Does anyone have any methods they know of to train dogs not to eat food that dogs come across on the ground (such as baits) ?. you hear of dogs that won’t eat something thrown over a fence , or given by other people. It would be handy to know how to do it . I already am the only feeder , and tell others not to give them food from time to time. however , if they find a left over rabbit piece or something a predator has left they do like to eat or chew in it.
It should be fairly easy to train a breed that is naturally reserved to refuse food offered by a stranger. It is rather more difficult to stop a greedy dog gobbling items that it finds for itself. I resort to, 'No', 'Dirty', quite a bit, but that only works when they are close to you. Running free, Merry is quite likely to scoff a dead bird - or something even worse. Quite a few Beagle owners use basket muzzles to prevent them from scarfing rotting or dangerous items when they are loose, but to members of the public, it does make the dog appear to be aggressive.
You can train a dog not to accept food or treats from strangers, but I think teaching them not to take food from strangers but when you're not around is something different altogether. I think it would be really tough to train any dog not to eat something that smells yummy. Out walking unless on lead, if mine came across something they fancied (usually horse/cow poo or something rotten) it was in their mouth before I had the chance to say leave it.
