Using treats may not always be the most effective way to train and reward your dog. Discover how to train a dog without treats in this guide for beginners.
I have been a successful treat-free trainer for many years, following seeing the behaviours and health problems in dogs that were trained with treats.
Introduction to Treat-free Training for Dogs
Nearly every training video you watch or show on TV demonstrates dogs being trained with treats. But did you know there is another successful way to train dogs and that is to train them without treats.
Using treats may not always be the most effective or healthy way to reward your dog when training. In this blog, discover how to train your puppy or dog without treats in this guide for beginners.
Section 1: What is Treat-free Training for dogs?
Treat-free training is just that, training without using treats. This form of training instead rewards the puppy or dog by using praise and affection, the highest form of reward for a dog. You do not see dogs feeding each other when they are wanting a certain behaviour by another canine, but you do see them touch each other, lick each other and use body language to express their pleasure.
Why Train Without Treats?
There are many reasons why training dogs with treats is not a good idea, from a health and diet perspective, and the development of unwanted behaviours associated with the relationship that develops with food as motivation.
Many dogs suffer from intolerances and allergies from the ingredients in treats and just the smallest treat can have an impact on a dog.
The ingredients and shape of treats are made to visually appeal to the human buying them.
Many dog treats are heavily processed and often contain undesirables substances or ingredients from the processes used to produce them.
Lots of dog treats are calorific and with many training methods that use treats as an incentive or reward, a high number of treats are given.
In 2021, there was an estimated 13 million recorded dogs in the UK and in a study by the Royal Veterinary College on 23 thousand dogs, 1 in 14 dogs were recorded as obese. That is not overweight, but dangerously overweight impacting both skeletal structures and internal organs.
Whilst training dogs or puppies with treats can give quick results initially, this is often short lived, with the reward value needing to gradually get higher to entice your dog, and so you start with a few biscuits, then find yourself with a pocket of cheese, then smelly sausages, and then cooked liver. We’ve all been there, right?
Offer cooked liver in the first instance, and you have nowhere to go when your dog just sniffs it.
Treat training dogs can also lead to unwanted behaviours
How often do you go out for a walk with your dog and put your hand in your pocket or bag, to find maybe a tissue, or glove, and suddenly you have a park full of dogs charging at you ready to mug you for what they thought would be a treat?
Or you see a child walking along enjoying their ice-cream or lollipop and suddenly a dog is there pinching it out of their hand. Why does that happen? Because the dog has been fed treats from a humans hand.
You may be wondering, what about throwing the treat on the floor instead so food is not associated with hands? The issue that can be created using this method, is that the dog is taught that food on the floor is theirs and resource guarding occurs or worse still, they pick up a poisoned piece of food from the floor.
When treat training, dogs that are foodies become fixated on the treat and not the command
Another common trait you see from owners who treat train their dogs is their emotional need to show love. This overrides the reason why they are treat training. Some dogs are just not interested in treats. You see owners put their dog in a lovely “sit” and then offer the dog a treat. If the dog refuses the treat, the owner can become upset that dog doesn’t want the treat and by the time the dog takes it trying to please the owner, it is probably no longer in the “sit” that it was originally getting rewarded for. It has therefore been trained that taking the treat is the command. This is far more common than you might think.
Section 2: How To Train Your Dog or Puppy Without Using Treats
How to Train Your Dog Without Treats
There are alternatives to treat training dogs including using toys, and these have their place when training in specific disciplines but the highest form of reward a dog receives is praise and affection. An easy reward that does not require pockets full of treats or toys, simply good timing.
With all training, rewarding is all about the timing. Reward too early or too late and whatever the dog is doing at that moment is what is rewarded.
If we take the most requested command that people want in training, we can look at when and how to reward the desired behaviour
The Heel Command
The goal is to have your dog walk by your side, no further forward than its nose tip level with your leg and the lead in a J shape.
Harnesses were designed for dogs to pull, think of Huskies or cart pulling breeds, and so this command is taught on lead and collar, or many trainers, prefer a slip lead.
