Should I only pet my dog when called or as a reward during training?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Beretta. Most very young puppies respond best to praise and pets. After about 8-10 weeks of age, then a small treat in addition to praise will be very effective. I hope this information helps!

Hi there. Brody sounds like a very normal dog :) Very often, we humans overestimate how rewarding our dogs find praise and petting... most dogs think these are okay, but not much to be worth working for. And that's okay! We expect payment for doing our jobs too, not just a pat on the back from our boss. There is no harm in continuing to use treats to reward Brody when he does what you ask. If there is a specific reason you need to work up to working without treats (such as for formal obedience competition, or something similar), this can certainly be done - but it's a lot of extra work, so honestly I don't usually recommend it for my pet dog students. Just keep some treats handy around the house and in your pockets, and pay Brody for a job well done.

In the beginning when training, treats train dogs to do these commands due to positive reinforcement. At a certain point, dogs will respond to commands regardless of getting treats or not because they become conditioned to the response to the command. At this age, you will likely have to continue giving Grace treats to get the response you want. Gradually reduce the frequency at which she receives treats and try and get her to respond to a command without a treat. Rather than a treat, try praising her and telling her how good she is. Dogs like praise as a reward as well. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It's a dog thing. Most dogs are incredibly food motivated. Start by trying to get Noble to do a command when you are just around the house or out for a walk. Give him lots of praise for performing the command. Continue using treats when you are in a training session. As he gets older, he will be less dependent on treats for positive reinforcement.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Nero may have a negative association with being inside. I recommend trying to train him inside with very tasty and rewarding treats, such as cooked chicken or ground turkey. Oftentimes dogs want a treat that is tastier than their plain kibble or even a plain dog treat. He may be more willing to listen to commands inside if he knows he will get a special reward. I hope this is helpful!

The snacks can interfere with training because Pocky is more interested in the treats than in you. It is certainly not necessary to use treats to train, and I don't use them in beginner obedience for this reason. Second, treats can undermine the trainer's confidence if he relies on them--he comes to think he "needs" them to make his dog respond. . And last, rewards need to be given aat precisely the right time, and most amateur trainers are not good at rewarding with goodies initially. Aussies are very receptive to training, so feel free to forget about the treats and just let the trainng be between you and your dog. Good luck!

I see that Tyson is still a puppy, only 4 months old :) Remember that he's just a baby - it's normal that he still needs lots of treats for training. If you want him to be able to listen when you don't have a treat, you first need to teach him that even if he doesn't see a treat in your hand, he will still get one - this means asking him to sit (or lie down, or whatever) with nothing in your hands, then praising and giving a treat from your pocket when he listens. Over time, he will learn that it's worth paying attention to you even if he doesn't see the treat beforehand. Eventually, you won't need to give a treat every time he does something - but don't rush this! He needs a long reward history of getting a treat when he listens to you before you can expect him to be reliable. Make a habit of carrying treats in your pocket all the time, so that you can always surprise him with a reward when he does what you ask. I would also highly recommend the book "Perfect Puppy in 7 Days" by Dr. Sophia Yin if you're having training issues with Tyson - it's a great resource for puppy training and behavior.