Some dogs are ball-crazy and will play fetch for hours at a time.

      Verbal Praise

      While verbal praise is often handy if you don’t have a higher value reward with you, it’s generally not as appreciated by dogs as it is by humans. If you tell a friend how wonderful she is, she’s likely to be pleased. Your dog will be pleased as well, but if given a choice between verbal praise and a treat, the dog will likely choose the treat every time.

      Please don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean that your dog doesn’t love you, and it doesn’t mean that you are a bad pet owner. If your dog would rather have a cookie than hear you talk to him, this is actually quite normal. It’s humbling, but it’s normal.

      In general, if verbal praise is going to be effective, it should be enthusiastic and effusive. Make a big deal out of it! Watch your dog. Is he giving you positive body language in return? Then you are doing it right.

      Food Rewards

      Food is generally a high-value treat for any dog. It can be the fastest reward for teaching behaviors. When using food, pieces should be small and easy to swallow. You just need a tiny bite per behavior. Hard treats, such as baked treats, that take a while to chew, are not optimal for training because they will lengthen your training sessions and add too much time in between repetitions of a behavior.

      Treats that have strong odors are more appealing to dogs. When training at home, with few distractions, you can use your dog’s regular kibble to train if he will work for it. This is a great way to regulate the amount of food you feed him each day and avoid obesity issues. Make him work for his meals! Just measure out what you would normally feed him and use part or all of it in your training sessions during the day. You will not use it all at once because training sessions should be very short.

      For example, let’s say you feed your dog 2 cups (453.6 g) of kibble a day. You are currently working on confinement training, the Recall, and Settle. You could use 1 cup (226.8 g) of the kibble throughout the day for Recall training, ½ cup (113.4 g) stuffed in a toy for the confinement training to keep him occupied and happy in his crate, and the last ½ cup (113.4 g) also stuffed in a toy for a long Stay when he settles on his bed or mat.

      When you start training in other areas and adding distractions, you may have to up the ante with the food. Plain kibble can work for some dogs, but for others it will take a treat that smells stronger. For example, if you take your dog to a training class, it’s likely you will need some more tempting treats than your dog’s regular kibble. There will be many of distractions, including other dogs and people, so your dog’s kibble may not be as rewarding to him in that situation as it is at home.

      If you use dog treats, choose ones that are healthy. Treats that you find in the grocery store, for example, are often full of dyes and sugars. These are not necessary for training, and they aren’t a healthy choice for your dog. Choose a treat with all-natural ingredients.

      The food rewards you use may also depend on the behavior you are training and the location. For example, if Sit is an easy behavior for your dog to learn, you can use a lower-value treat as a reward. If you are teaching a more challenging behavior, such as Heel, you may need a higher-value food treat.

      If you are training in the quiet of your own living room, you may be able to use kibble successfully. If you are in the middle of a busy park, you may have to bring out higher value rewards in order to keep your dog’s attention.

      What food does your dog enjoy? Some dogs will easily work for their daily kibble, while others are choosier. Some dogs get excited over lettuce; others would ignore it altogether. Every dog has his own preferences, so it will depend on your dog. It is a myth that some dogs won’t work for food at all.

      All dogs need to eat. There is a food that is rewarding for every dog. Some just take some more detective work than others! One reason why a dog may seem unmotivated by food is that if food is left out all day for him (called free feeding), then food is always available to him and it doesn’t have much power as a reward. This can affect your training potential. Leaving food out all day can also lead to obesity in dogs if they don’t self-regulate effectively.

      When you train with food, you’ll also need something convenient in which to hold the food. You can purchase a bait bag, specially made to hold treats while training. You can also use a fanny pack or a carpenter’s apron. A shirt with big pockets can also work. You just need to be able to get to the treats quickly, without having to dig for them.

      Food is generally a high-value treat for any dog.

      Try This! Healthy People Food as a Reward

      You can use people food to train your dog. You don’t want to feed your dog people food all the time because it can cause pancreatitis and other health issues. But for the purposes of training, healthy people food can be a great option. Here are some suggestions:

      •Hot dogs (choose low-sodium hot dogs for dogs less than 15 pounds [6.8 kg])

      •Cheese, including string cheese

      •Deli turkey or roast beef

      •Roasted chicken

      •Steak

      •Oat cereal

      •Carrots

      Toys

      Toys can be fun rewards. Some dogs adore toys, while others are not as interested. Some dogs love only fetch toys, while others prefer tug toys. Some dogs will do anything for a ball.

      If you’re going to use toys as rewards, just keep in mind that training sessions will take longer because you have to allow playtime with the toy as the reward. This may not be practical for some behaviors or early in the training process, when quick repetitions will help your dog learn a behavior faster.

      Always pick safe toys for your dog. A chew toy that a dog can fit entirely in his mouth is not safe. He could swallow it whole, and it could get stuck in his throat or digestive tract. Tennis balls are safe for many dogs, but not dogs that will chew on them because the tennis balls’ coating will damage their tooth enamel. If your dog wants to chase the tennis ball, that is fine, but he should not settle down with it and chew it like a bone.

      If using toys as a reward, make sure they are safe and sized properly for your dog.

      Play

      While you can use toys to play with your dog, you don’t always have to have a toy to play. Games,

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