To Treat or Not to Treat?

Here is a dog training thought: Some folks don’t want to use treats in training with concerns that the dog may become treat dependent. When training Support Dogs, knowing that many clients are unable to navigate giving treats,

here is my approach. Look at giving a treat as a way to trigger a salivary response in the brain (the dog’s, not yours!). With that in mind use a high value treat (your dog’s most favorite thing that he or she never gets outside of training) and use it when

introducing a new skill. After you are convinced the dog understands the skill and begins to show an auditory response (without any wrangling or begging on your part), start tapering the treat reward to every other time and then every so often. You can always

ramp it up if they regress during any defiant stages of development. One more thing: When using treats during training, decrease their kibble a bit so they don’t pack on the pounds. Treating can also just be a tap of yummy on the nose to trigger that salivary

response - not a Thanksgiving feast! Have fun!