I have used some of the techniques you outlined when giving medicine to one of my dogs. However, sometimes dogs aren't stupid. They start to catch on to the fact that you are slipping something in the food that you are giving them. Toward the end of one of my dogs name Rocky's life he was in a whole lot of pain due to bad leg problems. My brother was giving him hot dogs with a little pain killer in them that the Vet had prescribed. However, Rocky stopped eating the hot dogs because he suspected they were laced with something. Even though the medicine seem to help with his pain.