Using Treats to Enforce Puppy Training
Everyone loves getting rewarded, whether it is a paycheck, praise, or a favorite meal. Humans solely work to get rewarded. For example, what is the purpose of working in a job if you do not get paid? Dogs and many other animals are pretty similar to humans in this trait. Invariably, dogs behave in particular ways and manners because they expect to be rewarded.
Puppy training treats are an essential concept that has been used to train dogs for a long time. Dogs get encouraged and motivated when they are given a treat upon obeying their owner’s commands.
This article will discuss puppy training treats and how they can be used to reinforce your dog’s behaviour. We’ll also review some simple homemade puppy treats you can prepare in minutes. So stay tuned and read on!
Puppy Training Treats – How Often Should I Use Them?
We will have to use training treats whenever we start a training session and intend to teach our dogs a particular behaviour. These treats would be used quite often initially as it is vital to capture the dog’s attention and make it do the tasks. For example, when you teach your dog how to sit, you will have to give it treats every time it sits on the floor. Repetition is the key to success. Hence, your dog gets a treat as encouragement with every repetitive behaviour.
Dog treats are used as positive reinforcement to implement a behaviour. Reinforcements are used to increase the frequency of a specific action or inaction. Positive reinforcements are rewards that make your dog excited and motivated to pursue a particular task and complete it. These reinforcements also include praising your dog or giving it a toy to play with. There are also negative reinforcements such as verbal and physical abuse. These reinforcements are never recommended as they can make your dog stubborn and scared.
You might wonder when is the right time to decrease the number of treats you give your dog. It is best to reduce the number of treats as soon as your dog learns specific cues and is quite good at it. Do not immediately withdraw all food treats. Instead, reduce the number and try substitution. Give your dog a favorite toy to play with or a rub on its belly to make it feel good.
Benefits of Using Dog Treats During Training
Dog treats are used as positive reinforcements, as we discussed above. But what makes food treats so amusing for your dog? Well, the answer is that food is the primary need of a dog. They get excited about it and always love to gobble up a few quick treats. This excitement results in the dog becoming focused during training sessions as it knows what reward it will get upon completion. Hence, the dog obeys you and does exactly what you intend from it.
Another benefit of using healthy dog treats during training is that your dog can learn a variety of behaviours quite quickly. If you do not use any treats and expect your dog to obey you for your happiness, they will get bored and unmotivated. Treats will allow them to learn certain behaviours quickly and move on to the next set of cues.
Tips While Using Healthy Dog Treats
Here are some valuable tips that can increase the effectiveness of treats during a training session:
- Use Gobble-Up Treats
During a training session, your aim should be to keep your dog’s attention and focus on the exercise. Use treats that are easy to carry and feed your dog. This will keep the dog’s attention on the training and less on the treat.
- Use Smaller Treats
As we discussed earlier, when starting a training session with your pup, you will need to feed it many treats. Even if you provide healthy dog treats, chances are that overloading so much food will interfere with their diet. To keep an optimal diet plan, reduce the size of treats you feed your dog. This will keep your dog active and fit. You can also cut the treats into smaller pieces if they are pretty bulky in the first place. Do not worry about cheating your dog, as it is for their good, and they do not even care about the reward size as long as they get one.
- Use Soft Treats
The primary advantage of a soft treat is that your dog can gobble it up in one go without wasting time. Using crunchier treats such as biscuits will leave crumbs on the floor that your four-legged friend will also be willing to finish. This will shift the prime focus from the training to the treat, thus elevating the training session.
- Always Have Treats Ready
Keep dog treats ready in your pocket to reward your pup on the go whenever they perform an excellent task. This will encourage them further to obey you even when it is not asked.
Some Easy Dog Treat Recipes
Let’s look at 3 of the most famous and easy-to-make dog training treat recipes that you can prepare with minimal effort::
- Chicken Dog Treats
Dogs love chicken, and they are an excellent source of protein. Prepare this recipe by dicing one cup of chicken and adding it to half a cup of cooked rice, a tablespoon of parsley, three tablespoons of flour, and an egg. Cook together for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Frozen Apple Treats
Dip some apple cubes in plain yogurt and freeze it for 2 hours. This is a fantastic treat for your dog to munch on that is rich in fiber.
- Cheese Bone Treats
Cheesy bones are considered one of your dog’s tastiest homemade puppy treats. All you need is two cups of diced cheese, four cups of flour, a dash of oil, and some water. Cook it for 3 hours and let it cool.
Final Thoughts
Puppy training treats are integral to training your dog to help nurture your dog’s behaviour. Use them wisely and implement all the above tips to enhance your dog’s training routine. Learn more about the benefits of puppy treats in this article.
