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Brydie Charlesworth • Dec 01, 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!




What is it? Is it normal? What you can do to prevent it.

What is redirected aggression?

Redirected aggression is aggression caused by excitement, frustration or arousal that is directed at a particular target but when the dog is unable to reach the intended target or is interrupted, the dog redirects that response to what is near to it.

An example of redirected aggression is two dogs running along a fence barking at a dog or person walking past, and then they turn on each other growling and biting.

Another example is when two dogs are fighting and a human tries to intervene. The fighting dogs can swing around and bite the person who is trying to stop the fight.

Redirected aggression can also occur when you are walking your dog on a lead and it gets overly stimulated and turns to nip the handler.

Redirected aggression ALWAYS happens when the dog is an aroused state. The longer the dog is in a state of arousal, the more likely it is to occur.

How do we stop redirected aggression?

Prevention, Training and Management. If you know your dogs fence fight, keep them away from area where the fights start. If the dog is further away from the stimulus, they are less likely to be aroused and therefore redirected aggression is less likely to occur.


Altering your environment will alter the behaviour.


If your dog displays redirected aggression on lead, you need to master loose lead walking and ensure your engagement is high.
Always give your dog an alternate behaviour to perform.

Redirection tends to happen more frequently in dogs that are more intense in nature. They are the dogs that are a bit more wound up, ready to go and exuberant about life. Ensuring your dog has received adequate exercise, training and environmental enrichment can reduce this behaviour. If your dog is satisfied, tired and relaxed, it's less likely to jump straight into a state of high arousal and frustration.

The important thing to remember is that redirected aggression is a completely normal response to an emotion that the dog is feeling. It doesn't make it pleasant to see or deal with and it also does not necessarily mean that your dog is aggressive and needs to be put to sleep. It does mean that you have work to do with your dog to change the dogs emotional state and stop the behaviour from occurring.

If you have issues with redirected aggression, speak to your trainer about how to solve the issue.

Happy training xx

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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