Dog Treats

At Pasado’s Safe Haven, we know that dog training happens by motivating the dog. Powerful motivators are those that are key to survival. So, a couple of strong motivators are fear (staying away from scary stuff to stay alive!) and cookies (eating tasty stuff to stay alive!). 

Given those options – fear or cookies – we choose cookies! 

Pasado’s Safe Haven advocates positive reinforcement training to build a happy, trusting relationship with your dog. Use the good stuff! This means treats, and sometimes lots of treats! These treats are meant for training purposes (or what we could just call good communication with your dog about what you would like them to do). Use them to tell your dog what behaviors you’d like to see more of and use treats to help your dog feel better about stuff they are unsure of (nail trims, going to the vet, strange noises, other dogs). 

But, how many treats are too many treats? And what’s a good treat? Treats should not make up more than 10% of your dog’s diet. Here’s a helpful handout from Fear Free Happy Homes. 

A good training treat is: 

• One that your dog loves (not likes, looooves!) 
• Able to be eaten quickly (no chewing!) 
• A tiny, pea-sized portion (you are going to use a lot of these, also, no chewing!) 

A question people don’t usually ask, but should! How many treats are enough? 

• If you are teaching an important behavior like coming when called, you may be giving treat jackpots! 
• If you are teaching a dog to enjoy being bathed, the treats may flow (or a lick mat may be used). 
• If you want to keep the dog engaged in learning, you will be giving treats frequently!
• Fear Free Happy Homes has some great information about the treat ladder, which treats work in low stress, low distraction environments (like at home) and which treats to break out in high stress, high distraction places (like the vet). Here’s a cute video: 

What can you use instead of treats? 

• Part or all of the dog’s meal. If you have a very food-motivated dog who loves their kibble, you can use this.  
• Other things the dog wants: play, attention, smells, to go outside, to come inside…pretty much anything the dog wants can be used to reinforce (get more of) a behavior you like. 

When shouldn’t you use treats? 

• When the dog is more interested in something else or more motivated by something else –play or a chance to sniff. Then, you should use those things as rewards. 
• If your dog is on a special diet but still likes food, you should still use “treats” made out of the dog’s special foods. 
• If you feel like your dog is getting too amped up about the treats or “mugging you for treats,” switch to lower value treats and make sure you are asking for a behavior before the dog gets a treat. You can also build some duration into the behavior, for example a sit-stay. The dog has to hold the sit for a certain amount of time to earn the reward. 
• If the dog is too stressed to take treats or has an upset tummy. It’s not a good time to train at all. Get your dog to a lower stress environment ASAP. Get them feeling better! 

Do I always have to use treats?
You’re in charge here so you make the rules! Just keep in mind that if you want a behavior to continue, you must reward it. Never rewarding behavior is how you get rid of it.  

And food is a powerful reinforcer for important behaviors. Always reward behaviors you’d like to see more of.