My dog has completed 12 weeks of professional training, and we regularly practice at home. However, he only responds to commands if he sees a treat; otherwise, he usually ignores us (and even barks if we ask him to do something without a treat).
In class, he’s perfect, so the trainers find it hard to believe that he struggles at home.
Do you have any advice on how to get him to follow commands without needing a treat every time? Also, any tips for continuing his training at home outside of the class environment?
Your dog is reliant on treats. By employing a flexible incentive schedule and substituting praise or play for treats, try to progressively phase out treats. Practice giving commands in various settings to help you generalize your behavior. Patience and consistency are essential. Wishing you luck!
You need to train your dog to work for the marker, not just the treat. Keep the treats out of sight and reward him for simple actions. Say a clear “Yes,” pause for a second, then get the treat and give it to him.
If he follows a simple command like “sit” or “come,” say the marker word, then go fetch a high-value treat from another location. This shows him that even if the treat isn’t in your hand, it’s still coming and might be even better.
You need to train your dog to respond to the market, not just the treat. Keep the treats out of sight and reward him for simple actions. Say a clear “Yes,” pause for a second, then get the treat and give it to him.
If he follows a simple command like “sit” or “come,” use the marker word, then go fetch a high-value treat from another location. This shows him that even if the treat isn’t in your hand, it’s still coming and might be even better.
You need to train your dog to respond to the marker, not just the treat. Keep the treats out of sight and reward him for simple actions. Say a clear “Yes,” pause for a second, then get the treat and give it to him.
If he follows a simple command like “sit” or “come,” use the marker word, then go fetch a high-value treat from another location. This shows him that even if the treat isn’t in your hand, it’s still coming and might be even better.
My 1-year-old pup can heel perfectly for an entire block before I give him a treat. However, if I take longer than that, he loses interest and breaks the heel. I’ve been able to gradually extend this limit, but he only performs well if he sees the treat in my hand, knowing he’ll be rewarded.
I’m looking for advice on how to phase out treats entirely. Is this a slow process by nature? Without treats, he’ll heel for a few meters but then breaks it once he realizes there’s no food reward (praise and petting don’t seem to motivate him much).
Your dog might have learned behaviors specific to the environment and context you’ve been training him in. You may need to repeat the same exercises at home and in different environments.
To wean him off treats, try mixing higher-value treats with lower-value ones like kibble, so he doesn’t know which he’ll get. Occasionally, just use praise.
If you try to wean him off treats too quickly, he might stop offering the behavior you want. Use this as an indication that you’ve gone too fast.
For example, when you start reducing treats, the dog should still feel like he’s getting treats most of the time, so it’s worth doing the behavior. After several days, reduce to half the time. After several more days, reduce to about a third of the time, and so on.
If you find your dog is checking to see if you have treats, try using a verbal cue like “yes” or a clicker to signal that treats are coming. Keep the treats in a pouch or on a counter or table, not in your hand. Mix it up so the dog starts to trust that treats will come, even if he doesn’t see them right away.
Arrange rewards throughout your home and give your dog tasks to complete. Give them a treat when they follow the instruction, but make sure your hands are out of your pockets and the treat isn’t in your grasp. Additionally, ensure that your history of reinforcement is strong; otherwise, they will be less inclined to finish the task.
