Canine Life and Social Skills student handbook.  You can check it out here for a full description of the training program**