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How To Fade Dog Training Treats

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Randomly Rewarding Training Treats

Fade Food Lures
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Dog training treats are extremely useful when teaching your dog new behaviors. Once your dog has practiced a specific behavior in a myriad of situations with various distractions, it’s time to start fading treats. But not so fast! There’s a technique to fading dog treats! 🙂

Fading Dog Training Treats and Gambling

Randomly rewarding your dog’s behavior works. People are rewarded randomly every day at casinos. Gamblers learn to continue playing the game in hopes of a large payout even after long sessions without winning. It’s so effective that gambling can become addicting. Another example of a variable reward system is the lottery. Despite the 1 billion to 1 odds of winning the lottery, people still shell out their hard-earned money because the payout is extremely valuable to them.

How to Fade Dog Training Treats

Before fading a cue, make sure your dog completely understands how to perform a behavior first. If working on a “down” cue, the dog should respond quickly (within 1 second) to a cue (verbal or hand signal). You should also have your dog practice the “down” cue in your house, in the backyard, during walks and at a park.

Once your dog responds to the cue 90% of the time (lays down when given a “down” cue), it’s time to fade training treats.

When fading dog training treats, you’re rewarding your dog fewer times. You reward your dog only for the best of the best attempts. For example, you should only reward your dog for fast response time (latency) to a cue.

This variable schedule of reinforcement coupled with high value pea-sized treats fine-tunes your dog’s response to cues and his behavior while fading the use of training treats.

Don’t Fade Too Fast

Sometimes, pet owners become too picky about rewarding behaviors and decrease food rewards too quickly. Usually, this results in a confused and frustrated dog that gives up. In addition, the behavior usually falls apart, meaning a dog stops responding to a cue or offers a different behavior instead.

If this happens, take a few steps back and reward every successful attempt for several days. Then, slowly fade treats by rewarding 4 out of 5 attempts for a few days and then 3 out of 5 attempts and so forth. Then, it’s time to reward the fastest response after a cue or desired behaviors around distractions.

Don’t Completely Toss Out Training Treats

Remember, to maintain a behavior, there must be a payout (hence gambling)! When a dog responses to a cue around a tough distraction, give your dog lots of treats. If a dog comes when called while watching a squirrel run across the backyard, make treats rain from the sky. Also, use dog treats to jump-start an old behavior and teach new ones.

Dog training treats are a valuable part of the learning process for dogs, so fade only when appropriate. 

Should You Vaccinate Your Puppy?

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What You Need to Know About Puppy Vaccinations

Puppy Vaccinations
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Puppy vaccinations is an extremely controversial topic lately. Many pet owners are choosing not to vaccinate their dogs due to the side effects from over vaccination. Vaccinating your puppy does prevent disease, but over vaccinating can cause disease, so what should a pet owner do? Before listening to opinions and personal experiences only, it’s important to understand the facts about dog vaccines.

Dr. Ronald Schultz, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine has been at the forefront of dog vaccination research. He played a pivotal role in determining 2011 recommended vaccinations for puppies and dogs. As research on pet vaccinations continue, one thing is for sure and that’s all dogs should be titer tested yearly.

What Do Puppy Vaccinations Do?

Similar to children, puppies must be vaccinated. Numerous puppies die from parvovirus every year. Yet, it could be prevented with perfectly timed puppy booster shots. Aside from parvovirus, puppy vaccinations also prevent:

  • Distemper
  • Adenovirus
  • Rabies

Before, puppies were given a combination vaccination, which is one vaccine that prevents multiple viruses. Now, it’s recommended to give a single virus vaccination and wait at least 3 weeks in between other vaccinations.

Which Puppy Vaccinations Are Absolutely Necessary?

It depends. Immunology is complicated, and one vaccination protocol won’t work for all puppies. There are many factors to consider, such as a puppy’s breed, genetics and environment.

Certain breeds of puppies are more susceptible to parvovirus than others, so their vaccination protocols will be different. Additionally, puppies living in shelters will need a different vaccination protocol than a low-risk puppy living in a home.

