Throughout our almost 20 years of training dogs professionally, we have encountered many different ideas and philosophies around how people think they should train their dogs. The one that befuddles us the most (aside from the idea that one must punish dogs to get them to “do what you want.” That ideology just blows our minds it is so bad!) is that you should not use treats for training. Or, at the very least, use them very sparingly when working with your dog. We have heard people say, “If you use treats, they will always want treats. He should do it because I told him to.” To understand why we think that is not a good idea, let’s put it into human terms. Suppose you went to work and come payday, your boss just said, “Good work this week,” and did not pay you. When you ask where your paycheck is your boss replies, “You should work because I told you to.” How long would it take for you to find another job? While our dogs do not have mortgages, grocery bills, and utilities to pay for, they should still get “paid” for their work. It is the reward, or paycheck, that keeps them going. As long as they know that there will be something good to come out of it, they are likely to continue to do the things you ask of them, often just because you asked them. Reward your dog for the good things you want them to do, and they will likely do those things simply because you asked them to and because they will be getting that paycheck in the end. Otherwise, they might find another job, and you may not like their new profession.
