Fussy Whippets!

Sometimes people come into my classes with dogs who simply cannot or will not take rewards. This can make training pretty challenging. I use food to pay good behaviour, as it ensures that the good behaviour is more likely to happen.

But if the dog won’t take food, that can make it complicated. So how do you train a dog who is not food motivated?

First off- all dogs are food motivated-its a survival function! If your dog eats , they are food motivated. What we are actually looking for is for them to ENJOY their food.

Here are some top tips to BOOST that enjoyment of food!

Do you free feed your Whippet?

Free feeding is leaving your Whippets food on the floor all day, for them to graze at.

Free feeding unfortunately promotes your Whippet to not wish to work for food, after all, food is always present and not that interesting! Its always there..on the floor.

This tells your dog food is uninteresting, always available and not worth the effort. Instead try feeding your Whippet twice a day, offering their food for 30 minutes (MAX) and removing it after that time.

You can also try feeding them through puzzle toys, as this can be MORE motivating than food just in a dish. Most dogs prefer to work for their food, this is known as contrafreeloading!

How much do you feed your Whippet?

Delicate subject! But consider, is your Whippet being overfed? If your Whippet is full then they won’t want to eat. Try checking their weight and consider their exercise levels so they are not getting TOO much food.

Dog food packaging will often over estimate the amount of food you should be feeding to ensure that your Whippet isn’t underweight. Always feed the dog in front of you!

Have a Treat Hierarchy

To help reduce the chances of your Whippet being fussy, reserve higher value treats for training out the house where there are more distractions, and use lower value rewards for in the house.

For example in the house Arkle has dry food, or training treats for his puzzle toys or training games. Out of the house he has Jr pet products pate, chicken, cheese and similar tasty treats!

Make food fun!

Try getting your Whippet to play with their food! When they have done something good, rather than give them their treat to their mouth, try throwing it across the floor for them to chase! This is a much more fun game than just taking food. It makes the food more interesting and engaging. You could also try teaching your Whippet to catch!

When does your Whippet stop taking food?

If your Whippet is usually a foodie, but only doesn’t take treats in certain situations, then consider why. Is it usually in the same places or situations? If so this gives you information that your Whippet is overwhelmed there. This may be due to overexcitement or anxiety. Its important to address that. The issue is their emotional response, not that they won’t take food.

Have your ruled out a medical issue?


Very often a medical issue may be causing fussy food behaviour. I have worked with many dogs who just present as "fussy" lately, who in fact had a stomach infection or parasite issue such as giardia. If your dog is continuing to be "fussy" if could be worth a vet trip and running tests such as fecal samples to rule out infections and parasites.

If your stuck and have any questions regarding food motivation then email me directly at
[email protected]