Why Treat Training Doesn't Lead to Lasting Results

There are differing views on positive reinforcement or the use of treats to train puppies and to change the behavior of a dog. I do not believe the use of treats is the answer. Treats are a temporary band aid, the use of food is a lure (bribe), it is only management of the situation in the moment; it isn’t actual training. Once you stop giving the treats for a particular behavior or command, such as “stay,” a pet will most likely stop obeying because the lure is no longer present. There are also negative consequences to using positive reinforcement for every training scenario. After all, positive means to add, in this case it increases or reinforces a pet’s behavior. If a child ran into the street, would a parent reward them for it? No. So, why should a dog receive a treat when it does not respond to a command or it jumps on a person to greet them? It shouldn’t.

A properly cared for, well-fed dog will not be more interested in a treat than chasing a bird. For lasting results, provide pets with clear structure and communication. Dogs make associations and respond to cues, whether a hand gesture, a sound or a voice. Best methods for communicating with a pet was discussed in a previous blog, it is the foundation of training, and it bears repeating -- dogs have capacity for associating words with things or actions because they observe and remember patterns. Positive reinforcement includes petting your dog, spending time with it, taking if for a walk, to the park, or giving it a ball or a toy.

A dog will remember what time you wake up in the morning, make coffee and let it outside. If you try to “sleep in” one day, your dog will most likely try to wake you up anticipating your usual pattern. The verbal obedience commands “stay” and “here” are another form of a pattern, they are repetitive words associated with a specific action. Yet dogs with hearing impaired owners or pets that are deaf communicate effectively with their owners through energy. Although pets learn words through verbal language cues, they predominantly rely upon human energy to discern what is being asked of them and whether or not the person means it. An owner’s non-verbal cues like body language, hand signals, eye contact and energy are far more effective at communication than verbal language.

Use your body language and energy to train a pet. If you enter your home and pet a dog while saying “off” or “down,” that is sending a mixed signal to the animal because your increased energy and body language are encouraging the behavior. Instead, enter the home, get settled, and reward the dog with petting once it is sitting or lying down. The dog will start to associate love and attention with being calm. In the case of a puppy that likes to get into the trash -- don’t pull it away from the trash; it will do it again. Instead, make eye contact, and when it looks at you walk out of the room while watching and still listening. When you hear it go into the trash use a verbal command or make a specific sound that will be able to replicate. The puppy will associate the command with the action and learn to stay out of the trash.

Let’s talk about discipline…for some pet owners this word has a negative association or is viewed as punishment. Discipline is necessary in life, for a child it could mean doing homework or chores, for an athlete discipline means practice and development. I view discipline as building a foundation through practice of specific cues in order to establish and maintain memory recall in pets.

Imagine your dog has a bad habit or behavior that you want to change. Maybe it jumps on furniture or steals food off tables and counters. You have tried the positive reinforcement of giving the dog treats for not jumping on couches and tables, but the behavior hasn’t changed. Now what?

Recently, I had clients who went to several trainers using treat giving to stop a dog from jumping on the counter to steal food, needless to say, it didn’t work. When the clients came to me they were looking for another method to stop the behavior. The idea was to use an undesirable stimulus that the animal would associate with jumping up on the counter in order to make that behavior less attractive. I used a sound that would produce a discomforting effect, and then supersede the desire of stealing food. In this instance, I had the owners open the back door, put food on the counter, and wait for their dog to enter the kitchen but not look at the dog. When the dog attempted to snatch the food they clapped two lids together once. It immediately got down. Since then their dog hasn’t jumped on the counter or stolen food. The dog remains unafraid of being in the kitchen or going to the backyard through the back door. The association with the sound remains only with the counter. Though some might view this as punitive, I see it as training that does not cause harm to the dog and redirects its behavior in a positive way. However, each case is different. It is important to know the dog and if it has anxiety or any other issues when determining a course of action.

In the case of aggressive dogs, they do not respond well to positive reinforcement in the form of treats, because they are focused on the escalation of the situation. Give the dog a treat, and it’s now in charge. For these types of cases, changing the behavior only happens by teaching the dog that the undesirable behavior will always produce a negative result. Instead, the use of leash correction, redirection, blocking or overshadowing reinforcement is necessary for lasting results.