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Lot's of times when I talk to clients about using food as a reward for their dogs. The clients say will they only perform if there's treats? Or maybe they've been working with the dog and have been using treats and they're finding that the dog will only perform with treats. It usually becomes a problem because we end up relying on a tool that was merely there to teach our dog when they do what's asked they get this reward. The tool is to help stream line the motivation for learning. What happens and it's easy to fall prey to it is the treats become a crutch. Often times people hold the treat near and dear to their chests clinching with both fists. As if holding their breath that maybe the dog will perform.
Treats are their to shape and create the habit of receiving something for work. Helping your dog achieve confidence and an understanding what the reward marker means. It also helps the dog distinguish no marker as well. They heard something different and was sterner than the up beat play of receiving something pleasurable.
You can and always should have some type of reward available. Sometimes it can be a toy. Sometimes treats. To really make treats effective I would hold 25 - 50% of the food for the day and let the dog work for that amount in between meal times. You can also transition into a toy. This toy would only be used when the dog understands what's expected during that time. So you will have to develop the system of being complete consistency. So if you ask the dog to sit and it completely understands to sit and the dog takes it's time. I would just tell the dog good. I would not mark the behavior do to them not performing instantly. When you start chaining behaviors together you must first have the entire chain of cues completely understood by the dog. So if you ask the dog to lay, then sit, and stand all in one exercise before they hear the word yes then they must be able to each task individually flawlessly or close to it. Marking actual behaviors as well like calmness or aggression are done the same way. When we teach bite work the command to bite and release need to be on point other wise the dog is like a broken shotgun. The dog is not reliable. Same things when teaching commands. The dog will only give you as much as you expect. The dog reacts to you and your consistency. To keep weaning the treats it's truly simple. Ask for more. Keeping making things harder. Like walking while asking your dog to sit. They get so used to us not moving that then walking while asking them to sit becomes another challenge they need to work from.
The number one rule is to always have fun. Stay creative. You will be amazed at what you can do to teach the dog. Remember when teaching more complex behaviors think of the end result first and mark that then work backwards. I explain this in earlier blogs.
Until next time keep having fun and don't the dog I don't understand why you're not doing what I ask. Instead ask what am I not doing to cause the dog not to trust what is happening?
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