To learn more about which vaccinations your puppy should receive, visit American Animal Hospital Association’s 2011 recommended vaccination protocol. For an easier read, check out Dr. Becker’s outline as well as interviews with Dr. Ronald Schultz.

Adult Dog Vaccinations & Yearly Booster Shots

All puppies need a series of vaccinations to prevent disease, but the controversial question is: “Do adult dogs need yearly vaccinations?” Again, it depends. The best way to know if your dog needs an annual booster shot is through a yearly titer test.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Never assume a dog is immune.[/perfectpullquote]

During a dog’s annual checkup, a veterinarian takes a blood sample and sends it to a laboratory to check immunology for distemper and parvo. If a dog’s immunity is low for a specific virus, a booster is highly recommended. If a dog has sufficient immunity, then no vaccinations are needed.

RELATED: 6 Reasons Why Dogs Need Veterinary Preventive Care

My Experience

Never assume a dog is immune because you never know. Over a 17-year period, I’ve titer tested all my dogs for distemper and parvo and each one had sufficient immunity except my Miniature Bull Terrier. She needed a parvo booster when she was 3 and 5 years old because she had no immunity. That’s 1 out of 6 dogs with no immunity that shared the same household and environment as my other dogs.

Additionally, a very good friend of mine lost her 2-year-old Rottweiler to parvo due to lack of immunity. Her littermates were tested immediately, and 5 out of a litter of 7 had zero immunity to parvo. Annual titer tests are a must. Even better would be to titer test a dog after a booster shot for several weeks to confirm immunity.

Rabies Vaccinations

Since humans can contract rabies, state and county laws control rabies vaccination protocols. Each state and county has its own regulations based on the severity of rabies cases in the area. Many small mammals, such as raccoons, can pass along this deadly disease.

As of 2017, many states and counties recommend 3-year rabies vaccinations while some still recommend yearly boosters. Regardless of over vaccination concerns, state and county laws are strict on rabies vaccinations and can confiscate an unvaccinated dog.

Research shows dogs have immunity against rabies long after three years from their first rabies vaccination. With the said, research is still being conducted. Soon, rabies titer testing will become an acceptable from of immunity proof.

Partner With Your Veterinarian

Remember, your veterinarian wants what is best for your dog. During your puppy’s first vet visit, express your concerns and ask for single virus vaccination using the 2017 AAHA vaccination protocols. As for rabies, your vet will know the laws for your state and county as well as any epidemics within your area.

For yearly puppy vaccinations, request titer tests for both distemper and parvovirus. If your dog falls below the normal range, complete a booster and re-titer test to ensure your dog has sufficient immunity. Vaccinations do work, but be your dog’s advocate too!

Does Permission-Based Dog Training Work?

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A Look Into Permission-Based Dog Training

Permission-Based Dog Training
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While researching scientific data to support another article, somehow I bumped into a dog trainer claiming that permission-based dog training works. As a professional dog trainer, I base my dog training methods on scientific research, which promotes force-free training methods.

Do know, I’ve been around the dog training block for two decades, and I’ve seen dog training fads and concepts come and go. In other words, I certainly have an opinion on this type of dog training. 🙂 Let’s explore the concept of permission-based dog training together.

What is Permission-Based Dog Training?

Permission-based dog training is marketing verbiage for promoting dominance-based dog training. Training a dog based on dominance involves verbal and physical corrections that promote permissive dog behavior. In a nutshell, a dog must ask for permission to eat, walk through a door, go outside, take a treat, bark, climb onto furniture or even urinate. That sounds like ego dog training to me.

Permission basically means a dog must be verbally released and perform a behavior (e.g. sit) or look at the pet owner before doing anything. This concept takes self-control exercises to an entirely different level. It creates dependence on humans. Teaching dogs self-control is important, but adding a layer of strong human dependence is wrong.

Does Permission-Based Dog Training Work?

No, permission-based dog training doesn’t work. Teaching dogs to rely on humans for “important” decisions molds a living being into a robot. Don’t get me wrong, dogs should learn polite manners, but training a dog to focus on his or her pet owner only is overkill.

