If you’re familiar with the YouTuber Liam Thompson, then you know his dog Max. He made a viral video where he taught his dog how to play Minecraft, sort of. He has made another video where he teaches his dog how to feed himself.
First, Liam elaborates on how tedious it can be to feed his dog every day. He contemplates on the possibility of training Max to get his own food. Is that even possible? Liam takes on the challenge and proceeds with a few training sessions for Max.
The first setup involved a toy with a string attached to a handle on a cupboard. Liam had to teach Max how to pull on the toy and that would open the cupboard. It seemed simple enough, but Liam found the training harder than expected.
After a few failed attempts, Liam switched to a different strategy and location. He selected a more accessible cabinet. It was easier to open because of how low it was.
As expected, there were some challenges. Max would sometimes open the wrong cupboard. Just like any trick or task, a dog needs repetition to learn it properly. Fortunately, Liam has a lot of time to spare. A day went by, and significant progress was made.
Liam placed treats inside the cabinet. It would act as an incentive for Max to open cupboard on command. Sometimes a command wouldn’t be needed. Furthermore, Max sometimes goes for the treat before Liam could close the cabinet.
After mastering the act of opening the cupboard, Max now had to learn to take its content to where his dog bed is. Surprisingly, this was the super easy part. Max understood pretty quickly and Liam didn’t have to train him for days.
The verbal command was “basket.” Whenever Liam would say basket, Max would take the content of the cabinet and transport it to his bed. We have yet to see Max transport a paper bag filled with real treats and if he can do it regularly without supervision, but it’s proof Liam managed to get closer to his initial goal. Watch the video below to see the entire training session.
Video courtesy of Liam Thompson via YouTube.