Training Your Dog With Treats
The right way!
Food treats are powerful motivators for dogs. The tastier the food, the greater its value as a reward (which is why Lecker Bites are ideal!)
It's important to only reward your dog when it does the desired behaviour or commands. You shouldn't do this constantly, as dogs like to use these rewards to their advantage and might not work towards a goal if they're already being rewarded for doing so. Rewards are best given in short sessions as too many can make your pup lose interest.
If you think about it, most of us know how food works as a motivator for humans. You have an hour until your dinner and are struggling to concentrate at work... but all you can think about is how much you're going to enjoy that meal once it's over!
It's the same for dogs. They are more likely to perform a behaviour or command if they know there's a reward at the end of it. The trick is to keep them happy and engaged while you wait for their performance.
Is it good to train dogs with treats?
You'll get a fantastic response when using healthy dog treats to reward your dog. After all, this is exactly what they'll want from you - a tasty treat that they can enjoy!
However, only give the food once they've completed the desired action or command. If you delay and continue to deliver treats as you train them, then your pup will quickly become spoilt and lose interest in the desired behaviour.
In the early stages of training, you might find that your dog isn't interested. This is because they're not used to this kind of interaction with you and don't trust in your motives or in their own abilities yet.
Sometimes a treat isn't enough to motivate a pup to learn a new trick. If this is the case, then you can try using praise or play instead. Praise is usually effective when used in short bursts, with the aim of keeping your pup focused on the task at hand.
How do I choose the right training treat?
A good treat will take your dog's attention and keep them focused. Soft treats are usually best for training sessions because a good dog has less energy needed to chew it and is less likely to fall on the floor.
Avoid making your dog fat
A good rule of thumb is that training treats should not exceed 10% of your dog's daily calorie intake. This makes our Lecker Bites the perfect option because they are low in fat, but high in protein and flavour! View our low-calorie dog treats.
Bribing V Reinforcers
What exactly constitutes a bribe? A bribe is when treats are dangled in front of your dog in the hope they will follow your command. The problem is the dog knows it may skip out on the thing you're asking it to do (the command) and be rewarded anyway.
Compare this to using food as a reinforcer. Reinforcements are what your dog earns when they do a good job!
We recommend keeping the treat hidden until after they have performed the requested behaviour. Dogs learn best when they are given a reason to perform. Training your dog with treats is all about creating that connection between action and reward.
When working on a single behaviour, use treats as rewards for the desired behaviours and verbal encouragement or physical cues when it does something incorrectly.
The point is to teach your dog that by doing a certain behaviour it will receive the desired outcome. That desired outcome could be access to its favourite park, another reward from you (playtime), or anything it wants! Just remember: Positive reinforcement doesn't require you to be a "dog whisperer" as some people would have you believe, it just requires you to be consistent and keep your dog engaged.
The most effective way to do this is by using our tasty Lecker Bites. They are great for short training sessions because they make your pup work for the reward (rather than giving in too quickly).
It’s not all about treats!
The importance of belly rubs, heads pats, and positive language can't be understated. Affection and the occasional treats will be the perfect recipe in shaping your dog's temperament. This is a very effective, non-confrontational approach to training your dog and keeping it happy!
We've previously discussed the difference between bribery and positive reinforcement; to briefly recap: A bribe is using treats as an incentive without teaching the dog how to perform correctly in return for them. Positive reinforcement involves rewarding your dog after it has performed.
Fading Out The Treats
It's important to fade out training treats as your dog learns new tricks. Providing your dog with treats for good behaviour or following commands can seem like a never-ending task, so once your dog is following your commands 90% of the time, you can start to reduce the number of treats you give out.
As your puppy learns the desired behaviour, replace the treats with pats or belly rubs. Love and affection (plus some delicious Lecker Bites) are the best rewards of all!
Turning your dog into a well-behaved and trained member of the family is rewarding on its own. But adding tasty treats like Lecker Bites to the mix (alongside a healthy freeze-dried diet) will help make training easier, faster, and even more fun for you both.
Lecker Bites are a super tasty and healthy treat that rewards your dog by providing the tastiest of treats for rewarding good behaviour or successful commands.
They provide an excellent training aid for teaching your dog new tricks or improving existing ones.
They have the added bonus that they're low in fat so you can be sure your dog is getting rewarded with a healthy treat.
In addition to this, they're made from natural ingredients and are suitable for dogs of all sizes at any stage of their development.
Alternatives to using treats whilst training your dog
The most common alternatives to using treats when training your dog are praise, verbal encouragement and physical cues.
Praise is what you say to them in a happy voice when they do something well. It's about recognising the behaviour with nice words or sounds. We often think of it as saying "well done!" for good behaviour in the same way that we would give someone who did something well.
Verbal encouragement is just what it sounds like: simply giving words of encouragement (e.g., "nice work!") to help your dog know they are doing the right thing. Physical cues are instructions like reaching down towards the ground to get their attention. When you want them to stop whatever they're doing, make sure you remember.
Training your dog is a challenging endeavour, but it can bring you hours of enjoyment. A good way to start off the training process is by using a clicker-plus-treats approach. This has been found to be effective for many people.
A clicker is easy enough to use and you can get them at any pet store or on Amazon in a number of colours and sizes
The process with these two tools in order to train your dog:
1) Click when they do what you want them to do
2) Rewards them with a treat when they do what you want them to do.
3) Increase the time between clicks and treats so they begin performing desired behaviour without the incentive.
The clicker is not a magical tool that makes dogs subject to your every whim but it's an important part of the training process.
Training should be short, sweet and to-the-point, with positive reinforcement providing the motivation for good behaviour while discouraging bad behaviour.
Using treats appropriately when training your dog will result in a happier and more obedient companion; you'll find that things go much easier when you use them correctly!
Want to know the 10 things you should do with your dog each day?
Check out our Nutritious Meaty Treats!
