The Great Dog Treat Dilemma: Do You Really Need Those Snacks?
So, let’s dive right in! You’ve got a dog, right? A lovely four-legged companion who looks at you like you’re a walking buffet. Now, it turns out one of the reasons your pooch might only obey your command when food is involved is because *drum roll please*—the food has become part of the command itself! Isn’t that a revelation? It’s like teaching a class of kids but tossing in a cupcake for every correct answer. Suddenly, they’re all geniuses! Well, maybe not quite.
As our highly knowledgeable dog handler puts it, if you’re calling your furry friend while waving a tasty treat like it’s some kind of prized trophy, guess what? Your dog might associate your call with “what’s in it for me?” and not really care much about your charming personality. Shocking, I know! The treat kind of establishes a precedent—a ‘If you want me to sit, you better have something tasty’ kind of arrangement.
Transitioning from Treats: The Art of Confusion
Now, here’s the kicker. This very same expert suggests that eventually, you need to wean your furry friend off the snacks. Yes, we’re taking away their favorite reward! It’s like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, except when you reach into the hat, it’s empty! The poor dog will be looking around like, “Where’s my treat, human?” But wait, it’s all a part of the grand plan!
Picture this: you’ve been waving around that yummy morsel during training, and now you’re suddenly like, “Surprise! No more snacks!” Instant confusion! It’s a bit like trying to teach a cat to fetch—everyone’s a bit lost and slightly annoyed.
The expert advises a gradual transition. So, instead of playing puppet master with that luscious snack, you’ve got to keep giving the hand signals but *without* the treat. This part requires some serious skill! And patience—lots and lots of patience, because dogs are not just furry beings; they’re furry children who think everything revolves around breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Rewarding Responsiveness
But hold on! Just because we wean them off the treats doesn’t mean we throw the rewards out of the window. No, no, no! After your pooch aces their ‘sit’ or ‘stay’, give them a treat—just not every time. Imagine a world where your dog thinks they’re on some kind of glorious buffet diet, but they’ve actually just won the jackpot after following commands. It’s about keeping them on their toes, or should I say paws!
But here’s where humans often mess it up: they change the signal too quickly. One moment you’re showing them a finger, and the next, you’re throwing in a jazz hands. The dog’s brain is like, “What on earth does this mean?!” It’s both hilarious and pitiful.
Clarity is Key!
The take-home lesson here? Just be clearer with your commands! Imagine giving instructions to someone who’s half-asleep. Not going to end well, is it? Confusion reigns supreme, and before you know it, your once obedient pooch is staring at you like you’re speaking Martian. Dogs aren’t stubborn; they just need good, straightforward guidance! We’re raising good vibes here, not canine chaos!
Still, we don’t want to ignore the smaller citizens of the canine world. Training tiny terrors can be a whole other circus act! And let’s not even get started on trying to train multiple dogs. That’s practically a duel: you vs. pup! Cue the chaos!
“One of the reasons why dogs only respond when they see food in your hand is because the food actually becomes part of the command. This can happen if you call your pet and at that moment you have There is always a treat in your hands,” the dog handler explained.
She added that during training it is worth gradually giving up food as a reward. If the treat becomes a regular part of the training process, it will be a signal indicating that the dog should follow commands. The absence of treats in such cases disrupts the usual process for the pet.
Thus, gradually it is necessary exclude food from training. You need to continue to give hand signals, but there should no longer be a treat in it. The dog trainer emphasized that eventually the pet will learn to respond to a person’s command, regardless of whether he sees food in his hand or not. Pets Radar writes about this.
However, you need to remember that it is still worth rewarding the dog. Just give the treat after completing the training, and not after each command performed. DeWillems believes that treats are an effective tool during training, but they must be given carefully. If the dog ends up getting the treat anyway, he will be more willing to repeat commands in the future.
“The biggest mistake people make when trying to refuse treats is changing the signal too quickly. Owners stop showing the hand with the treat and start using a different gesture. This can confuse the dog. It will no longer understand what you are asking from her,” the expert noted.
She recommends first giving a few commands in the same way, that is, with food. Then you should repeat the commands using the same hand movement, but without the treat. After the dog has followed the commands without reward (at the very end, still give your pet a treat), gradually begin to change the usual hand gesture to the one you want.
DeWillems added that a dog may not follow commands, usually because it is simply confused. The reason for this behavior is not that the pet is stubborn or disobedient. The clearer you give your commands and signals, the more responsive your dog will be.
Giving your pet treats is an important part of training. However, rewarding a small dog can be challenging. Dog trainer Amelia Steele shared tips on how to properly reward small dogs.
Training is not an easy process. Especially if you have more than one dog. Dog trainer Melissa Goodman shared how to train multiple dogs.
