Do Your Dogs Need Treats?

One of the best ways to positively reinforce good behavior in a dog, is by giving them treats. Of course, in order for this to work, you cannot reward bad behavior and only give treats when the dog does what you want them to do. However, even though most dogs respond well to treats, this isn't the only way you can train them. There are other ways to positively reinforce behaviors such as physical and verbal praise.

Unfortunately, for many dogs, those types of rewards are not very effective and might slow down your training. So, the question remains, why are treats so effective? Well, for one, dogs have an unbelievable sense of smell and can smell the treat you have in your hand from over 20 yards away. They know exactly what type of treat you have and the main ingredients. Therefore, based on how much they want the treat in your hand, they will obey your commands in order to get the reward.

Whenever you are using treats to train your dog, you should always ensure that the dog is in a calm state. You never want to give the dog a treat when they are overly excited or stimulated. Also, be sure to allow the dog to smell the treat and make sure that they can sit and wait for it. Now, this means that you shouldn't put the treat right under their nose, but above their head and make sure to command them to sit. Only when they sit and are calm, should you give them the treat.

Another great tip is that you should always save the best treats for the end of the training session. Most dogs will get tired or uninterested after a long time of training and may not be very interested in normal treats. So, in order to combat this, you should use different types of treats and save the ones that they love the most, for the end of the training session when their attention is waning. This will definitely get their attention and you will be able to continue training them.

Lastly, make sure to regulate how many treats you give your dog, as well as the quality of the treats. These treats should never substitute food and should only be given in between meals. In closing, you do need treats if you want to quickly and effectively train your dog. It isn't a necessity, however, it can definitely speed things along.

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