“Treat” Your Dog to Better Training

Dog Treats

How many times have you seen a dog who will sit for you once you reveal that you have a treat? In many cases, we feel that we are in a better position to bribe this dog and it will better listen to our commands, but we have to consider another factor. The dog might have been trained to associate the act of sitting upon command with receiving a treat. In order to "treat" your dog to better training, you're going to have to understand how dogs begin to make these associations, and how you can start doing it today.

The first principle of using treats to train your dog is to learn that you can't really bribe your dog to do anything. It doesn't understand that when you produce a piece of bacon and start shouting a new command, you're expecting it to perform an act. Remember that dogs don't speak English - they tend to learn through associations. So instead of bribing your dog with a treat, start to watch for the desired behavior, and then reward the dog for it.

When you use this principle, this means you'll actually "produce" the treat once a dog has given you the desired behavior. It might work to hold up a piece of bacon and say "sit!" but it won't actually help you train it very well. This is because the dog might already be aware of what "sit" is associated with. When you consistently give a dog a reward for a desired behavior, it will start to realize that this behavior produces positive results, leading to more instances of the desired behavior.

Don't use treats as motivation unless you're actually looking to teach your dog more difficult tricks. Why? Not because the treat helps them teach, but because the treat can be used to motivate them to an action that you want them to re-produce. If you want a dog to jump through a hoop, you can put a treat behind the hoop and say "jump!" After the dog jumps, it is then allowed to have the treat. Remember to wait until the behavior has been produced before you provide the treat.

Many people find it tempting to use treats as a way of winning a dog's affection, but really treats can't buy a dog's respect. A dog will definitely become more interested in you if you have something to give it, but this doesn't mean that you're training it well. Remember that you're in command, and don't let a dog's persistence coerce you into giving up a treat, especially if its behavior is not acceptable.

Photo Credits: Reenie-Just Reenie

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