A Small Dog

The Big Controversy: I Want My Dog to Respond to Me, Not Treats

Posted on 31. Dec, 2008 by Jeff K. in Training A Small Dog

Have I got a deal for you! I would like you to go to school to learn a highly technical and demanding skill. I mean, pick something that really stretches your abilities and makes you work long and difficult hours. Law school or medical school will do nicely, but you are free to choose your own course of study. Then I want you to refine your skills for 2 to 3 years at an internship in your chosen field. Then I want you to go into practice for yourself, but promise me you will never, ever take any pay for your work. I want you to do all this just because I asked you to and because you like me. In return, I promise to pat you on your head and tell you what a good job
you are doing. If this sounds like a good deal to you, please give me your name and email address in the comment section at the end of this article so I can add you to my list.

******

I have had a number of dog owners come into Kelsey’s Dog House over the years who wanted to show off their small dog’s obedience skills. Typically the scenario goes like this. The owner tells the dog to do something and the dog either stands there, non-responsive, or the dog walks away to investigate a scent in the corner of the room.

“I don’t get it,” says the owner. “He is so reliable at home.”

“Well,” I say, “it’s an unfamiliar environment and he’s probably pretty distracted.”

The truth is, the dog is non-responsive in the same way you would be non-responsive if someone asked you to do an undesirable or meaningless task for no apparent reason and with no offer of pay, and you had plenty of other more enjoyable alternatives. Dogs work for a payoff, just as we humans do. The more demanding the task, the more we expect to get paid. The question is: what is “pay?”

Pay is anything that has worth to us. For many people, the most obvious answer is money. For others, it’s sex. For some, pay is the guarantee if we do one task, we will be able to avoid a far worse task or consequence. For still others, pay comes in the form of love and gratitude we receive from those that matter to us. Of all the forms of pay, the one that tends to lose its luster over time is love and gratitude, especially if we are expected to continue to work hard just for a kind word. Over time, kind words begin to seem hollow, especially if that is all we get for working our butts off. Yes, I know that’s a cynical statement, but consider this scenario:

“Johnny, would you paint the house for Mama?” Then, “Good job, Johnny, your Mama loves you. Now would you fix the air conditioner?” Then, “Thank you Johnny. That’s much better. Now that you are finished with that, I need you to repair a hole in the roof. That’s a good boy.” How do you think Johnny is feeling after the roof repair? Is he ready for a pat on the head, or the first train out of town?

As much as we would like to believe our dogs should work only for our approval, we need to consider reality. Dogs, like people, want to work for something of value, and that something has to hold its value payoff after payoff. Granted, dogs want our approval and attention. If that is all a dog ever gets for hard work, the dog will either not learn the behaviors you desire, or the dog will eventually go on strike. Like it or not, your dog will almost always respond to savory treats. I’m not talking about chokingly dry, bland, hard dog biscuits. I’m talking about moist, tasty, rich treats. Think of it this way. Your dog will work for a while for a nickels worth of love, but you will get the most mileage out of him with a dollar’s worth of liver, cheese or bacon snacks.

Let me conclude by emphasizing what I am not saying. I am not saying you should stuff your dog with cheese and bacon just to get him to do his business outside. If you do fill him up with rich and fatty foods, he probably won’t make it to the door before business happens. I am also not saying you should hand out the good stuff all the time for all good behavior. Doing so will make your dog fat, lazy and spoiled. What I am saying is, for initial training, mix the valuable treats in with lots of praise. Once your dog is working consistently for you and the treats you provide, you can reduce the frequency of offered treats so they are an occasional bonus, while you continue to lavish love and praise.

When a dog responds to food, it’s not “tricks for treats.” It is dogs doing what we all do: working hard for a good payoff.

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Tags: dog trainer, rewarding my dog, training