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Brydie Charlesworth • Dec 15, 2021

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!




Currently there seems to be a rise in advice being given to puppy owners where owners are being told not to take their puppy out of the yard until they are 16 weeks old. This advice is being given so that the puppies are fully vaccinated and therefore safe to be taken out in public without the risk of contracting a disease.

Let me explain the issue I have with this.

Your puppy has a critical period which is 6-16 weeks. This is when your puppy is learning all about the world. What’s scary, what’s safe, what cars, trucks, people, cats, buildings, other dogs etc are all about. Anything your puppy learns or doesn’t learn in this stage of life, sticks like glue.
Not exposing your puppy to every day life and teaching them about the world, leads to a nervous dog. Nervous dogs are more likely to develop aggressive traits and even if your dog doesn’t develop aggression, who wants their dog to live in a permanent state of anxiety because they don’t understand the world.

Now if the above isn’t reason enough to get your puppy out and socializing then maybe the following is.

Tens of thousands of dogs are surrendered or put to sleep annually for behaviour reasons in Australia alone. These are perfectly healthy dogs but they are killed because the owners couldn’t cope with their behaviour. This is something trainers deal with daily and it’s on the rise. With the combination of not giving puppies clear guidelines, incorrect advice from puppy schools and a lack of socializing, we are creating a generation of very nervous and unhappy dogs.

Just because your puppy hasn’t had it’s third vaccination, doesn’t mean it can’t go out and socialize. Just don’t take it to a dog park or anywhere where large volumes of dogs gather. There are plenty of ways you can socialize your puppy while minimizing the risk to it’s health.
Take your puppy to low dog-traffic areas and take calculated risks. Your puppy is depending on you to do the right thing.

We’ve put together a small socializing checklist for you which you can find HERE

You only get one chance to habituate your puppy in it’s critical period so don’t delay!!

 

 

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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