Four Easy Steps To Train Your Dog With Treats
(And Not Create A Monster)
Treat training is the easiest method of dog training. Treat Training is so easy that even a child can master the technique in mere minutes. Treat training is gentle, kind, simple and effective. The one caution that I must reveal to my clients is this, “Make sure that you control the cookie box, not little Rover.” This means that you, the loving dog owner, must be aware of who is calling the treat training shots. Yes, you should call the training shots, not your dog!
The biggest mistakes that I see when it comes to treat training is that the owner feels guilty that they are giving food to their dog or the dog is overly enthusiastic for the food when it is in your hand but if the food is not around they ignore your commands. You do not ever need to feel guilty for using food to train your dog since treat training is a well established, scientifically based training method. When treats are used appropriately, you will have a dog with polished manners-a dog that sits when asked, a dog that waits for love and affection, a dog that does not beg at the table and most importantly a dog that is a joy to have as a companion. Here are the four basics for treat training your puppy dog.
· Getting StartedThe first order of business is to find a treat that your dog will love. For young puppies I suggest Cherrios-type of bland breakfast cereal. This is a food that puppies love and it is gentle on young, undeveloped tummies. For the older dog, sugared breakfast cereals such as Trix or Fruit Loops are fantastic.
At a clicker training seminar that I attended, Bob and Marion Breland-Bailey told me, “Fruit Loops are a universal reinforce, every creature on Earth loves them.” I ask my clients to watch the foods that their dog expresses interest in, as their tastes are much like ours. Some dogs like sweet tastes and other dogs like meaty or savory tastes.
I have used marshmallows, jelly beans and sugared almonds for dogs that had a sweet tooth. For dogs that adore savory or meaty tastes I have used cheese, corn chips, cheese whiz, liverswurst, cream cheese and peanut butter as food rewards. The only foods that should be avoided are chocolate, onions and raisins.
· Mixing It Up
When you use treats for dog training, you have to keep your dog’s interest in what you have at a high level. Monotony kills marriages and bores dogs. You want to have an exciting mixture of treats to that the dog never knows what you are going to give him. Dogs are much like human men in many, many ways. Men and dogs crave variety, novely and excitement, luckily for us, treat training automatically satisfies those needs in your dog. A common mixture is dry cereal, small animal crackers and almonds. Another great mix is commercial liver treats, tiny dog biscuits and wine crackers.
· Keeping The Treats Handy
The downside to treat training is that you have to keep the treats close at hand whenever you dog is close at hand. There are many different containers to use to keep your treats with you but that don’t ruin your clothes. My favorite treat container is the zip-locked sandwich bag. It is waterproof, keeps the treats fresh and tasty and is easily replaced if lost.
Some of my teenage clients have found these great novelty food containers, some of them look like giant cookies or giant pieces of cereal and the top flips up so that you can put a finger in to take out one treat. The very cutest treat holder that I have come across looked like a giant Pez-type dispenser. You could just flip the head up and out would pop one treat.
Let you imagination be your guide in finding a treat container that can stand up to you, the dog and the washing machine. Yes, that is the dark and ugly side of treat training. one day your treats will go through the wash with your dog training clothes and create a huge mess.
· When to Treat Or Not
The beauty of the treat training system is that you can motivate your dog easily and quickly create new behavior or reinforce old behavior. It is important to remember that when you give your dog a treat, you are strengthing physical behaviors and the mental state of your dog. This can create problems for you. For instance if your dog is fearful and you give your dog a treat when he is afraid, you have rewarded a fearful mental state and your dog will exhibit more and more fearful behavior because your dog things that this is what you want. Not good for you or your dog.
The rule for treat training is to make sure that you really like both the physical behavior and the mental behavior that your dog is expressing before you reward your dog with food. The second treat training trap is that you have to be very precise as to where you give the treat. Dogs are very superstitious by nature, so if you always reward your dog for a sit when he is front of you, it will become very difficult to train your dog to sit at your side while you are walking, since your dog thinks sitting in front of you is the lucky place. So when you teach your dog to sit, mix it up a bit. Train your dog to sit in front of you, by your left side and by your right side! Your friends will be amazed.
In conclusion, treat training can be a important part of training your dog to fit into your lifestyle in an easy and dog-friendly manner. In my dog training company treat training is one of many methods that we use to educate your dog and fulfill his natural needs.
BIO
Chicago dog expert and dog-professional Ami Moore wrote this article. Ami Moore lives in Chicago, Illinois one of the most dog friendly cities in the world. Ami Moore is a published author. Ami Moore has appeared in many magazine and television programs. Contact Ami Moore through her websites http://www.amimoore.com/, http://www.dogtrainingchicago.com/ and http://www.dogtrainerchicago.com/ .
Ami Moore, Doggie Do Right 911, Dogs, Ami Moore dog trainer Chicago, Ami Moore Chicago dog trainer, Ami Moore puppy trainer Chicago, Chicago puppy trainer Ami Moore, Puppy dog, toy dogs, small dogs, big dogs, Ami Moore puppy potty training, puppy paper training, potty problems and Ami Moore, Chicago puppy Ami Moore solves potty problems, Ami Moore and Chicago puppy training, Ami Moore and dog training in Chicago.
