Let's talk about an easy hack that can upgrade your training game, Using part of your dog's dinner as a training reward. Now, I know it's tempting to just dump that food in a bowl and put it on the floor and be done with it, especially after a long day. But that dinner that your dog eats every single day, that's valuable, and if we're not using it for some sort of training, we're missing out on a huge opportunity. Now here's the thing training doesn't have to mean adding more time to your day. You don't have to carve out a 30-minute session or find time between meetings. You just need to redirect what you're already doing. You're already feeding your dog dinner. Why not let him earn it in a way that improves his behavior? Let me give you a couple of real-life examples.

If your dog is working on basic cues like sit down or the recall, why not practice these at the start of dinner? Fill up his food bowl, grab a handful of kibble and then do a few reps of each cue. Your dog should really be engaged, since he is hungry and it's almost dinner time. Is your dog sensitive about having his feet or his ears touched? Fill up the bowl, grab a handful of kibble and then sit on the floor while he eats the kibble out of your hand, Lightly pet his paws or his ears, and you can do this with either a portion of his kibble or his entire meal. It just depends on how much time you have Split his dinner into thirds and then have him wait for his food bowl to gain access to one third of his meal. When he empties the bowl, repeat and try again until all the kibble is gone.

Trying to teach him to wait outside the kitchen door while you're cooking, have him start waiting outside the kitchen door before you put his food bowl down. If he rushes through the door before you release him, simply put the bowl on the counter, get him back outside the kitchen door and try again. Now I'm not saying you can never just put the bowl down and let him go at it. Sometimes convenience wins and that's okay. But if you're dealing with a behavior issue or trying to build new skills, using a portion of his dinner creatively can really shift things in your favor, and in all of these scenarios you should fill the bowl up first and then remove a handful to use as training rewards. It's important that your dog see you fill the bowl up, so he understands it's almost dinner time, thereby giving you his undivided attention.