“How long do I have to keep using treats?”
It’s one of the questions we hear most often, usually from owners worried they’ll still be carrying chicken around in their pockets when their dog is ten. Closely followed by: “I don’t want to bribe my dog.” Or: “My dog should do it just because it loves me. It shouldn’t need bribes.”
All fair questions. And the good news is, you don’t have to spend the rest of your dog’s life walking around with treats in your pockets.The goal isn’t to stop rewarding your dog. It’s to teach them that rewards come in many forms, and that doing the things we ask of them is worthwhile. Food is simply one of the best places to start.
When we’re teaching a new behaviour, a small piece of food is quick, easy and precise. Your dog does something we like, we reward it immediately, and the message is beautifully clear: yes, that’s exactly what we want you to do again.
Rewards aren’t bribes
A bribe and a reward aren’t the same thing. A bribe is offered beforehand to persuade someone to do something. A reward comes afterwards, in response to something they’ve already done. When your dog comes when called, walks beautifully on a loose lead or settles quietly on their mat, rewarding them afterwards tells them that’s exactly what you were hoping for. Dogs repeat behaviours that lead to good outcomes. That’s how all animals learn.
If you want to build a behaviour, reward it. If your dog has developed a behaviour you’d rather they didn’t have, manage things so they don’t get endless opportunities to practise it while you teach and reward a better alternative. Don’t spend all your time telling your dog what not to do. Teach them what you’d like them to do instead and make that choice worthwhile.
Use the food you’re already feeding
“But won’t my dog get fat?” Not if you do it sensibly. Much of the food we use in training can simply come from your dog’s normal daily food allowance. Instead of just shovelling food down your dog’s throat for doing nothing, use some of that food to build the behaviours you want. You’ll not only end up with a better-mannered dog, you’ll be building your relationship at the same time.
Two favourites at CLEAR are Chunkers and Prime100 rolls. Chunkers are little meaty balls you’ll find in the fresh dog-food section of most supermarkets, and they’re handy because you can break off tiny pieces with your fingers as you train. Prime100 rolls take a little more preparation, but we make that a once-a-week job. Chop up a whole roll, lightly dry the pieces in the air fryer, then divide them into little bags. Keep a couple in the fridge and pop the rest in the freezer.
For a dry option, we also love Love ’em Puppy Rewards, tiny heart-shaped treats developed by a vet. They come in a resealable packet, making them ideal for your training bag or treat stash, and they’re available from Woolworths and pet stores.
Don’t forget your treat stash
Keep a small stash of treats somewhere central and convenient, where the dog can’t reach them but you can. That way you can reward good behaviour when it happens naturally without wandering around all day with treats in your pockets. Your dog is in the backyard and you want to practise your recall? Choose your moment and don’t try it when they’re completely distracted. Call them to come, praise them enthusiastically as they head towards you, and when they arrive, go to your treat stash and reward them.
The treat wasn’t in your hand or even in your pocket. Do this often enough and your dog learns that even when there isn’t a treat in sight, good things can appear almost out of thin air. They’re learning that listening to you is worthwhile, rather than responding only when they can see the payment.
Rewards come in many forms
Food is only one type of reward. Dogs may love toys, tug games, chasing a ball, praise, scratches, permission to sniff or jumping into the car. What constitutes a reward depends on the dog.
Food is particularly useful when we’re teaching because it’s efficient. You can reward a behaviour and practise again within seconds. In the time it takes to throw a ball, have your dog chase it, retrieve it and come back, you could have rewarded the same behaviour with food several times. Food can also help many dogs remain calm enough to think. A ball may send excitement levels soaring, which is wonderful for having fun but not always ideal when you’re teaching something new that requires concentration.
As training progresses, start using more of life’s everyday rewards. If your dog has walked beautifully beside you for a couple of minutes, instead of reaching for food, smile and say, “Okay, go sniff.” For a dog who loves exploring the world with their nose, that can be every bit as valuable as a treat.
Love and learning are two different things
We sometimes hear, “My dog should do it just because it loves me. It shouldn’t need bribes.” Of course your dog can love you. But we don’t expect the people we love to spend their lives doing everything we ask simply because they love us, so why should our dogs?
Using rewards doesn’t diminish your relationship with your dog. Done well, training can help build it. Every time you notice your dog making a good choice, communicate clearly and reward them with something they value, you’re creating another positive interaction between the two of you.
The reward might be food, a game, a scratch, permission to sniff or simply genuine delight in your voice. As training progresses, working with you can become rewarding in itself.
So, how long do you need treats?
When you’re teaching a brand-new behaviour, ideally reward almost every correct response at first, so it’s really clear to your dog what worked. As the behaviour becomes more familiar and reliable, food can gradually become less frequent. Sometimes there’ll be food, sometimes praise, sometimes a toy or a game, and sometimes the reward will simply be permission to do something your dog enjoys. Even our own highly trained dogs are still rewarded throughout their lives; they just don’t need food every single time.
There’s another important benefit to using food well. If you consistently pair a happy “Good dog!” with a food reward, your dog begins to associate the pleasure of the food with the sound and tone of your voice. Over time, your voice takes on rewarding value of its own. Food may have helped us build that association in the first place, but eventually a warm, enthusiastic “Good dog!” can become a reward in itself.
A great relationship with your dog and the use of rewards aren’t opposites. They’re part of the same conversation. The goal isn’t to stop rewarding your dog. The goal is to stop needing food every single time.
