"Starving" before training class?

Because I know Max works well for food, I train using bits of cooked chicken and hot dog sausages (amazing what a puppy will do for mechanically removed meat!)

I've learnt my lesson after several rubbish classes... Max has to be hungry to work well in class; otherwise he is too distracted by other dogs/people/anything

This means that while he usually has his tea about 7pm, on a Monday night he doesn't eat until about 9:30pm
(this will be the 2nd week with the new times as the training class time has changed)

I was talking to another woman at class, and metioned that I don't feed Max before training and she was horrified! She said that I shouldn't starve him and that it was cruel.

He has treats etc, before training, just not his actual meal.

Am I right to "withhold" his evening meal until we've finished training (bear in mind he gets through about 4 hot dogs and a chicken breast during training)

As an aside, I noticed the woman's dog was very fidgety and not paying much attention during training, so felt very smug when Max behaved like the perfect puppy (not that he ever does at home!)

Personally I think it's fine to not feed normal meals etc as long as the dog isn't distressed and worried.

I'd tend to perhaps feed a small amount in the dog's dish in this case

My dog doesn't get fed regularly in the morning but does in the evening, so she'd only be concerned in the evening! However I find if we are busy grooming, I'm getting ready etc, she copes well for dog training as she realises the routine is different and so on...

Personally i don't starve mine before ringcraft as i find their concentration is affected by their 'need' for food, they don't tend to take much in so it means you have to practice the command more which then gets repetitive for the dog which then means you have to search for a higher reward treat to keep their attention.
(go from hot dogs to cheese to chicken to liver and so on)

I give half their dinner an hour or so to class and its worked well for mine they are more settled and still easily trainable.

I really don't think you need to worry. He is getting fed, just not out of a bowl! There's a lot to be said for making him work for his dinner, and he's not wasting away over the course of the evening is he?

Mine are fed after their class, they have treats and everything whilst in class, but they normally have their dinner when we get in from their evening walk anyway so they don't really notice any difference. I take them for a walk before the class so they can download anything that needs to be got rid of, pop them in the car, and they get their dinner when we get back about 8pm. I have never thought of it as starving, its just that when a dog has been fed it wants to go to sleep generally, or if not, at least relax whilst digesting so I felt that if I fed them before, there would be a chance of them ending up either being sick or getting rid of their dinner on the floor!!!!

I agree with most of whats already been said.
If you are worried, feed a small amount of the meal before class, but not immediately before, maybe about 5pm if that's possible so the dog has had a chance to digest it, then feed the rest about an hour after getting in.

I don't think it's at all cruel what you're doing, I think it is cruel to with hold an entire meal and not give it, in order to make the dog more food motivated and 'easier' to train. If a dog is used to being fed in the evening then it should be fed,unless it is ill...even if it getting lots of treats instead. It's like us snacking all night instead of eating a proper meal...it just never properly satisifies. You are still feeding you dog, so no, it's not cruel at all in my opinion.

Agree :smt002 ..If you're worried then maybe give a small meal at lunchtime and then the treats for class but if you're not worried then don't lol

You're doing the right thing in delaying feeding until after training. Its no hardship to the animal. Remember that in the wild state dogs don't eat at 7.30 p.m. every day. Chance would be a fine thing ! They are pack hunters and nature has programmed them to be at their sharpest and most cooperative when hungry.
In the farming area where I grew up it was normal to feed dogs only 6 days per week. No fat layabouts there. They looked hard, worked hard and earned their living. Each one was as keen as mustard and enjoyed every minute.