Dogs are completely capable of learning how to behave politely in situations, and don’t need pet owners telling them what to do next. Teach a dog how to react, and then reinforce it when he or she chooses to respond politely. This is learning.

Take this example. A pet owner has a human aggressive dog. Permission-based dog training would entail the pet owner teaching his dog an “ignore” cue, which would signal to the dog to stop growling, barking or lunging at a person.

While it’s empowering to “call off a dog,” teaching this cue won’t benefit the dog. A better solution would be to teach the dog to ignore humans regardless of whoever is standing by. Even better would be to teach a dog that humans make treats appear and then the dog learns that good things happen around humans. (If you’re thinking this is bribery, it’s not. It’s counter conditioning and based on scientific data.)

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Teaching human dependence is a disservice to dogs. [/perfectpullquote]

Does It Teach Self-Control?

Permission-based dog training probably started off with self-control exercises in mind, but then took a slight detour. Dogs (and humans) must learn self-control; they should learn how to politely behave within their environment.

Teaching a dog to rely on humans for permission or answers is when teaching dogs self-control took a detour. Dogs are fully able to make good choices, especially when they’re rewarded for them. Teaching human dependence is a disservice to dogs. Instead, train your dog how to react politely regardless of the situation. In human terms, it’s like teaching a teenager to say no to drugs in all situations. Empower your dog to make good decisions in all situations and not just when you’re present.

Training a dog how to react politely in a situation, without human reliance, is powerful. 

Should You Feed Your Dog Grain-Free Dog Food?

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Grain-Free Dog Food May Not Be Worth It

Grain-Free Dog Food
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Marketing is powerful, as it shapes a pet owner’s perception of consumables. Its sole purpose is to convince someone why he should purchase a product. Large companies spend billions of dollars studying human purchasing behavior, then use this data to shape pet owner purchasing habits.

From the packaging color to the placement of the item in the store to the music played—every detail is strategically reviewed to keep customers in stores longer, so they purchase more items.

With that said, dog food companies have certainly shaped pet owner purchasing habits over the last 20 years. One large dog food company successfully convinced pet owners that rice is a highly desirable grain because it’s digestible, which promotes smaller stools. Now, the pendulum has swung the other way. The new popular dog food is grain-free dog food. Have dogs’ digestive systems changed or is it marketing?

Dog Food Allergens

Food allergies are not very common in dogs regardless of what dog food companies or pet store associates are saying. It’s important to know that both flea allergies and environmental allergies are MUCH more common in pets than food allergies. However, flea, environmental and food allergies can all have similar symptoms (What every pet owner should know about food allergies, 2007). This is powerful information.

It’s extremely difficult to detect and diagnose food allergies in dogs too. To determine if your dog is allergic to a particular type of food, you’d have to put her on an elimination diet. But let’s face it: A true elimination diet is extremely difficult to follow for several months. Many factors can come into play during a several-month food elimination diet.

For example, a dog’s reaction to outdoor allergens may clear up due to a change in season or drop in pollen. While tiny, these changes may provide a false negative during a food trail. It’s confusing and frustrating, especially when a dog has chewed and scratched herself bloody.

What Should a Pet Owner Do?

Food matters, but it’s not a cure-all. To conquer chronic allergies, it’s best to use a combination or holistic (treating the whole dog) approach. Partner with your veterinarian to discuss a true elimination diet, but tackle environmental allergies too.

Bathe your dog weekly with a gentle or medicated dog shampoo to remove pollen. Remember, flea bites cause the same symptoms as dog food allergies, so tackle this aspect too. Given the warm winters over the last few years, fleas are rampant now and have become immune to certain pesticides. Spray your yard weekly, for at least three weeks, and discuss flea prevention with your vet. For a natural approach, cedar oil works great.

Choose a dog food that works best for your dog. Some dogs do extremely well on grain-free dog foods, which is a huge plus. Then, there are some dogs that don’t, so it’s important to find a food that your dog thrives on. By far, a balanced raw or cooked diet works best and many varieties contain whole grains, such as oatmeal.

