Highlights
In the world of dog obedience training, treats are a necessary and valuable tool to help your pup learn. Giving treats is also a great way to bond with a new dog. However, this can be a confusing subject and dog owners may find themselves asking these types of questions:
What type of treats should I use?
Is it okay to give treats outside of training?
How do I get my pup to take treats from me gently?
What if my pup doesn’t like treats?
These are all questions we hear frequently, and there’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about treat training.
WHAT TYPE OF TREATS SHOULD I USE?
This is a great question, and the answer will vary depending on the situation. For young pups just starting out in obedience training, high-value treats are the way to go. High value for a dog means strong taste and smell, something the dog will be immediately drawn to. Many dogs are food motivated when it comes to learning. We like to use cut up chicken hot dogs. Turkey hot dogs are also fine, but not beef or pork hot dogs as these can cause severe gastrointestinal issues with your pup. These high value treats work very well with “luring” your young puppy into basic commands such as “sit, down, and kennel”. Once the pup begins to understand what you want them to do, the high value treats aren’t necessary for luring, but for a reward when then do what is asked of them.
As your dog gets a little older and has started to master their obedience training, high value treats can be replaced by lower value treats, such as mini Milk Bones or other dry treats. The reason for phasing out the higher value treats is simple nutrition. Higher value treats are also usually higher in fat, which could contribute to excessive weight gain as your pup gets older. The goal eventually is to have the dog obeying your commands without expecting a treat and accepting praise as the reward instead. Of course, giving treats every now and then won’t do your dog any harm. The key is to avoid overfeeding and potentially causing obesity.
IS IT OKAY TO GIVE TREATS OUTSIDE OF TRAINING?
Yes, of course! Most people want to give treats as a way to show love and affection to their pet, and not just for rewards during training. As long as your pup is maintaining a healthy weight, dog-safe treats are perfectly fine to give at other times and not just during obedience training.
It’s also a way for you to introduce new people if you have a shy dog. If you have someone that your dog has never met come to your home, give that person treats to feed your dog. This will help establish trust between the new person and your pup.
HOW DO I GET MY PUP TO TAKE TREATS GENTLY?
Do you have a little “shark” at home? Puppies and even some older dogs get excited when offered treats and this can cause accidental nips and bites.
The best way to offer a treat is with it in an open palm. Holding the treat between your fingertips makes it more difficult for the dog to tell where the treat ends and your fingers begin, and this can result in them accidentally chomping on your fingers instead.
Try this method for training your dog how to take treats from you: Sit or stand with your dog facing you. Hold the treat in the palm of your hand. If the dog attempts to lunge or move towards your hand to get the treat, close your palm and move it away. You can also say “eh-eh” as a correction or physically move them back, so they understand they need to give you space. This will teach them that they need to wait until you GIVE them the treat and they are not allowed to just TAKE it from you. If they get the message and offer a sit or a down, you can then open your palm and give them the treat. If the dog attempts to get up and move towards your hand when they see you do this, then close your hand and move it away again. Repeat this process until your puppy realizes that they must calm down and stay where they are to receive the treat. Pretty soon, you’ll see this process will click in your pup’s mind and they will automatically sit or lie down and allow the treat to be brought to them instead of them trying to take it from you.
WHAT IF MY PUP DOESN’T LIKE TREATS?
While it’s not super common, it does happen. There are some dogs that are not food motivated or are very picky with treats. This can make obedience training a little challenging; however, there are some ways around it.
- You can try multiple types of treats to see if it’s just a certain kind of treat that they don’t like, or if it’s treats in general. It may be that your pup doesn’t like conventional dog treats and would prefer something like a blueberry or a green bean. As strange as it may sound, some dogs prefer those types of things over something like a Milk Bone or cut up chicken hot dog.
- Another reason for this is that your dog simply is full or not hungry at the time you choose to have an obedience training session. It’s best not do obedience training right after eating for this reason. Your pup won’t be motivated to train by food if they’re full, so waiting a few hours might be beneficial.
- If after trying these different things your pup is still uninterested in treats, then they might need/want only praise and affection as a reward during training. This does make it harder to “lure” your pup into commands when they first start obedience training, but if they love petting and attention, it is possible to use that as a reward system and your pup will still learn what is expected of them.