My Dog Doesn’t Take Treats – Dog Trainer Inner West Sydney
‘My dog doesn’t take treats” is a very common sentence I hear as a dog trainer in Inner West Sydney. The last time I heard it was yesterday, when I was teaching puppy training in Inner West Sydney. However, I have yet not met many dogs that didn’t take treats.
“I don’t want to give my dog too many treats”
Above is the sentence that follows after I’ve shown the owner that their dog does take treats. If a dog really refuses to take treats, usually the problem is that the treats aren’t valuable enough for the dog. Many owners use dry kibble or dog treats that usually don’t work well around distractions. Cheese on the other hand works very well!
But if the real problem is that the owner simply doesn’t want to use treats, then we have a bigger problem. Using treats to motivate a dog is the foundation of positive training. If that’s off the table, you are left with forceful methods or management – this might mean never letting your dog off the lead, for example. So, it comes down to prioritising.
An obedient dog or no treats?
Using treats doesn’t mean that you need to use them forever or that you’ll end up with a dog who does nothing without them. I’ve always used treats and I’ve always had very obedient dogs. But I didn’t use treats all the time. At the beginning, when we start training new behaviours, we need to use treats a lot. But when the behaviour is learnt we start reducing them, ending up with none, eventually.
Training must be worth your dog’s while, if you don’t use treats, you’ll have real hard time trying to get your dog focus on you, especially around distractions.
Puppy Training Inner West Sydney
Eazy Dog Training Sydney offers puppy training at your own home and puppy pre-schools in Leichhardt.
During Your Puppy Training Inner West Sydney Lesson, Your Puppy Pre-School Trainer Will:
- Educate you about canine behaviour
- Teach you how to toilet train your puppy
- Give you advice on how to control and prevent behavioural problems
- Demonstrate basic commands and manners training
Hi, I have a 3 year old cocker spaniel who is quite reactive. She reacts to bikes, bicycles, children, and…
Hi Can I bring my Daughter along to the Puppy class? thanks
Hi Anniina. What if one of the Saturdays is raining? Is the class pushed out to the next week or…
Hi Kirsti! It's always best if you can commit to the 4 lessons or have someone else come with your…
Hiya, I have an 18 week puppy who I am rather keen to start training. However we are away for…