Why Praise is More Effective than Treats
The treat-training philosophy seems to be the big buzz in the dog training world. Proponents of this type of training believe that you should keep treats with you at all times so if you need your dog to notice you or obey a command, you can pull out a treat to get their attention. Does it work? Sure! For some dogs (maybe even most). Does it always get their attention? Sure! As long as there isn’t another dog, squirrel, rabbit, (insert dog’s favorite temptation). But it works better than anything else you’ve tried, right?
What if we told you that praise was enough to motivate your dog to do the right thing? Almost 100% of our clients start out saying “praise does nothing for my dog so it definitely won’t get them to stop chasing a rabbit”. We understand your position. But we want to tell you, you’re wrong! Would you believe it? I wouldn’t either. Not until I understood the whole process.
When “training” your dog how to do the right thing through a Happy Tails program, there are a lot of steps and specific techniques involved. So sure, they won’t stop chasing a rabbit when you yell “good dog, Bella!” That’s just silly. But during the training process, when you communicate with your dog in a way they understand and you become their leader, you’ll start to see they look to you for direction. They’re looking for your command and reaction, and if you’re praising them, they understand what they’re doing is the right thing.
We also believe you should be able to give your dog one command, one time and they listen. Do you think it’s possible to simply say “sit” (without a treat) and they do it (and stay there until you tell them they can get up)? Would you believe we could train your dog to go play in a field and when they catch sight of a deer and start running, you could simply say “come” and they stop chase and turn to you and run to get there? When the doorbell rings, what if you could simply say “down” and then turn around and walk to the door, open it, greet your guest, chat for a few minutes, invite them to sit down, and your dog remained in their “stay” without you ever having to repeat “stay, stay, stay, stay, stay” as you slloooooowly walk away from them. What would that kind of control mean to you? All this can be a reality without even cracking open the treat bag.
Now, don’t get us wrong. We are not against treats at Happy Tails! In fact, we sell treats at our center! We love them! We just don’t love them to teach. We don’t necessarily believe we should have to bribe our dogs to do the right thing. Much like parents shouldn’t have to bribe their kids to clean their room. Does it work? Sure! You give Johnny a dollar or let him play on the iPad for an extra 10 minutes at night for doing the right thing (cleaning their room on command). But imagine a world where you just told your kid, “Please clean your room” and they said “okay, mom. You got it!” And all they needed in response was a heartfelt, “thanks, Johnny. You’re a great kid”. We make that a reality with your pup at Happy Tails Learning Center for Dogs.
We believe that building mutual trust & respect with your dog is the way to get them to obey – every time! And what if we told you we PROMISE your dog will respond to that type of reward? Guaranteed. You don’t pay for your training if you dog can’t learn through our technique.
Schedule an in-home consultation with a Happy Tails trainer to learn more. Ahhh, life can be so easy!
For more info, call 586-580-3684 or log online to happytailsrule.com