Buddy's Treat-Training Promblem...

BuddytheBoxerMix

I think I may have made a mistake when Buddy first started training.
I used treats. And now, he only responds when you have a treat. And I only gave him a little piece at a time. Is there anyway to fix this?

Criosphynx

you used the treat as a bribe not a reward.

Bribes come before a behavior(look what I got, now do som'thing for me) and a reward (wow you did that cool thing, heres a dollar) comes after the behavior.

Simply quit showing him the food beforehand...use a word to mark the behavior "yes" or "good" and then go get the treat or pull it out of your pocket.

fawkese1

you may also look into clicker training, it changes the association of the cue with the behavior with the reward and when done right it makes communicating with your dog more simple. if you aren't familiar with it, definately try to read up on it or watch someone else do it.