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Positive reinforcement in dog training often uses treats to reward pups for good behavior. It keeps them motivated and wanting to learn more. Treats in positive pet training should be given immediately after your dog has done something good.
Accompany the treats with a sound such as “good” or “yes!” A clicker can also be used as an added reinforcement. In this article, we’ll discuss all there is to know about the role of treats in dog training.
What is Positive Reinforcement Dog Training?
Positive reinforcement dog training is when you use rewards to encourage the behavior you want to see in your dog. For instance, you might give your dog a treat when they sit, or reward them for staying in one place by playing fetch with them.
Some people also use the term, “positive reinforcement training” to refer to force-free dog training, which aims to avoid aversive tools and training methods whenever possible. This type of dog training is vital to building the best relationship possible with your dog. Aversive training methods, such as yelling, leash pops, and aversive tools, like shock collars, promote fear and aggression in dogs.
It’s also simply not a nice way to treat your furry friend! It’s important to avoid advice from so-called “balanced” dog trainers, and especially from those who use compulsion or dominance training methods.
Should You Use Treats for Dog Training?
You should absolutely use treats to train your dog! While food isn’t necessary for dog training, you do need something to motivate your dog to participate. This could be play, petting, or praise–but for most dogs, food is the easiest and most effective.
You never want training to feel like a chore for you or your dog! It should be a fun part of your routine. While there are some arguments against treats, they don’t hold much merit. Let’s break down some of the main reasons in favor of treat use and the related arguments.
Treats Promote Respect
We hear the argument a lot that treats encourage a lack of respect between dog and owner. The truth is, using aversive methods and being harsh with your dog is a much more likely way to lose their respect. If they do listen, it will be due to fear, not because the two of you have a positive, healthy relationship. Although the goal of using treats isn’t to gain respect, it is a much more friendly and loving way to teach your dog.
Treats Won’t Cause Begging
If you want to prevent begging, simply ignore the behavior. Never feed your dog from your plate. If you want to share, place the food directly into their dish instead or cut it up and save it for your next training session.
Treats Don’t Result in a Dependence
If done correctly, your dog won’t develop a dependence on treats. However, it’s important to vary the consistency in which you reward with treats, and not to always let your dog see that you have them on hand. If you’re bribing your dog into a cue, they will learn to only listen when you have a treat.
How to Use Treats in Positive Reinforcement Training
There are a couple of ways to use treats in your training sessions:
Luring
This is when you guide your dog into position using a treat. While luring is a great way to show your dog what you want initially, it should be phased out once they understand.
Rewarding
This is when you give your dog a treat after they’ve done something good. Keep the treats in your pocket or a pouch rather than holding them in your hand, and reward good behavior immediately. It’s best to pair the treat with a clicker or a high-pitched “yes!” This will allow you to phase out treats eventually, while still showing your dog that they’ve done the right thing.
Phasing Out Treats
While you can show your dog the treat as a motivator at first, you eventually want to move on to hiding the treats. This way, they don’t learn to only perform when they can see a tasty snack in front of them. Eventually, you’ll also want to slowly phase out treats for most cues.
Keep the Reward Pattern Unpredictable: If you give them a treat every other time, they might learn to only listen that often. Opt for approximately four out of five times, then three out of five, and so on. If you’re doing something continuous, like loose-leash walking, you can vary the reward pattern based on repetition (steps walked) or how much time has passed.
Don’t Phase Out Completely: Your goal shouldn’t be to phase out treats or praise completely–your dog still deserves them both for good behavior. For very important cues, you might never phase out treats. For instance, recall is vital to your dog’s safety.
Giving them a high-value treat each time will keep them excited to return to you, rather than ignoring you to sniff or chase something more fun. This can be life-saving, even in the instance that you’re caught without a treat. Your strong reinforcement history will do the work for you.
What are the Best Dog Training Treats?
The best dog training treats are:
- Small – the Humane Society recommends that training treats be the size of a pea or smaller.
- Healthy and low-calorie.
- Quick to eat, so that you can get back to training.
Of course, this is just a general rule of thumb. You can use larger, more calorie-dense treats sparingly, such as when your dog has just nailed a difficult cue for the first time.
It is important to understand the importance of these rules, though. When your dog is first learning something, you want to reward them for every step in the right direction. This means you’ll go through a lot of treats.
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Following the guidelines above helps to prevent weight gain and digestive issues, and to keep your dog engaged in your training.
That said, what are the best dog training treats? Here are some ideas:
- Scraps of cooked, unseasoned meats such as chicken or turkey
- Chopped vegetables such as green beans or carrots
- Store-bought training treats
- Homemade dog treats
Kibble can also be used as a low-value treat for reinforcing cues your dog already knows. Never deprive them of their meals, though, even if they don’t get the cues right.
Not Food Motivated
For some dogs, it’s hard to get them to eat a full meal, let alone work for food. In this case, you might need another motivator. Think about what your dog loves.
- Are they hyperactive? Toss them a toy to fetch.
- Do they love attention? Try giving them an ear scratch.
- Are they always listening to you talk? Praise them in an excited tone of voice.
You might also need higher value treats to get your dog properly motivated. See if they’ll work for their favorite food!
Other Reasons They Won’t Eat
Another common mistake is thinking that your dog isn’t food motivated because they won’t take treats outside or around other people or dogs. This is actually a separate problem of them being distracted by their environment. They may be feeling too excited or too anxious to eat.
In this case, you’ll want to take a step back and take the process more slowly. Try learning new cues in the living room with no distractions, then in the backyard with as few distractions as possible, before venturing into public settings.
Final Thoughts
We hope this article has helped you learn more about the role of treats in positive dog training and how to train your dog. Remember to use high-value treats, reward right away, and to opt for positive reinforcement over aversive training methods.
