Treats

Caution: Always check with your vet before feeding new foods.

Treats or life rewards are the hallmark of positive enforcement based training.




Some people feel like dogs should work out of respect or deference. But what normally happens is that the dog isn't working FOR the human; the dog is actually working to AVOID an aversive - like a leash yanking or a physical manipulation or getting yelled at or kicked.

Pet parents won't need treats all the time but they should be prepared to feed a lot of treats in the beginning.  Especially for dogs who have issues like fear.

While it's important to be liberal with treats, we don't want our dogs to become sick or over weight. 

Use quality treats. Read the ingredients and forgo anything that has sugar or artificial coloring.

It's actually much better if we use whole foods like baked chicken (no seasoning, no bones)

Feed tiny amounts so more can be fed.

Reduce your dogs regular meals by the amount of treats given - measure by calories or by volume.

If a pet is not excited about a treat, experiment until you find what he/she likes. Or consider that the pet is too stressed to eat so during training, go back to a place where the dog isn't stressed.

Treat related articles:

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/latrenda/2011/07/high-quality-high-value-training-treats/

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/latrenda/2011/03/twinkies-in-class/