She asked me about training today and it made me think about when I first got Pebbles. I decided to take her to puppy class, and unfortunately the one I chose talked me into making a BIG mistake. I was taught to train her with treats. Bad Ash. Very, Bad Ash.
Dogs are fascinated, even obsessed with treats. So when you have one in your hand, and are trying to make the dog do something, ALL the dog is thinking about is the fastest way to get that T-R-E-A-T.
I believe that training is forging a relationship between you and your dog - you are the pack leader and your dog must follow that hierarchy and listen to you. Once this is established, you gain a happy and well-adjusted dog that respects you. If you use treats, you are training your dog to focus on the treat, not you. This makes the treat more important than you are to the dog, and the hierarchy is broken. Hence, when you are without treats, your dog doesn't listen to you.
Dogs in a pack do not use treats (or bribery) to gain authority or respect. One dog will arise as pack leader by using an increasing scale of correction given to the other dogs, based on their individual personalities.
Treats do not provide a consequence. When a dog is off-leash, and distracted, he feels he has the option to choose the treat you happen to be frantically waving around from a distance (I have TOTALLY done this), or instead, choose the distraction. If your dog likes squirrels more than treats, you are going to have a problem.
If you have trained your dog to listen to you based on respect, he no longer feels that he has that choice. He knows there will be a consequence if he does not listen - an uncomfortable tug on the collar for example. Corrective actions for bad behaviour coupled with praise and affection for good behaviour will bring about a much more trustworthy dog in all situations.
Please don't make the same mistake I have - ensure your trainer is recommended and doesn't bribe her clients (your dog) into seeming well-behaved in class. As soon as that treat is gone, so is the training!
~ Ash & Pebbles
