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Brydie Charlesworth • Jul 12, 2015

Why we use food for dog training


"I don't want to rely on food for my training"


"Back in my day we didn't bribe dogs"

"My dog should just do as I say"


Does this sound familiar to you? We hear sentences like this so often and often when we ask why they are in for training it's because the dog won't recall, won't listen, pulls on the lead etc and there is a general break down in a section of their relationship.


Why is the dog like this?
Because the owner is holding low value to them. The owner hasn't worked on building the relationship in a way that the dog finds beneficial. In other words, the lack of rewards has dropped engagement and the owners overall value in the dogs eyes.

Imagine having a friend that provides no value to your friendship but has high expectations and demands things of you? How long would you remain friends with this person? Personally, this isn't a friendship I would want to invest any time in and it's the same for your dog.

So if you've found yourself in the position where your dog isn't listening and you want to change it's attitude, the first thing you need to fix is the gaps in your relationship and it's not as hard as you would think.

Firstly

  1. STOP feeding your dog from his/her bowl.
  2. Put your dogs daily food allowance in a treat pouch
  3. Start working on basic exercises and fun games for your dog to earn it's daily calories
  4. Use a marker to mark the moment your dog gets the game/training right
  5. Reward your dog early and often
  6. Be consistent
  7. Keep the sessions short 5 mins max
  8. Play with your dog daily Ball, tug, wrestling or whatever your dog finds enjoyable
  9. Invest daily time into your relationship where the dog feels good about your company



Do this daily for a couple of weeks and look at the change in your dog. You should see a dramatic difference in your dogs attitude, attention and overall demeanour.

For those of you saying that your dog doesn't have food drive, use high value food (not dry biscuits or dried liver. Try PRIME100 or equivilant) and remove all access to food other than through interactions with you. You can build food drive in
all dogs.

If you think that this isn't possible, our team works with 50 dogs per day and manages to get every one of them believing they are amazing and worth leaving games for.

Remember- Training only works when you do!




We’ve all been taught the common signs to look out for when a dog is going to bite. Everyone knows to avoid that dog that is growling, or lungeing on the lead or snarling and backing away. Nobody seems to be taught the silent signals. The ones that aren’t as obvious but mean the same

We’ve all been taught the common signs to look out for when a dog is going to bite. Everyone knows to avoid that dog that is growling, or lungeing on the lead or snarling and backing away. Nobody seems to be taught the silent signals. The ones that aren’t as obvious but mean the same thing as a growl.

One of the recent school talks I saw was teaching children to hold their hand out and approach the dog to let it sniff their hand and then to immediately pat the dog. I was horrified. There was no education about how to tell if the dog actually wanted the child to approach. Just because the owner says it’s ok, doesn’t mean that the dog is feeling the same way and our kids need to be taught this. Just because the dog isn’t growling, doesn’t mean that the dog is happy to be approached.

Becoming very still is a sign that is often misunderstood as a signal that the dog is ok to approach. Becoming very still is a dogs very clear way of communicating that it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes it can be accompanied by licking of the lips , sometimes it will be accompanied by the turning away of the head and a ‘moon eye’ . Sometimes the dogs mouth will suddenly appear shorter in length and sometimes this can even be directly after the dog has been wagging it’s tail because guess what, a wagging tail does not necessarily equal a happy dog.

One very clear way to tell if your dog would like to interact is by asking the child to hold still and put out their hand. Without putting pressure on the lead, gesture to your dog to move forward to the child, if your dog doesn’t move forward, DON’T make it!

There is no rule that says that your dog has to interact with a child just because the child or you or anyone else wants it to happen. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your dog and tell the other parent or child that your dog doesn’t want to be patted today. Don’t be afraid to hurt the childs feelings by saying no, because guess what, a dog bite hurts a lot longer than a “no” ever will.

By Brydie Charlesworth 16 Jun, 2023
Unlock Your Puppy's Potential with Dog Education Centre: Prevent Behaviour Issues and Raise a Well-Behaved Companion. Our one-of-a-kind puppy school, led by qualified trainers, sets the foundation for long-term success. Discover the power of positive reinforcement, consistency, and routine in shaping your pup's behaviour. Explore our follow-up Super-Pups program for continued support on their journey to becoming exceptional companions. Start your puppy's journey right with Dog Education Centre.
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