Training with treats is more common now than it used to be. When I took my course in 2007, our instructor told us that if we ever find ourselves using treats we should consider ourselves bad dog trainers. This stuck with me for many years until I found myself continuously reaching for them because it was the best way to make training fun for my dog. They seemed to make the connection faster when I used treats. I felt guilty about it for a while and then I thought maybe he was wrong? Many other trainers used treats and seemed to do well with it. I knew several trainers who trained with treats and had well-behaved and reliable dogs who could respond to commands off leash, in public and I rarely saw their trainer reward them with treats. I began to do some research about training with treats, purely positive training methods and what stumped me the most; how to remove the dependency on treats.

Training with treats is highly beneficial for your dog and your relationship with your dog. Using treats as a reward can boost the fun, eagerness to please, and encouragement for your dog. It gives a stronger connection of behavior to reward which helps the dog understand what type of behavior you’re asking from them.

You can use store bought treats or handmade. Learn to read ingredients on the bags of store bought treats, especially if your dog has any sensitivities or dietary restrictions. Look for labels with simple ingredients. For example; If your dog has food sensitivities you may need to look for something that is a single-protein treat.

If you make your treats at home, again, pay attention to the ingredients and whether your dog can handle eating them. Allergies and sensitivities are quite common in dogs these days. Making treats yourself can help you control exactly what is going into it.

TYPES OF TREATS

You don’t always have to use treats to train your dog, either. You can use scraps of meat, cheese or even the kibble from their dry dog food. If you use their kibble, make sure to use the portion amount they require for their size for one meal. Then skip giving them that meal in their dish, instead you will be giving it to them by hand. What type of treat you give your dog may depend on your dog. Some dogs are happy to eat their meal as a reward.

Sometimes flavored treats are too powerful and get a dog too excited during training. In that case, using their kibble can bring down that excitement to a manageable level while still acting as a reward to your dog. 

Other dogs are extremely picky. You may need extra smelly, high-value rewards for those types of dogs just to get them motivated at all. For dogs who are not motivated by treats, I recommend exploring other forms of “currency” for your dog. Some dogs respond better to praise and physical touch from their owners and others will respond better to a favorite toy. Sometimes treats just aren’t their thing, and that’s okay.

The type of treat can also depend on what type of behavior you’re working on and the skill level of your dog. If you’re training something new and they start getting that “ah ha! moment” where they begin to understand what you’re asking from them, a high-value reward can give them the extra encouragement that they need. A particularly difficult task may also require a high-value reward for extra encouragement. However, for some dogs that high value reward can get them so excited that they’re not actually paying attention or learning anything.

JACKPOT REWARDS

A “jackpot” reward is when you give a dog lots of treats for doing really well. When your dog gets that “ah ha!” moment and does the behavior you’re asking for. You want a little extra encouragement to let them know they got it right. You can also give jackpot rewards at random so that your dog never knows when that extra reward is coming and it will encourage them a little more during times when treats aren’t given. You can use jackpot rewards on really important commands such as recall as well, for that extra encouragement. 

Give a jackpot reward by giving more than one treat. When you give a dog a small pile of treats they’re going to gobble it up and enjoy that “one” treat. If you, instead, give the treats one after another then the dog thinks “oh wow I’m getting so many treats!” It was the same amount both times, but they seem to be able to count them better when it’s one after the other instead of all given together at once.

PHASE TREATS TO A MINIMUM

To keep your dog working for a treat without having to constantly carry treats in your pocket, you want to sort of phase out how often you use them and be completely unpredictable when you do give a food reward. Most things in dog training require consistency, but when it comes to giving treats; inconsistency is best. When first teaching a new behavior and command you want to consistently give treats when the dog gets it right. Give higher value rewards for getting it right (or at least, closer to being right) or for offering the behavior without the use of lures or physical force. Start phasing out treats once you feel your dog is understanding the behavior being asked. 

It doesn’t mean your dog isn’t getting a reward for performing the behavior correctly. You will still be rewarding your dog using a clicker, your voice, physical reward, and/or toy rewards. Don’t completely ditch the treats. You want to continue to give them to the dog as a reward at sporadic, random times. The goal is that the dog will not know when a high-value treat reward is coming and when you will give a reward in other ways. Mix up what type of rewards you give your dog at different times. If the dog never knows when to expect food they will be more likely to respond to your command; because this time they just might get that extra special reward.

Treats should start to be “phased out” when you know for sure your dog understands and eagerly completes the command correctly. If you try to phase them out too soon or too quickly then your dog may quickly loose interest or develop the mentality “well you don’t have treats so I don’t need to listen”. Do it slowly and the key is very sporadic when you offer treats vs when you don’t.