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FOOD, GLORIOUS, FOOD! - Training with food

“When do I stop using food to train my dog?”, is a question a lot of people ask. “Aren’t dogs supposed to work just to please their owners?” This old saw has been around forever. Ask yourself. “When will I start going to my job every day for no pay and just to please my boss?” Probably not many of us would. Why should our dogs be any different? I know my Terrier (and the Toller) seem to have a “what’s in it for me?” attitude.

One of the biggest problems we have as trainers is weaning away from the food. Notice I said weaning “away” not weaning “off”. The goal is to increase the duration of a behavior and the length of time a dog can go between the food rewards. Once a dog understands that your marker (“yes” or perhaps a click) means the food is coming, it doesn’t have to come so fast and you can increase the duration of time before the food appears. Random reinforcement actually strengthens the behavior.

Timing is critical in training. Especially in teaching new behaviors. When introducing something new to the dog, feedback should come quickly and often. When working on new behaviors, treats should be kept in your hand ready to quickly pop in the dogs mouth. Precious time is wasted as we stand there fishing in our pocket for that treat.

Timing is important when giving the treat. The marker (“yes”) should always come first. Then your hand moves and gives the treat. If the marker comes AS you give the treat or AFTER you give it, you are effectively marking the behavior of eating. Most dogs don’t need to be trained to eat.

Another pitfall is giving the treat in a pattern. Most of the time we don’t even realize that we are doing so but we star giving the rewards on a rhymthic basis. If you set up a pattern of giving the treat, the dog will pick up on it before you do. They figure out that they get a treat and there will be a predictable interval of time before another one appears. (The stop and chew syndrome.) Sometimes try rewarding with two or three or even four treats in a row. That will surprise Fido! And it will help him to stay focused on you just in case another treat appears. Go longer periods of time in between treats then give a few in rapid succession. Keep the dog guessing to keep him working.

One big problem I see is people stuck at the point where the food is used as a lure instead of a reward. It is important to stop using the food as a lure EARLY in training. This is especially true in heeling. Keeping the food right under the dogs nose all the time becomes a crutch. We try to remove it, the dog lags, so we bring the lure back out and “Presto!” the dog is back in heel. What the dog has figured out is that if he drops back, the food reappears. Its like magic but I don’t think it is what we are trying to train. Try keeping the food in your right hand or your mouth and bring it out only when you want to reward the dog and after the “yes.”

It is important that you realize what you are rewarding when you give the dog a treat. Food is a powerful training tool and when used correctly brings amazing results. Use it wisely.

About the Author:

Ann Priddy is a Dog Behavior Consultant and owner of Priddy Positive K9s in Richmond Virginia. Get consulting online at www.geocities.com/priddypositivek9s