If there’s one thing most dogs love it’s food. Treats and dog training go hand in hand. When used properly, food can greatly speed up the training and learning process. Follow these simple recommendations below when training your dog with food.
1. When training your dog or puppy find a food that they can identify with training time. Special dog training foods you can use are small cut up pieces of cooked chicken, cheese, hot dogs, and rice cakes.
2. Until your dog has a full understanding of the command you are trying to teach them reward them for each correct response. You should reward with food when your dog has a correct response and if a physical correction is required such as a slight (not to hard) leash jerk.
3. Reward your dog immediately after they give a correct response.
4. Always use a verbal praise along with rewarding your dog with food.
5. For full effectiveness when using treats to train your dog, offer food rewards when your dog is hungry.
6. Once your dog has an understanding of what you are trying to train them to learn start rewarding your dog on a random basis. This will strenghthen your dog’s responses.
7. Once your dogs performance improves steadily decrease the frequency of rewarding with treats.
8. In the beginning stages of training make your treat reward visible to your dog at all times. As your dog begins to catch on to your commands you should keep the food hidden until you are ready to give it to them.
Keep coming back to our website for more information on tips and treats for training dogs!