Beware of marketing, and choose what works best for your dog!

8 Super Quick Dog Recipes For Kongs

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Kong Stuffing Ideas Your Dog Will Love

Kong Stuffing Ideas
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In a perfect world, our freezers would be filled with an endless supply of frozen food stuffed toys for our dogs. But in the real world, life gets busy and we scramble to fill dog food toys as quick as possible before running out the door.

As a dog trainer, I’ll admit that this happens to me too. While frozen food stuffed toys do last longer, stuffing a Kong last minute and tossing it to your dog is much better than nothing. If you’re looking for super quick Kong stuffing ideas, we’ve got you covered. Here are my dogs’ favorite recipes for food stuffed toys. My clients’ dogs love these Kong stuffing ideas too!

Remember: Mental stimulation is key for a happy and healthy dog, so keep your dog’s brain busy while you’re away. Take a few minutes to fill a dog toy before leaving for the day. Now, grab a Kong and get busy. 🙂

1. Slice of Bread

In a pinch, stuff a slice of bread into a Kong. Choose wheat, white or whatever leftover bread you have at home. Push the bread deep into the bottom of the toy. If needed, use the end of a butter knife to squish the bread slice tightly inside. Doing so makes the Kong last longer. As your dog licks her toy, her saliva causes the bread to stick inside the toy, which makes it even more challenging for your dog.

2. Squirt of Honey

Dogs love sweet stuff just like humans! Before running out the door, squirt half a teaspoon of honey on the bottom of a Kong. Even better is to use drizzled honey as a topper for another Kong stuffing recipe.

Drizzle honey on top of a bread slice, chopped up fruit, oatmeal or kibble for a luscious dog treat. Since honey is basically sugar, moderation is key and a tiny amount works best.

3. Store Bought Treats

Stuffing hard dog treats into a Kong works great too. Choose wide medium-sized store bought dog treats that fit snugly inside of your dog’s Kong. Then, toss to your dog as you’re heading to work. Bendable stick treats work great too. Bend and stuff a stick inside the toy until it stays firmly in place. If for some reason, treats fall out of a toy, stuff a slice of bread inside to hold everything together. Voila!

4. Chopped Fruit

If your dog is watching his waistline, stuff chopped up fruit inside his Kong. Dogs love pears, pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon and apples. Just hold the grapes please because grapes are toxic to dogs. Seal the toy opening with a chuck of banana for a long lasting and sweet treat.

5. Leftover Oatmeal

As kiddos are heading out the door for school, stuff their leftover oatmeal inside a toy for your dog. While frozen food stuffed toys last longer, an oatmeal-filled Kong will keep your dog happy for 10-20 minutes.

To make an oatmeal stuffed toy last longer, seal with peanut butter or a banana chunk. Oatmeal is a very healthy treat for dogs. It’s full of fiber, yet low in fat, and provides additional nutrients.

6. Leftover Meat

Dogs love meat. Stuff a slice of roasted turkey or chicken inside a Kong. It’s tempting to use fatty meats, such as ham and steak, but use them in moderation to prevent upset stomachs. To keep meat securely in place, firmly squish a slice of bread or banana chunk around meat chucks inside the toy.

RELATED: Can Dogs Be Vegan?

7. Prescription Only Diets

Due to chronic issues, some dogs can only eat a prescription diet. That’s OK because pet owners can quickly stuff a toy for them too! Fill a Kong with prescription kibble and seal the top with prescription canned food. Of course, freezing would make it last longer, but something is better than nothing. 🙂

8. Cheese Cubes

Cheese, glorious cheese! Stuff cheese cubes inside the bottom of a Kong. When stuffing, really squish cheese cubes tightly inside to make it last longer. For dogs watching their waistlines, add fruit chunks with a few cheese cubes. We all know cheese and fruit taste fabulous together.

Rotate between each Kong stuffing idea. Your dog will love you for it!

Quick Kong Stuffing Recipes For Dogs

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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