Pet Training Series Part 4 – Puppy Training Treats as a Pet Training Tool

Posted by Deakster on December 22, 2008

Because the last few lessons might be considered tough for those just beginning, we are going to take things down a notch and give you an easy training tip that can also make a considerable difference in how you train your puppy.

The pet treat is often misused or used ineffectively as a training tool. Don’t worry, it is quite common and just about everyone will have a difference of opinion here.

One thing you should consider is this:

TRAINING TREATS ARE NOT THE SAME AS EVERYDAY TREATS

I cannot emphasize this enough. You should have two separate types of treats if you are going to use treats as rewards for training. We have simple, plain dog biscuits that our pets can receive anytime they are being good. These are just for quick reminders, not for advanced training work. For instance, they might receive one small one each night before bedtime. They hear the jar open and they will run off to bed and wait for their treats. They have been trained to respond in this manner so they know it it time to settle down.

However for outside active training sessions they do not receive those same biscuits. For one, we do not want them to associate that taste or shapes of those biscuits with sleeping DURING a training session. Instead we use a higher quality dried liver treat. These treats can generally be found at your local pet stores. While these will be more expensive to buy please keep in mind that these are for specific training sessions.

Do not give them these anytime other then during pet training sessions!

It is very important to only use these high quality pet treats during training as you want your pet to associate these better treats with better behavior. You want your pet to learn the difference between a normal daily routine and an active pet training session. If I bring out the liver treats the dogs know the taste and smell difference between the types of treats and will not leave my side for liver. Think of your own reaction between eating tasteless, 3 day old meatloaf and a nice, thick, well-cooked, juicy steak. Which one would you do more for. Well your dog is no exception. They too will have a treat they just like and another type of treat that they would jump through hoops to get.

The end goal is to also not need to use treats every time you use a command. Treats are a guidance reward. You should be giving a treat and “praise” so that eventually you can ween your dog off the treats but continue to praise them for a job well done. This is another reason for two treat types. This way you can eventually drop the expensive high-end training treats and you will still be able to give your dog generic treats for non-training goodies.

By getting yourself and your pet two separate types of treats you will help your pet to learn the the differences between training and daily routines. Your pet will learn to associate high-quality treats with both training and praise. These become happy moments for your pet and happy pets will continue to do stuff that makes them happy. If your training session is what makes your pet happy then it will also make you happy.

Next Post Preview: Tracking Your Puppy Training: Set Training Goals For Yourself And Your Dog.