Treats - Timing is everything

Treats - Timing is everything

When using any kind of reinforcement; ie. treats, toys or real world rewards, timing is important.

When should you give a treat? When you are first training with your pup you have a small timeframe to reward a behavior. There are studies that show dogs learn faster when given a treat roughly between 3-5 seconds after the marker.

In the book “Wag” by Zazie Todd, Dr. Clare Browne talks about a study she did with 3 groups of dogs and how each responded differently to being treated at different times. (It’s a good read)

Now we don’t expect you to count the seconds EVERY time you are training, but being aware of long it takes you to mark the behavior, then grab the treat from your pouch and then actually give the treat to your dog will be beneficial.

*We will touch on cuing and marking behavior soon*

Also make sure the treats or any other reinforcement you are using is easily accessible. Fumbling to grab a treat out of your pocket or a hard to open treat bag can delay your pup receiving it.

Not only should the reward be easily accessible it should be in the same spot and how you go to grab the reward should stay consistent. You may be reaching in your pouch before you even mark the behavior which gives your dog a clear unintentional signal.

Now you may think “well as long as the behavior is performed it shouldn’t matter right?” Well if you are the only one training with your dog and your okay with that signal then it’s fine. If you have other family members that want/need to train with your pup then you ALL need to reaching for the reward the same way. Consistency is key for a dog, not only for training, but to help build their confidence.

When a dog knows what’s going to happen and they understand what they need to do their confidence builds. Having a dog with confidence will allow them to have a fun, enjoyable life.