Rewards in Dog Training. Food

In our last post, we talked about primary reinforcers - those things that our dogs intrinsically like.  Just about every creature likes food a lot. And we can use that too our advantage in dog training

Food is often used when training new behaviors:
1. We can give tiny amounts often. Which means we can ask for multiple repetitions. Which really works well when shaping a new behavior
2. Most dogs are willing to work for food.
(note, we don't need to make the dog extra hungry to motivate him/her to work for food)

But some people worry about using too much food, about their dogs eating junk, or about the expense of dog treats.

Consult with your vet before trying any of these ideas

Concerned about your dog's weight?
- Pet parents can provide tiny slivvers of treats during training sessions
- We can puree meat in water or even use meat flavored water.  Some dogs are happy to eat low calories vegetable.  See more details on saving calories here:  http://www.stubbypuddin.com/2014/05/treats.html

Concerned about expense
- We don't have to buy the fancy prepacked stuff at pet stores that is mainly marketed to humans.  We can save tons of money by giving our pets safe human food. More details here: http://www.stubbypuddin.com/2014/07/saving-money-on-dog-treats.html

Concerned about health
- Dogs are not like a lot of us humans. They actually like things that are good for them. See some ideas here: http://www.stubbypuddin.com/2014/05/treats.html

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