Treats

[jelly]

cabanossi, chicken, cheese, or dry cat food. My dog is VERY food orientated! That's just his favorite reward.

[angelsun]

Boiled or baked beef heart with a touch of garlic while cooking. Sliced after cooling. They never tire of it..even my fussy ones.

As for food rewards, timing is everything, I teach people to use food, but also praise, and in time, just praise. You always have that..you don't always have a pocket full of goodies...and the dog knows this when it's off and wont come back to a recall out in the open after slipping off a lead.

We teach the dog that the human is the most fun, and most enjoyable thing in the whole world....starting with food...moving through the stages to teach the dog that regardless of the type of reward..it will get a reward.

I also have taught some obedience folks to teach a dog that's lazy in the ring, that once the exercises are done the treats are OUTSIDE the ring. Praise is the only thing happening while working...but BOY what a treat when they're done and they did well!

It really works....handlers are happy as they feel the "need" to treat..dogs are happy cause they get the rewards they like.

[Tralee]

Hi sithspawn.

My dog's favourite treat is a closely guarded secret. :D

But treats and praise are not the only way to train a dog.

Sooki is responding well to repitition.

For example, she has to jump up into the back seat of the car each day.

Another place I use repitition is when passing shops.

I deliberately take her past the shops once or twice a week.

She usually wants to go into every shop but has recently begun to happily saunter past them.

[Guest Tess32]

Pewithers, I am pretty sure that all training methods use *some* repetition, it's impossible to learn without it!

Nat

[Greytmate]

Hi sithspawn. 

My dog's favourite treat is a closely guarded secret.  :D

But treats and praise are not the only way to train a dog.

Sooki is responding well to repitition.

For example, she has to jump up into the back seat of the car each day.

Another place I use repitition is when passing shops.

I deliberately take her past the shops once or twice a week.

She usually wants to go into every shop but has recently begun to happily saunter past them.

Do you mean repetition?

All methods of dog training require repetition, it is not a method in itself.

Food and praise are motivators, but are not the only motivators that people can use. There are many things that may motivate a dog to perform an action.

For instance, the motivation for your dog to get in the car may be the journey she gets to go on.

Unless she is doing it because you are providing a negative reinforcment if she does not jump in the car for you.

It is always good to think about how our dogs are learning things.

Is your dog not going into the shops now because

-You provide a negative reinforcement if she does?

-You are giving her a motivation that is positive reinforcement to walk along with you rather than wander off?

-You are doing both?

Repetition of either method will work, but repetition alone is not what trains your dog not to go into shops.

[ninaandted]

roast chicken! they will do anything if they smell it about. I don't even have to have it in my hand. they are very obedient outside the chicken shop!!

but I would also reinforce what others have said here about making sure you eventually train to a praise or no reward level - even though it wasn't your original question!!!

I learnt alot from training my jack russell (i.e. she taught me alot!!) and made LOTS of mistakes - the end result was a dog that wouldn't perform anything past a drop or sit unless there was food visible in my hand. this is really not safe or convenient because I couldn't guarantee a recall or stop in dangerous situations.

but you had probably planned to eventually wean off expected food rewards anyway!!

[Rusky]

I buy ox liver, boil till a bit brown looking, cool, slice real thin, bake in oven on lowest setting to dry out, when crisp is done and adored

Smelly cheese, chicken sausage nice and mushy is fingerlickin' good.

BBQ chicken is a goody too.