Coaching your canine with toys vs. treats

Not all canines are food-motivated, which may make deal with coaching ineffective. Right here’s learn how to use toys as coaching rewards as a substitute.

This can be exhausting to imagine, however not all canines are motivated by meals — and that’s okay. Meals will not be the one reward on this planet. This text is geared toward canines who’re unmotivated by treat-free coaching, however the ideas that comply with is usually a good change of routine for any canine – together with those who discover meals too thrilling and might’t give attention to studying when there’s the slightest chance of treats.

Earlier than you begin

Step one is to find out in case your canine actually isn’t food-motivated or if he’s merely full and never all in favour of consuming for the time being. I typically practice my canines utilizing their dinners. It is a enjoyable technique to hold them lean and match with out giving them a further meal’s value of treats in between instances. Earlier than dinner, when your canine is hungry, attempt coaching him with a couple of items of his meals and see if his motivation stage spikes a bit. If that’s the case, that’s nice: you may work in your coaching together with his dinnertime meals.

In case your canine is really food-unmotivated, you may verify it through the use of a higher-value meals. If I had a selection between pasta and a cracker, I’m going to carry out for pasta (you in all probability would too). Equally, in case you’re utilizing dry, exhausting treats for coaching, attempt one with extra scent and taste.

Flip to his toys

Nonetheless not all in favour of meals? That’s okay! Take into consideration your canine’s toys and prepare them so as of pleasure stage. For instance, a ball supplies time, a Frisbee provides off-the-wall pleasure…however his squeaky hedgehog toy tops all of them.

We will make an inventory of the enjoyment stage every of those toys brings on this instance, from lowest to highest:

1. Ball
2. Frisbee
3. Hedgehog toy
4. A brand new toy that solely comes out at coaching time!

We all know the ball is lowest on the “pleasure listing”. So get out the Frisbee, disguise it behind you, and begin with a easy cue corresponding to “sit”; however as a substitute of rewarding your canine with meals when he sits, reward him with the Frisbee and let him play for a minute or two. If that toy isn’t deemed a sufficiently thrilling reward, step it as much as subsequent stage; on this case, the hedgehog toy.

Bear in mind you could make his toys extra thrilling by squeaking and shifting them round, thereby growing his drive for them. And whenever you’re performed, disguise the toys to maintain them further particular for the subsequent coaching session.

If in case you have a canine that runs away together with his toys, hold him on an extended leash throughout coaching to maintain him close to you. A good selection is Sleepypod’s Energy Leash.

As you’re employed on this, you’ll uncover a variety of different rewards your canine enjoys in addition to treats, and this may result in new methods of working collectively. Take pleasure in your coaching adventures!