It takes time, patience, and consistent training methods to get your dog to respect the commands you give it. Treating dogs is one training method that is employed.
It’s critical to know how to use these correctly because improper use can compromise your health and your relationship with your dog, as well as have detrimental effects on the learning process. To assist you in getting the most out of training your dog, we have put together a list of guidelines for using training treats.
1. Healthy Treats
When training your dog, you have to use healthy treats in order to prevent potential health issues brought on by an unhealthy diet. Giving your dog fatty meat as a reward every time they learn a new skill, for instance, can result in obesity or a blocked heart. Even though the main goal is to express your gratitude for helping them acquire and become proficient in a new skill, the meal selection needs to be well considered.
It’s recommended that you serve treats like bully sticks Canada, which are naturally protein-based. Natural protein treats like these include vital amino acids needed for strong muscles, healthy nails, tissue repair, and fur health. By using such nutritious treats, you can ensure that your dog gets the nutrients from the snacks while also enjoying the training process.
2. Quality Treats
You can purchase a wide variety of treats for your dog. Whatever treat you choose, you need to be sure it’s of the highest caliber. This lowers the possibility of endangering your dog’s health. Hormone-free, grain-free, and preservative-free treats are a few examples of quality treats.
3. Chewy Treats
By giving your dog chewable treats that last longer, you can avoid giving them excessive amounts of treats, which may cause weight gain. A single treat can be chewed by your dog for twenty minutes, as opposed to constantly having to have its mince bowl refilled. Since training takes place all day, you should use fewer snacks by providing ones that your dog will be content to chew on for a while.
4. Tasty Treats
Sweets that are healthy don’t have to taste boring. Knowing that there will be a tasty treat at the conclusion of the lesson will help your dog master a new skill. You can try a variety of delectable treats, like peanut butter, chicken, or beef treats. To find out which taste your dog prefers, try offering him a variety of tasting snacks at different times. Your dog might not be motivated to train if they are turned off by a certain taste because they won’t have a fun treat to look forward to.
5. Odorless Treats
Some dogs don’t like treats that smell like something. A dog that dislikes chicken, for instance, might be discouraged by a treat scented like chicken. The problem of your dog refusing to participate in a training session due to the disappointment of a scented treat can be resolved by using odourless treats.
This is not to argue that dogs don’t find scents pleasing. Their keen sense of smell serves them well in a variety of situations. To avoid giving them treats that will irritate them and slow down the training process altogether, you might want to begin with odorless treats when beginning the process.
6. Calm Treating
Even though we advise rewarding your dog right away, you should also give them praise for good behavior. When your dog is calm, it’s time to reward them with a treat. Giving your dog a reward when they exhibit agitated or excitable behavior conveys that you value their behavior as well.
7. Make It Fun
Treats must be connected to your dog’s enjoyable training session. Your dog will associate the treat with pressure or impatience if they sense it from you. This may result in an outright rejection of the treat, which may cause anxiety or depression. Throughout the training process, you should make it enjoyable for your dog by using a variety of teaching techniques, such as making up a song or dance, clapping, and petting. Your dog won’t appreciate being treated until then.
8.Remove Distractions
It’s possible that your dog is focusing on more appetizing food if you observe that they aren’t giving the treats much attention. For instance, if there’s food in your dog’s bowl, they might be more interested in that than in the treat right now. Take out any food or items that could tempt your dog to stray from the treat you want them to concentrate on.
The surroundings can also serve as a source of distraction. For instance, your dog might hide inside if the music is too loud. This implies that they might not have been interested in the treat and that the training process wasn’t successful.
9. Phase Out
Your dog will eventually need to learn commands without receiving a reward. When you decide to start cutting back, you should use your judgment based on your dog’s progress. Because there won’t be treats for your dog in the future, it’s crucial to give them attention and pats in addition to treats.
Depending on your preferred approach and your dog’s development, there are various ways to phase out treats. Until you reach a point where these are no longer given, you can begin by reducing the frequency of treats. This implies that in order to keep your dog feeling valued and confident enough to carry on with the process, you will need to carefully increase the amount of praises and pats you give them.
Conclusion:
You must be constant, ensure that there are no outside distractions, make the process engaging and enjoyable, and pat when you treat. After your dog has mastered the art of following commands, you can keep rewarding them at random because they occasionally deserve treats.
In order to prevent your dog from associating treats with negativity, you must also ensure that you are in a positive state of mind. Always remember to be kind, patient, and composed. If these steps are taken, training your dog is a process that will eventually produce positive results.