What motivates your puppy?
To become a successful dog trainer you must first learn what it is that your dog enjoys receiving in the way of rewards. Your dog's reward is his compensation for training with you. If it is not something, which he likes and wants, then he will not be willing to work for it. Some people have a problem with rewarding their dogs. They think that the dog should do what they want simply out of love and obedience. Well it just simply isn't the case. Using treats while training your dog is what allows you to make quick consistent progress. Dogs are dogs and when you reward them with what they want, they respond better to what you want.Something important to realize is that when a dog behaves or misbehaves he isn't doing so due to his love for us or lack of it. The naughtiest of dogs still love their owners. But if you want to turn your terror into a well loved dog it will require some real and tangible rewards for doing the right things. Food is to dogs what money is to people. They will bend over backwards to receive it. They live on food and enjoy food so why not use this to your advantage to help train and teach your dog. After you have established a good relationship with your dog and he likes training with you, then you can try switching to other types of rewards while training. Try some of these delicious snacks as rewards:
- Boiled chicken
- Boiled hamburger
- Popcorn (without salt)
- Tortellini or other types of pasta (cooked)
- Bread
- Carrots
- Bananas
- Dried fruit
- Cheerios or other cereals
- Freeze-dried liver
- Hotdogs (cooked)
To protect your dog's stomach don't reward him with only one type of snack. Also as your dog becomes accustomed to training with food treats start mixing in his less favorite snacks with his more desired ones. This will keep him from getting bored and the variety makes the rewards more interesting, allowing you to teach him more. Tips on dog treats
