How you use treats in training can determine whether or not your dog will eventually work for you with praise alone!
Melanie Schlaginhaufen
Years ago, when I first started training dogs, food treats were absolutely forbidden in obedience classes. Many of us used treats at home while working with our dog on certain exercises, but we were not allowed to use them at class. I admit, some of us had treats in our pockets though, a little bit of cheating in class to keep our dog’s attention!
TIMES CHANGED…
The tide changed, and in the 1980s, “positive reinforcement” became the buzzword, and the motivator of choice became food treats. This had both good and bad consequences. Good in that dogs who love treats became very easy to motivate, but bad in that many dogs ended up working only for cookies. In this article, I’d like to give you some hints on how to use training treats effectively, as well as when to choose not to give your dog a food reward. These tips apply to training companion dogs and many competition dogs, but please note that food is used differently to “bait” a conformation show dog in the ring and may also be used differently for training dogs for other disciplines, such as agility or competition obedience. These tips are for using food treats when teaching companion dogs.
TIPS THE PROS KNOW—SIZE AND TYPE OF TREAT DOES MATTER!
When choosing food for companion dog training or a behavioral modification program, the majority of the time I recommend pieces of food no bigger than a Cherrio™. If your dog is tiny, like a Yorkie or Maltese, use a piece of food half the size of a Cherrio ™. In addition to size, the food should also be quite easy to swallow with very little chewing. Why? Because a larger and harder treat, for instance a hard dog biscuit, causes dogs to chomp into the treat and pieces fall to the floor. Dogs then begin “vacuuming” up crumbs, instead of paying attention to you. The goal is to be able to deliver the treat while still keeping the dog’s attention focused on you. Should you use meat as a treat and if so, what type of meat? Many trainers recommend small pieces of cut-up hot dogs as training treats. Although dogs love them, most hot dogs contain high levels of sodium and preservatives like nitrates. These ingredients are the reason that some people get headaches, even migraines, after eating hot dogs, especially those with red food coloring. Dogs cannot tell us when they have a headache, and sometimes behavioral problems are actually due to physical causes, so why take the risk of a reaction?
USE HIGH VALUE TREATS IN DISTRACTING SITUATIONS !
However, meat is the ultimate “high value treat” for most dogs. It is not expensive to simply boil and cut up chicken into tiny pieces, or buy an inexpensive cut of pot roast type beef and do the same. You can freeze an amount that will last you a week or two in Ziploc™ bags, and take them out as you need them. Always boil the meat, as opposed to baking or frying, and be sure to cut off any fat to reduce the chance of digestive upset. The majority of dogs are able to digest boiled meat much easier than commercial dog treats, which can be full of preservatives and hidden forms of sugar. If your dog is on a special prescription diet, your veterinarian may sell treats that your dog can have. If your dog is not allergic to grains, a simple plain Cherrio™, the original unsweetened kind, works well for highly food motivated dogs. Keep in mind though that your dog may work for this at home, but may need a high value treat like tiny bits of chicken, to work for you when distracted at training classes or at the park.
When should you give the treat? This is the most important concept to remember! Always give a verbal marker (a quick “yes!“ or “good!“) before you give the food treat. The second your dog performs correctly, give your quick praise, then deliver the treat. If you are using a clicker for training, the click would be your marker, but for companion dog training, it is still very valuable to condition in a positive response to your voice. Whatever comes before the food is going to become a valuable motivator that will eventually give the dog the same feeling that the food treat has invoked.
TIMING TRULY MATTERS
Last but not least, never forget that the timing of your delivery (of the verbal marker followed quickly by the treat) is otherwise (as opposed to sit meaning put your bottom on the floor then pop quickly back up) then reinforce with your praise and treats only while the dog’s bottom is on the floor! Otherwise, in your dog’s mind, the exercise is simply translated as “bottom on floor, quick pop up and be rewarded”, so the pop-up will continue, making it very difficult to teach the dog impulse control.
WHERE YOU HOLD THE TREAT MATTERS
One of the most helpful things taught in training classes is the “watch me”, “watch” or “Look at me” exercise. However, not all trainers seem to realize that it is very important that the dog owner hold the treat up near their face, such as underneath their chin, not at waist level, where the treat would be when it is pulled out of their pocket. With a show dog, you may notice on television that the handler has their hand in their pocket even when they are not showing the dog a treat, and this works well for a show dog stance, because you do not want the show dog’s head and neck cocked backwards, as he would be if he looked up at you.
But with your companion dog, the goal is to teach it to watch YOU, not your pocket! Be sure to hold your treat up near the side of your face, or underneath your chin, and then bring it down to the dog’s mouth after you have marked the correct behavior verbally with “good” or “yes!” If you want to be like a top dog show handler, and you are using freshly cooked meat, you can even hold the food in your cheek (chipmunk style) and take it from your mouth to give to the dog. Some folks are even talented enough to spit the treat directly from their mouth to the dog, but I don’t recommend this for inexperienced dogs or handlers! However, it does teach the dog to keep his attention focused on you, as he never knows when a treat might magically appear from your face.
POSITION YOUR BODY CORRECTLY
When first teaching a puppy to “watch” you may wish to kneel down to their level at first, so that they don’t try to jump up towards your face when you hold the treat up. However if you are holding the treat near your body, not up in the air, you shouldn’t have a problem with jumping. If you do, simply walk in to the dog until he sits, then quickly mark the correct behavior “good!” and reward with the treat. Usually when a dog is getting too excited about the treat, it is because the trainer is holding the dog in a position that encourages jumping up, or is waiting too long to reward the behavior (remember, timing is important—never reward the dog with a treat unless it has its bottom on the ground, not after it pops back up).
SHOULD YOU EVER REFRAIN FROM USING TREATS?
When should you refrain from using treats in training? Whenever it is not necessary to obtain the behavior. When I can teach a dog a behavior through patient and kind repetition, or through my body language, as opposed to luring him into position with a treat, I will do so. Also, once I have conditioned praise as a motivator for the dog (for some dogs, this is a natural motivator and does not have to be conditioned) then I begin using variable reinforcement for the treats, eventually weaning them out almost entirely. Otherwise, dogs become so treat-oriented that they will not do anything for us unless we are a constant cookie dispenser! That is not the type relationship I wish to have with my dogs. Yes, I enjoy giving them treats. Yes, I often teach a new behavior by luring them into position with a treat if this helps them understand quickly, but why should I use a treat to teach the dog to back up out of my way, when I can simply walk into the dog, while saying “back” and the dog complies? This helps him understand that I control the territory, and that he must move out of my way.
THINGS CHILDREN INSTINCTIVELY KNOW WHEN TEACHING TRICKS
Older children are often pretty wise at teaching a dog how to back up or move without treats yet the child instinctively knows that he or she will need yet to use a treat to lure a dog into a position such as a down. As adults, we often over-think things, or we hear a tip at training class, and we feel we need to give a dog a cookie to teach it to perform ANY behavior, which simply isn’t true. Watch a child teach their own puppy to give a “high five” — rarely will you see a treat given, yet the child and the dog both greatly enjoy the interaction. Before allowing a child to give a dog treats, be sure your dog has been taught to take treats gently, so that fingers are never accidentally nipped by the eager eater.
BEFORE YOU USE A TREAT, THINK!
So before you pull out that cookie, think about it…with this particular dog, and with this particular behavior, do you need a treat to help the dog understand? If yes, use it. If not, skip it and rely on your body language, consistent repetition, praise and your relationship with the dog to get the behavior you desire.
(C) Melanie Schlaginhaufen, Knowing Dogs, all rights reserved. Content and photos may not be reproduced without written permission from the author,