Welcome to The Blog
Here you will find tips for training your Whippet as well as musings from my work as a trainer & behaviourist.
This includes training tips, multi dog household insights, reactivity, recall and focus!
I will also update this blog with updates on Arkle with his behaviour and health for those who have followed his journey!
Won't Take Food! - 5 Reasons Why Your Whippet Isn't Foodie
Whippets can be picky dogs, one of the biggest questions I get when people get in touch is “My Whippet isn't food motivated, what can you do to train without food?”
Very often the problem isn't that the dog isn't food motivated, it's the way we use food that is the problem and the history the dog has with food that is the issue. Using food can be a skill that takes time, especially with Whippets who aren't always into food, compared to breeds like labradors or spaniels!
I have always had pups who just aren't that into food, it's taken time to create that passion and motivation for training!
Your Whippet Is Being Free Fed
If you leave your Whippets food down all day, don't be surprised if they're not motivated to train! If food is always available, the value of it drops. This isn't about forcing them to work for food, but if it's always there, and they are walking by it regularly, your dog is learning that food is for ignoring. If your dog is refusing meals try offering less food ( they might just be full!) and offering it in a puzzle feeder or snuffle mat to see if that boosts their interest. Try only giving 30 minutes with food, before picking it up and re offering again at the next meal time.
You are using food to distract- not train
We can be stingy humans! I see this all the time in person classes. An owner grabs a treat, waves it under puppies nose to get their attention, puppy follows and then the owner doesn't give them a treat. It only takes a few goes of this for the dog to realise they're being teased with food, not getting paid for their attention fixing back to their owner. So they learn there is no point in paying attention to food- as it doesn't pay off! If you use food to get your dogs attention, make sure you pay them when their attention switches back to you.
You are using food when your dog is overwhelmed
“My reactive dog isn't food motivated. You could wave a treat in front of him when we see a dog and he's not interested” This isn't a food motivation issue, this is a stress issue. When reactive dogs are too close to a trigger, they’re overwhelmed by emotions. When a dog is overwhelmed the body starts to react, and the first thing that will happen in most cases is the dog will start to refuse food as the body goes into fight / flight. The key is setting these dogs up for success where they are able to take food, being unable to take food is a sign they're overwhelmed.
You haven't created motivation for training
It sounds daft, but have you really made training motivating? If not, your dog is definitely going to reject food! We can accidentally make food very un motivating for whippets by obsessing over “self control” and “obedience”. This can create a dog who is cautious in training and doesn't want to be too joyful around fiod. What we really need to do is create passion for training and food by playing fun games. Middle, touch, paws up, we want to ensure training is enjoyable, not fixate on obedience.
Your not using motivating rewards
Every dog is different! But are you using rewards your dog genuinely finds enjoyable? My whippets have never been much into boring “pet shop treats”. These are often dry or semi moist at best and contain very little of interest to many dogs. Try small pieces of chicken, jr pets pate, or smelly soft treats and experiment with them. Sometimes bigger is better and for fewer reps!
Food motivation can be a challenge, but it can be played with and we can find reasons why our whippets are not working for us as best as they could.
An important note to make is that a complete lack of food motivation ( including meal times) may need further investigation.
Many dogs can have medical issues such as parasites or infection without showing huge overt signs of illness. If your whippet is not interested in food and isn't improving, id really encourage you to go and see your vet and screen for medical issues. Medical issues are often linked with food motivation issues.
For tailored support or training email [email protected] Or check out what we offer on www.whippetwonders.co.uk
You can train your whippet from anywhere in the world with the School For Whippets
https://whippetwonders.co.uk/Whippet-School
