As most of you know by now, I don't do treat-training with Robbie. Instead, we use vocal praise and sometimes toys as a reward. It is my belief that creating a reliance on the expectation of food reward can be disastrous when the dog's job is t save your life one day. If you miss a treat once or twice and then more, you create an inconsistency in your training that the dog will pick up on, making it more likely that they won't be as reliable as you need them to be. I will use treats under special circumstances, but they always get phased out. In this post, I will talk about the few times when I do use treats in Robbie's training, how I phase out the treats, what types of treats we use for him, and even a recipe for making your own deer jerky treats!
Recipe: Homemade Deer Jerky Strips & Braided Sticks
Robbie LOVED his deer jerky treats! They did not last long. Some of the strips we cut into bite size pieces for training, and had 4 successful braids. Two braids went into the freezer and two into his treat jar. The ones in the freezer ended up regaining some of their moisture, so when we gave them to Robbie they were harder to gnaw on - which was what we wanted. The other two only lasted about 30 seconds. I really liked making this treat and liked that it was healthy for him. It is definitely a project I'd be willing to do again, either with chicken breast or deer next season. Closing NotesTreats can be invaluable for creating positive associations with various events, but I believe that other things, such as vocal praise or toys, can be just as rewarding to a dog. Learning more about your dog, what they like or don't like, what motivates them, what gets them too excited to focus, and if they will only respond to one type of reward will help you make the decision between using treats in training or not. It all comes down to personal preference, and primarily using alternative rewards works well for me & for Robbie. Like I said, though, even my method is not completely without food. Feel the situation. Originally, I was determined to never use food as motivation, but I ran into a few training hurdles that were helped by including food, so I went with another of my favorite training principles - do what works. For me, the occasional use of food followed by phasing the food out is what works for us. I hope this post gave you some ideas about different reward possibilities, treat ideas, and how to phase out food if that's your goal. Also, I highly recommend the jerky recipe for anyone looking to make healthy treats for their dog.
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My Name is Sally...I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This blog is about my journey training Robbie, a dog who helped me regain independence, confidence, and achieve the impossible in the face of my disability. It continues on with the training of Austin, Robbie's successor. Check Out... - "More than a Dog" was published on a site called The Mighty Categories
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