Dog training is an essential part of being a pet parent. Not to simply teach our pets a few tricks, but rather it’s to build a foundation of trust, confidence, and discipline that is key to nurturing good behavior. As loving parents of our furry family members, it is important that we nurture their growth and development.
The most successful method to improve your dog’s wellbeing is through treat training. Providing a reward for correct actions has always been an effective strategy, not only for dogs but for almost any animal. However, the reward system isn’t just about handing out food, it is important that the process is done right and also to provide the best dog treats for training.
Here we give you helpful tips such as keeping your dogs healthy and happy with all natural dog treats. We also share some key things to look out for during practice training, as well as a few mistakes you want to avoid that can impact your dog’s growth.
Treat Training Your Pets the Right Way
To do treat training the right way, you will need to keep a few things in mind when interacting with your canine buddy. There are three simple steps to follow in this process, these are the command or cue, the stimulus, and the reward.
The command is the sound or sign that is used to get your dog’s attention and is also the cue for them to do a certain action. The cue is usually a verbal command but it can also be a non-verbal action like a hand motion or sound from an objective, like a bell, for example.
Stimulus refers to your dog seeing the food, preferably all natural dog treats, in your hand. The reward is allowing them to enjoy the best dog treats for training to improve their fitness and health. Repetition is what makes treat training successful, you have to familiarize your dog with the command, present the stimulus to them so they become attentive, and then let them have the reward only if they do the specific action you’re trying to teach.
That is the general idea of how it should go, but of course, there are always more factors that go into training your dog. Here are some more tips to prepare you and your furry buddy for what’s to come and to get the best results out of your treat training.
1. Keep a Specific Goal in Mind
A good place to start is to decide on what action you want your dog to learn or what behavior you want them to develop. Most people begin by teaching their dog to sit, a basic posture command.
If you’ve already done some simple actions like stand, shake hands, and roll over, you can try more advanced actions by setting different conditions. Things like asking them to fetch specific objects or showing them areas they can and can not go. You can even teach your canine companion to run an obstacle course once you’ve become a proficient trainer.
2. Trust the Process
Remember that practice and consistency means everything so you have to be sure that all the steps are done properly if you want your dog to learn the right way.
Let’s say you want to teach your best boy how to sit on command. Following the steps that we previously mentioned, you first get your dog’s attention with a cue, in this case, we can say “sit.” Show them the treat for motivation. Guide your dog into a sitting position and then give them the reward. Do this right several times over the course of a few days and your buddy should be able to recognize the command “sit” and assume the position.
You can choose any word you like as your command for sit as long as your pup can clearly hear you during your training.
3. Use All Natural Dog Treats
Health is always an important concern for every good pet owner. That is why all natural dog treats are recommended to you because they guarantee that your pets stay healthy and get all the crucial nutrients they need.
Most people overlook the importance of choosing the right brand of dog food and treats. Sometimes we don't know that our pets are allergic to it or if the food isn’t actually that nutritious. Organic all natural dog treats are the safest and most trusted option outside of commercial brands. These are the best dog treats for training because it helps your furry friends stay fit and healthy all throughout.
Actions and Practices to Avoid During Training
At this point, you probably have gotten the idea of how treat training is done, so let’s now go over a few things that can go wrong and others practices that you should avoid teaching your dog.
Avoid Becoming Dependent on Treats
As fur parents, we tend to spoil our family as often as we can, which isn’t anything wrong but allowing too much leeway allows your pets to get in the habit of doing what they please.
One of the things that pet owners would struggle with is being too dependent on the reward to get their pets to do anything. There is a difference between a dog learning to do an action and getting rewarded versus not doing the action unless there is a reward. Even the best dog treats for training won’t help if they’re used to receiving the reward for wrong actions.
This is where the importance of discipline comes into play, both for the owner and their dog. An owner needs to not give in and only allow a reward when the action is done right. Focus on letting your dog get used to the command rather than only giving them commands for the sake of a treat.
Rewarding Misbehavior
You need to have a level of commanding presence over your pet and the discipline to only reward good actions, otherwise, you may be unintentionally promoting bad behavior.
An example would be teaching your dog the command for “stand” but after doing the action, he aggressively goes for the treat as you hand it over. If that happens you should move your hand away and let them try again. They need to learn to receive the reward calmly and gently. This is the right way to do it. Be observant and firm with the actions of your dog and with your actions as well.
Congratulations! If you’ve gotten this far, we’re sure you’re ready to start experiencing treat training with your buddy the right way. Remember to keep them happy with all natural dog treats so they can enjoy the best dog treats for training.
