Using Food For Obedience vs Behavior Modification In Dog Training
Food! Most dogs love it. But some dogs couldn’t care less about it. Some dogs are too reactive or too nervous to take it. So what do we do to motivate our dogs with food if they aren’t the most food motivated?
There are ways to make food more desirable. One of which is to use it when the dog is hungry. This might mean training before a meal or it might mean skipping a meal or reducing meal size for a few days. It might mean using higher value food and just cutting it up very small to avoid filling the dog up.
But you NEVER NEED food. Just to be clear. We get dogs all the time that won’t take food when training, and it doesn’t have to be an issue. But food can really be your friend when it comes to increasing behaviors, so we highly recommend using a food item that motivates your dog during obedience lessons. In fairly short order, you should be able to move to an intermittent feeding schedule instead of every rep.
This might be every 3 or 4 reps and then every 5-7 reps and then eventually basically none. As feeding is decreasing, accountability is increasing (negative consequences ranging from annoying to very uncomfortable) is gradually increasing. Ultimately in the end, there is no payment for executing a simple command, but there is accountability for not executing.
Behavioral stuff can be trickier. I would argue that the majority of aggressive and reactive behavior is largely the product of a dog’s genetics combined with positive reinforcement. In many behavioral situations I believe dogs and owners are best served to refrain from using food unless they are very well versed in what to do and when and what to watch for. This can be a challenge, even for seasoned dog trainers. You risk increasing things you don’t want to.
In behavioral situations I generally recommend sticking to clear instruction, exuding confidence, giving guidance, and using a calm assertive energy. Maybe some neutral praise is fine, but reducing overall arousal (food creates arousal) is usually more productive.
Love the show? Sign up to access our new exciting Xtra content! This content is unique and is ONLY available to our paid subscribers.
Subscriptions are only $3/month! You can also just sign up to make a small donation monthly if you want to support the podcast. Or, if you can’t do that right now, just hit subscribe in your favorite app and tell a friend about the show!
Any support in any form from our listeners is sooo appreciated! We count on listeners like you to help us keep putting out content. Visit the link below to subscribe or donate.
I want to hear from you! Email me directly to ask your questions and suggest topics for the podcast.
Visit our website where you can purchase our online course for only $99 and get started with e-collar training today! Work at your own pace. This is a very beginner friendly course. You can also sign up for training with Kati and Joyce, visit our shop for our branded merchandise and purchase E-collar Technologies collars.
Visit our social media for free training videos and to connect with us!
https://www.facebook.com/diamondk9dogtraining
Minute-by-Minute Breakdown
- 00:00-00:59 – Before we jump in, I just wanted to take a quick second and remind you to hit the subscribe button because that helps us so, so, so much.
- 01:00-01:59 – Um, but that’s my sad story for the day.
- 02:00-02:59 – <laugh>, how big or small the dog is, um, how
- 03:00-03:59 – good or bad the dog is, none of that matters.
- 04:00-04:59 – That’s not a hundred percent true.
- 05:00-05:59 – We’re gonna use food as the motivator that we deprive the dog of food until they are food driven.
- 06:00-06:59 – We, we don’t do that.
- 07:00-07:59 – But
- 08:00-08:59 – It’s normal.
- 09:00-09:59 – They don’t need a lot of food.
- 10:00-10:59 – Um, I can use it at a very uncomfortable level.
- 11:00-11:59 – It’s not uncomfortable at all.
- 12:00-12:59 – Um, food.
- 13:00-13:59 – What’s your method gonna be?
- 14:00-14:59 – Ultimately, in the end, you need your dog to listen to you whether there is food or not.
- 15:00-15:59 – If they are motivated for food, use it.
- 16:00-16:59 – That’s not a food motivated dog.
- 17:00-17:59 – Because they think in their mind their dog is like motivated and they’re getting rewarded for doing these things, but they’re not really because they’re just not really…
- 18:00-18:59 – And it might not be, it might be hot dogs, it might be cheese, it might be bacon, it might be chicken, it doesn’t matter.
- 19:00-19:59 – So we’re very efficient.
- 20:00-20:59 – So they have their specialties, right?
- 21:00-21:59 – Like those are things they were born to do.
- 22:00-22:59 – So we see that.
- 23:00-23:59 – If they’re not hungry, if they’re not into it, if it’s too low value, if they’re too full, it won’t work, right?
- 24:00-24:59 – Maybe the food’s a little bit more exciting.
- 25:00-25:59 – But what we do in one lesson might take someone else at home, 2, 3, 4 lessons, right?
- 26:00-26:59 – right?
- 27:00-27:59 – So some people, and again, we’re kind of talking opposite of what we are normally talking about, right?
- 28:00-28:59 – And if your dog likes food, we’re going to use food for now.
- 29:00-29:59 – food.
- 30:00-30:59 – And then
- 31:00-31:59 – You don’t have to give them a treat every time you ask them to sit.
- 32:00-32:59 – They’re gonna do it again, you’re gonna market feed it, and then oh, they’re gonna start doing it again and again and again.
- 33:00-33:59 – When it’s something the dog naturally exhibits as part of their own repertoire, they do it on their own.
- 34:00-34:59 – Um, right?
- 35:00-35:59 – Your dog is not actually that fearful.
- 36:00-36:59 – It’s just how they’re wired.
- 37:00-37:59 – Certain distance from the trigger, maybe your dog will be into food.
- 38:00-38:59 – decrease behavior, it increases behavior.
- 39:00-39:59 – But I think if food is going to be used, it’s really best used by somebody who’s really well versed in this type of stuff, who knows the…
- 40:00-40:59 – That’s not gonna fix it, okay?
- 41:00-41:59 – So what I mean, you essentially put a blindfold on your dog, right?
- 42:00-42:59 – It’s like the dog just has blinders upon so they don’t see the other dog essentially.
- 43:00-43:59 – I had that dog.
- 44:00-44:59 – If we have a very reactive dog and we pass by a dog without a reaction, we give a very neutral good.
- 45:00-45:59 – But you, if you have a two dimensional view of training where you’re like, you always have to have a parade, and you always have to have a…
- 46:00-46:59 – Keep it neutral.
- 47:00-47:59 – Where’s the food?
- 48:00-48:59 – And they’re not thinking, they’re not processing, they’re not executing.
- 49:00-49:59 – You can increase reactivity, you can increase aggression.
- 50:00-50:59 – And it’s food, food, food, food.
- 51:00-51:59 – Crap, crap, crap.
- 52:00-52:59 – And sometimes it’s not the kindest thing to do.
- 53:00-53:59 – Stop soothing your dog.
- 54:00-54:59 – That’s it guys.