Treats - Reward or Bribe?

Treats - reward or bribe?

There’s a lot of people that say giving treats is bribing your dog to do something. I say treats are a great way to reward your dog for doing something you asked.

Who doesn’t love getting rewards? Whether it’s acknowledgment at work, chocolates, or a gift, we all appreciate getting recognized. Dogs are the same way.

When you work with your dog and trying to build that bond, giving treats is a way to show them they are doing a good job. They may not get the behavior you’re asking right away but giving them a treat for trying and getting close to the behavior let’s them know they are on the right track.

Rewarding with treats does not have to be a forever thing either. Once your dog is performing the behavior you are wanting you can slowly start fading the treat and giving different rewards like their favorite toy.

Rewarding your dog requires you to really know what your dog likes, do they like chicken flavored treats instead of lamb? Their most chewable toy instead of a treat? What about letting them go sniff their favorite tree? It all depends on YOU getting to know your dog.

Treating is not bad.

In the coming days we will focus on treating and the benefits of it.

From Fearful to Fear Free by Becker, Radosta, Sung and Becker is a great read that touches on a little bit of everything.