I can't say enough good things about the benefits of daily training for both dogs and their humans. It's bonding, it reinforces your relationship as the "magical fountain from which all good things come," it gives the dog's brain a good workout (as necessary as a physical workout), and hey, who doesn't like a well trained dog?

A lot of people feed their dogs out of kongs - you could do this if you keep them separate when you're doing it.