GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn.-- Dog trainer Kathryn Newman joined us today to talk about how you can get your pet to listen without always having to use treats. She said the trick is to start to introduce distractions (any item or scenario that will cause you dog to not listen or follow a command) into your training regimen.
It also means introducing a low level correction. Most dogs that are trained exclusively with treats are never taught there will be a negative consequence for noncompliance. This results in a dog who obeys when he wants to; not when the owner needs him to. If introduced properly a correction can be quite mild but still effective.
Here are the steps to weaning your dog off treats while improving her response to your commands.
1. Make sure your dog really knows the word command.
2. Introduce a low level correction to "back up" (enforce) the command. Do this in a quiet, familiar setting.
3. Add distractions starting at a low level of interest and building up in intensity. Recognize that your dog's interests determine the types of distractions being used.
4. Train in a variety of locations to generalize the skill.
For more details on Kathryn and Augusta Dog Training, visit www.augustadogtraining.com.
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