The collar and/or lead should be placed at the highest point up the neck. This allows for better control. If using a slip lead it is important to have it on the correct way with the loop and ring coming up under the chin towards your body so as you loosen your hold, it releases tension, and the lead loosens.
The lead is kept short with it being held at approximately hip height with no slack in the lead initially.
Without moving your position, you are going to manoeuvre the dog to your side to the correct place by bring it round the back of you. You are not going to manoeuvre yourself to the correct position by the dog as that trains the dog that it can stand where it likes.
Once the dog is in the correct position, you can praise by touching the side of it’s head or neck (affection) and praising it “good”, then with the dog looking at you (engaged) releasing the position by using a release command word of choice, you give the “heel” command and then set off with the leg nearest the dog.
If the dog pulls in front of you, you stop, bring the dog round to the side where it should be and repeat the above step.
After a few times, the dog will realise that until it is in the correct position you are not going to move.
Once the dog is walking correctly, you can praise it and repeat the exercise whilst starting to loosen the lead.
By regularly stopping and starting, each time praising when it is walking nicely, it helps maintain the position and keeps the dog engaged with you.
One of the key things to maintain nice lead walking is to walk on lead regularly and at various places. Even if out in places where a dog can run around, it is good practice to call your dog back intermittently and walk it on lead.
Rarely do you see a dog who lives in a town or city pulling on their leads. It is the dogs that live in the countryside who are let out of the car and allowed to run freely, that are not good walkers on lead. You may receive a penalty if you do not have your dog on a short lead when walking on roads (road traffic act Section 27), and the country code stipulates a dog should be on a short lead (no more than 2 foot) when walking near livestock*
At the end of a training session, is the time that you can get a toy and play a short game with your dog. It has worked hard for you and this time will develop and deeper bond between you.
Treat-free Training Troubleshooting
Common Questions and tips on how to resolve issues
What do I do if the training is not working?
Often it is because the dog does not understand what is wanted, and that can because the timings are out, the commands are not clear or consistent, the body language is sending a different message.
My dog is doing the command during training classes but not anywhere else, why is that?
If you only train during the class, the dog will associate that as the place where it needs to do a command correctly. It is important to train regularly and consistently in various locations, so the dog understands the command correctly and can demonstrate the correct behaviour no matter where it is.
Owners sometimes feel more confident in a training lesson where they receive instruction and have support. It is crucial to practice every day, even if for just 10 mins or so.
At what age should I start training my dog?
As early as possible! They will never be too young. Dogs are like sponges between the ages of 3 weeks and 12 weeks and what they learn during this time will give them a foundation for the future. Puppies during this stage are taught good manners and social behaviour during this phase. Good breeders start training their litters as soon as they are walking. Waiting until a pup has had second vaccinations results in losing out on this critical period to learn.
My dog doesn’t listen to me
Your dog probably is listening but does not understand what is being asked of it. By using a command word just once and waiting 3 seconds for the dog to process what is being asked, it can make a significant difference. Ensure that you are not just repeating the dogs name or a command word over and over again. Say the command word once, show the dog what is required, patiently repeat if needed and ensure to praise when the dog does if correctly.
How Can I Help You and Your Dog Through Treat-free Training?
As a L4 qualified trainer and behaviourist, I have been successfully helping owners train their dogs for many years using treat-free training methods. Using both verbal and visual commands (dogs read body language and you never know if they are going to lose their sight or hearing) I run short progressive obedience training courses for puppies and dogs in small groups and 1:1 sessions. The classes are designed to be fun so both you and your dog enjoy them.
I can support you if you are a breeder and wish to start your litter on treat-free training and offer packages that will then help the new owner, and the puppy continue the training.
If you are bringing home a new puppy or adopting rescue dog, I offer packages to support you through the settling in and training periods. It covers everything from choosing the right dog, crate training, toilet training, feeding, boundaries, nipping, to basic training
People that train with me receive support in between training sessions to be able to ask questions.
If you would like a free discovery call to see how I can help you please contact me toni@symbioticsapproach.co.uk and why not sign up to our email list to receive our newsletter and to hear more about treat-free training?