Overzealous Treat Snatching

[Deejay]

Hi all,

How do I train a dog not to snatch at my hand when being given treats during training?

Thanks

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i taught my dog "gentle" and she NEVER got the treat if she snatched it roughly

[Deejay]

Thanks Jaxx's Buddy,

So do I not give it to him if he is rough and also say the word "gentle" just before I give it to him?

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

Thanks Jaxx's Buddy,

So do I not give it to him if he is rough and also say the word "gentle" just before I give it to him?

that's what i did.

if he gets a treat being rough then he has been rewarded for this behaviour which you don't want.

i did have a few scrapes on my finger until mine got the hang of it however now she is extremely gentle.

eta there are some really good trainers here so hopefully they will come in and give you more advice

Edited January 8, 2011 by Jaxx'sBuddy

[Guest Ams]

I use the "gentle"command here but also keep the treat curled up in my fist so the dog can sniff it but not grab it. I then slowly uncurl my fingers so it can get the treat without snatching at it.

[Leema]

Hold the treat in a fist.

When the dog doesn't interact with the fist (looks away, stops digging, biting, etc) give them the treat and say "okay".

Repeat this process.

When you hold out a fist with a treat in it, and the dog goes, "Nah, you ain't fooling me!" then you're reading for the next step.

Hold out your hand with a treat on it and visible. Be quick. Your dog will probably go for it. Repeat the process as above: When the dog is not trying to get the treat, he gets it with the word "okay'.

A more detailed explanation is here:

http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20dogs/Leve...rs/TL26Zen.html

[Deejay]

Thanks so much for these replies... i'm going to go out and do some practice... Be back with some news soon!

[sheena]

Put the treat curled up in your hand & when he stops trying to get at it, either give him the treat in your hand or another from the other hand. Keep repeating this until he gets the message that he has to be offerred the treat before he is allowed to take it gently. When you have mastered this, then hold the treat on a flat palm. When he moves towards it close your fist, when he backs off then pick the treat up with the other hand & give it to him. Do the same with your foot or hand on the ground but be ready to cover the treat if he goes for it. He can only move off the spot & get the treat when you give the "OK get it" command.

[brinashay]

It sounds a lot like your dog is expecting the reward as part of the command, :D treats should only be offered after the command is completed and your dog "released" from it. This is an example of the method we use i.e. We ask the dog to sit, as the sit action completes we reward the dog with an affirmation (i.e. YES ) and when the required time is reach we release the dog (i.e.OKAY/ALRIGHT) let the dog see the treat in finger tips, but curled away from the dog. re-enforce with saying "gentle" then and only then is the reward given.

[Gspsplease]

I suggest that you hand feed your dog all his meals using the suggestions above so your dog learns that he will get an enormous amount of food from your hands when he takes it gently. Often dogs are so keen to get treats that they grab the food, but once they realise that there is a continual supply of food from your hands, they become less frantic and can relax. It will probably take only 1-2 days before you notice that your dog is less obsessed with grabbing food.

cheers

Sandra

[Malamum]

One of our dogs can get a bit excited about taking treats. We use the command "gentle" but I've found how you hold and give him the treat makes all the difference.

If you hold only the edge of the food in the tips off your fingers he tries to just get the food with his teeth and goes a bit too quick. This is when he gets fingers by mistake.

If you hold the food totally in your fingers and actually put your fingers in his mouth then he is very very gentle and never ever nips this way.

Not really a training tip though. That is just what works for us.

[corvus]

treats should only be offered after the command is completed and your dog "released" from it.

I actually disagree with this. I mark for movement and feed for position. I treat before release 90% of the time for two reasons. Firstly, I think it helps reinforce the position. Secondly, I think it avoids anticipating the release. Anticipating the release is fine as long as the dog has the self control to handle it, but early in training they can be prone to breaking because they get so excited about the release. I'd rather feed in position until they seem to understand that it is the position that gets rewarded and then they are more likely to have the self control to hold the position under high distraction (including the high arousal that comes from anticipating a reward).

Like Malamum, I have found a lot of it is in the treat delivery. I have one that snatches and gets away with it because he is so damn fast and unpredictable. Just today he nearly got a beef ear by suddenly leaping up and grabbing it. He certainly knows sitting quietly is the way to get it, but every now and then he springs one on you and he often gets is. I've got pretty fast myself, but that it has ever worked for him is enough to make him keep trying it. I too put the treat right in his mouth and find that solves most of our problems. My other dog doesn't take them fast enough! He very carefully lips it out of your hand and drops it about a third of the time. Then the other dog gets it. He doesn't even try to pick it up. Once it's on the ground, it's Erik's.

[Deejay]

Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to reply.

I spent time with him yesterday and definately the closed hand / open hand and switching hands is working great!

I also spent more time playing with him before starting his training lesson, which meant he was overall a lot calmer which also helped.

I dont think he has never had any training or treats before (not my dog), so being given treats has been REALLY REALLY EXCITING for him as you can imagine! He's a great dog and very smart, i'm starting to wish he was mine

At this stage I have only trained him to sit and down, which he got down pat in minutes

I only give treats after he has done something correctly and its always given straight away initially so he associates the treat with the correct command.