Dog training with treats creates more problems than it solves. In this article, I will discuss those problems and will ultimately argue that training a dog without treats works better for the dog/human partnership than training with them..
The comments below are largely pulled from dog trainer Don Sullivan’s book Wake Up and Smell the Poop (2012). Also go to the article on my training philosophy in this website to see how dogs use food with each other.
What’s Harmful About Hand Feeding Treats
Essentially, by using treats to control behavior, we are awakening the dog’s aggressive tendencies. If food is used solely to achieve obedience, for example, the outcome can be dangerous for both you and the dog.
Not only are you giving away your power when you train with treats, you are setting a potentially dangerous precedent for anyone else who may interact with your dog. Your dog will quickly learn to assume that human beings are by nature passive, submissive, and willing to readily relinquish one of the staples of life that canines are prepared to die for. (p.74)
So don’t be surprised when such a dog knocks a sandwich out of a little kid’s hand, thinking he has the right to it. The dog is merely attempting to procure what he feels entitled to based on his experience of being hand fed. But with the wrong person at the wrong time, the results could be disastrous.
The admonition to train without treats not only applies to training itself but all interactions you may have with your dog. For example, you will want to avoid handing your dog a scrap from the cutting board as he parks near your feet in the kitchen. Doing otherwise will teach your dog an unfortunate lesson. Your pet will learn that he can use his presence to subtly coerce you into feeding him. (p.77)
Why Hand Feeding Treats Doesn’t Work
When using treats to get the dog to do something, he may perform sometimes, but when he’s distracted and finds something more interesting, he’ll do that. This is because there is no consequence for the unwanted behavior.
Using food to entice a dog in such a manner is called “positive reinforcement.” Positive reinforcement, along with negative reinforcement, comes from psychologist B.F. Skinner’s theory of learning called “operant conditioning.” It is a stimulus/response theory growing out of experiments in which Skinner rewarded rats in a cage with food when they pressed the right lever and a negative stimulus like an electric shock when they pressed the wrong lever. You put a nickel in and get a response out. It is an overly simplistic in my view and overlooks the complexity of learning in animals as well as man which involves observation and flashes of insight among other things. On the positive reinforcement side, always rewarding a desired behavior with food is bribery.
Bribing and spoiling dogs with food automatically puts the giver in a subordinate position to the dog. Dogs are willing to fight for food, and any dog that backs off and surrenders his/her food to another is considered a follower. So when you hand your dog a morsel, that is what he thinks of you. He loves you alright but as a follower.
Puppies given treats learn that humans are passive and submissive because they relinquish the element (food) dogs will fight and be dominant for.
The pup may actually appear to obey with token performances while he quickly complies with the “treat game,” because he eagerly expects yet another reward will be forthcoming. Typically, this is the scene for a while until the pup becomes bored or distracted only responding to treats when he feels like it.
I have personally observed such a scenario. The proprietor of the dog rescue I was working at was attempting to gain a small terrier’s attention with a treat. Instead of gaining the dog’s attention, however, the proprietor was greeted with indifference from the dog as the treat lay untouched in her hand.
But that’s not the worst of it. Things may escalate as the pup searches for more interesting things to explore — the toilet paper role, bedroom slippers, the neighbor’s cat, etc. (p.76)
In fact it is important to note that canine misbehavior is primarily the result of “positive reinforcement.” It gets performance, not obedience and reliable behavior.
Finally, once the palatable pattern is broken, dogs may drop their benefactors like hot potatoes because the core of the dog’s affection is based on full bellies. This is an excellent example of how human beings so easily misinterpret appetite for allegiance and how superficial a dog’s so-called love can be when it is based on food. (p. 77)
A Better Approach
For any potentially dangerous creature that has a relationship with a human being, there must be accountability, discipline, and consequences.
Dogs in a pack don’t use treats or bribery with each other. Rather, the pack leader uses an increasing scale of correction to gain respect and authority from other members of the pack.
By following the pack leader’s example, we get a dog we can trust by removing treats as a vehicle to control behavior.
A combination of praise and discipline yields a dog you can trust because he always knows there’s a consequence if he doesn’t mind.
The dog’s food bowl, not the human hand, must become the dispenser for all edibles at times of the day the owner determines. This creates a separation between you and the food. Even bones can be presented this way (p.78). Your dog can be taught not to touch any food outside his doggie dish. This is the ultimate form of respect from your dog.
Conclusion
Owners who use treats to train their dogs need to know that every piece of food that leaves their hand and makes its way into their dog’s mouth represents an opportunity for the dog to disrespect the owner’s position of leadership.
There must be consequences for bad behavior as well as reward. The reward must come from physical affection shown the dog and kind words, not treats fed by hand.
I’d love to hear your views on this. Please leave your comments below.
REFERENCE
Sullivan, Don, Wake Up and Smell the Poop: The Myths, Deceptions, Lies and Obsessions That Keep You From Having the Perfect Dog, Xlibris Corporation, 2012