Focus and attention are core precepts of my manageable companion dog philosophy. That’s why I’m obsessed with manding [1]. Once your dog or pup has manding down to a science, you’re probably getting asked for a lot of treats. That’s great. But according to Purina Senior Nutritionist Jan Dempsey, 90 percent of daily calories should come from complete and balanced dog/puppy food. The other 10 percent can come from treats.
You’re probably getting asked for a lot of treats. So, what should you do? I suggest that you ratchet up the manding difficulty level.
There are 3 ways I use to increase the difficulty level for manding.
- Require eye contract
- Require a longer mand
- Add distractions
You can even combine the three. The end result is greater focus and attention, while staying within the parameters of Dempsey’s 90/10 rule. A win/win!