Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Training Your Dog Using Food Rewards



Food is always tempting to animals as it is a source for survival. The desire for food is part of the animals’ psyche, which is why food rewards during training is very effective in terms of motivation.

Bribery vs. Reward
Many people confuse bribery with the act of rewarding a dog. The intent and process are not the same. Simply put, bribery is when you show the food to the dog so that it will do what you want, while rewarding is giving the food to the dog after it has done what you wanted it to do. For example, offering a dog some food so it will want to come to you is considered bribery. On the other hand, rewarding is when you offer the food only after it has come to you when you perform the command.

Getting Respect from your Dog
An ideal response to aim for when training a dog is making your dog want to obey you because it respects you, rather than because it fears you. If you gain the respect of your dog, it will be eager to please you and willingly follow commands. Bribery is also not needed to gain this respect as a dog who considers you its pack leader will want to follow your commands, with or without treats.

Weight Gain Because of Treats
More often than not, weight gain in your pet is caused by the lack of regulating their food intake. As an owner, you are responsible for the wellbeing and training of your pet. Learn to balance their food intake as well as their need to exercise. If you offer your dog food rewards during training, remember to give it adequate exercise to burn off any excess calories. Also, there is no rule that says that whenever your dog does something that pleases you, it should be rewarded a treat. Its meal can be a reward in itself. The attention and praise you give your dog can also be counted as a reward. A reward need not be food all the time.

Other Forms of Motivation

Some dogs are not motivated to follow commands even with food rewards. This is because dogs are natural scavengers and the food they find themselves gives them double the pleasure. There may be underlying reasons why a dog is not motivated by food rewards. This disinterest can be caused by many factors including stress, anxiety, or sickness. It can also be that the dog finds the food reward unappealing or because it feels full.

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