Dog Training Treats Work

A common question from dog owners is if it’s possible to give too many treats during dog training. They’re concerned about treat dependency, digestive issues or the wrong message being delivered during training. Let’s chat about why treat training is so effective as well as when to give treats for maximum effectiveness.

Why Use Treats During Training?

Think of dog training treats as currency for your dog. It’s payment for a job well done. When training your dog a new behavior, it’s important to reward your dog often with clicks and treats. This teaches him what is expected.

Another way of explaining the power of dog treat training is using the child’s game of “Hot and Cold.” Clicking and treating means “hot” and silence (no clicks and treats) means “cold.” As a child, it was pretty frustrating when you heard “cold” for several minutes so you gave up. The game was too hard and you didn’t know what was expected.

If you’re still not convinced, think of each treat your dog eats as money deposited into a banking account. You’ll have withdrawals while your dog is learning, but you’ll hopefully have a nice cushion to prevent overdrafts. 🙂 Each treat given ensures your dog repeats good behavior and, honestly, it’s much easier to reward with a dog treat or two than chase him down the street for hours.

Plus, dog treat training is much faster. You can easily teach a new behavior in minutes!

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Dog Training Treat Myths

Digestive Issues

Usually, this is a concern during the first week of class. Many dog owners are convinced that too many dog treats will cause projectile diarrhea and vomiting. This is far from the truth. Training treats are tiny (pea sized), used during short training sessions (1-2 minutes) and cause minimal, if any, digestive upset.

It’s important to choose training treats your dog loves. Would you rather be paid with broccoli or cheesecake? It’s your choice and what you find rewarding. Personally, I would do back flips for cheesecake. 🙂

If digestive issues sneak up, change treats. If you’re using hot dogs, switch to turkey hot dogs, which contain less fat for sensitive tummies. For food allergy dogs, chop up and bake canned variety of their prescription food at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.

Treat Dependency

Contrary to what you may believe, training treats don’t teach your dog to only respond to treats. In all my 22 years of training, I have never encountered a treat dependent dog.

If a dog is dependent on treats, he probably doesn’t understand the cue (i.e. sit, down, come) or hasn’t been weaned from continuous reinforcement (i.e. clicks/treats every time he responds to a cue). Continuous treats (lots of clicks/treats) are used for teaching new behaviors, such as loose leash walking.

Let’s use the example of loose leash walking. Once your dog understands to walk on a loose leash on cue (lets go), start clicking/treating for perfect behavior. Instead of rewarding every two feet, start rewarding every five feet. Now reward as you give the cue (lets go). This teaches your dog to respond to the cue quickly. Finally, reward when your dog when he ignores distractions, such as an approaching dog.

What are your favorite dog training treats?

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