Dog training without treats?

The three most important things we need to teach our dogs are manners, socialization, and commands. On this page you will learn the sense and nonsense of treats.

 

Manners

This chapter is about introducing the dog to the human world and showing him what the rules are. No treats are used here, as the dog learns to be calm and responsive in certain situations and to accept limits. Treats, toys and, for some dogs, praise, activate the dog and do not let him stay calm. Many people underestimate the importance of teaching their dog to be calm (jumping up, pulling leash, nipping, nibbling on furniture, barking, etc.). Especially with the puppies that are mostly wild, it is important to teach them to be calm step by step. Manners are taught to the dog with the correct body language and energy without violence and intimidation. If you want a social dog with manners, you too must be social and show manners with your dog. I'll show you how.

 

Socialization

Your dog should get to know all sorts of things in our world and how to behave in certain situations. Treats are only used specifically here. Dog encounters, new places, new smells, new situations are shown to the dogs calmly and without distraction. Treats are never used here. Exceptions are things like climbing dog stairs or jumping into the trunk. Treats are used here as a motivator. When socializing, however, caution is advised when using treats, as fears can easily be heightened. I will show you in which situations treats make sense and when they must not be used.

 

Commands

The reason positive reinforcements are used here is because commands are not natural behaviors among dogs. No dog would ask another dog to sit. However, I only use treats very specifically here. It is important to me that the dog understands why this command is important. When using treats, the dog sees the food and does not understand the reason for the command. So if the treats are used incorrectly, the dogs will only carry out the command to get the treat and not because it is vital in that situation. The use of treats is then usually the reason why the dog does the command perfectly at home, but only reacts correctly outside without distraction. After receiving the treats, the dogs often revert to their previous behavior. This is just a misunderstanding. I'll show you how to teach your dog to obey commands in any situation because they understand the reason why.

 

Behavior modification

Behavior problems indicate that something is wrong with the relationship, the communication or the acting out of instincts. If you want to change specific behavior in dogs, simply learning commands is not enough. Here you have to find out why the dog shows this behavior problem. After my analysis, I will show you how and where you can make a change.