so at home I don't use treats. She is ball motivated! It's very hard to make that work in a classroom, however, so I have to find a treat that won't make her face itch and smell. I have a clicker mental block, I can't train myself to use it right and it was a disaster with Audrey looking at me like I was crazy. Inside the house her small ball is her reward, along with praise and loves, adn outside it's her soccer ball. She did SO WELL on sitting automically next to me when we stop, then we moved on the the come, and front, and now when we stop walking she scoots around to the front of me and sits looking up at me like a little angel.

Cathy
when she first came home

looks like we train a lot alike!!

its initially how i train Remi, but he doesn't need it now, just praise will do the trick, but it s=certainly helps him get it in the beginning.

I personally don't understand the "we don't use treats" attitude. The policy of my training studio is to teach behaviours using whatever works for the dog. I have 2 food-motivated boys so I use treats and clickers to get the behaviours I want. They do it right they get big rewards, they focus on me, they get big rewards. The goal is to phase out the treats and get them working for a toy or a hug. I still use treats for training, even out on walks. I personally haven't encountered the "I only work for treats" attitude in my dogs.

Maverick has his CGN (same as CGC in the US I think) his Rally Novice title and one leg of his Advanced. I just started him in agility where he does mini-courses for the reward of playing with a toy when he's done, but teaching the obstacles individually he got cookies. He works without treats when need be, but I still use them to make training super fun and rewarding or he doesn't want to do it.

I also spend more time in class playing than working I think! LOL! I always have his "obedience-only" rope in my back pocket and we take frequent play breaks. It keeps him interested and having fun.

I will jump on Jen's soapbox and say "Do What Works For Gretl" use treats at home and maybe find a new class if you trainer isn't working right for you and Gretl.

when training for k9 i would use a tennis ball...as most had a very high drive...so after a routine they would get to play ball for 15 min....my great danes were neither ball or food driven and praise and encourgement worked well for them...
charlie is just crazy and unfocused.....i have found a whistle and food to be a good ok focus on me...the cliquer just encourged him to be more crazy....
so as a trainer i have to focus my training on one dog not the group...as each one will work and focus on differnt triggers....

without food, that is his ONLY motivation. He was taught leave it with treats but will DO IT now when I need him to without them.

Dixie didn't start her training until she was 4 years old, if I had to just give praise and a pat on her chest for teaching novice, open & utility competition obedience exercises - she'd look at me like "yeah right"..."you want the dumbbell, YOU go get it"! LOL

- bulldogs are very much a "what's in it for me? breed" especially when it comes to teaching non traditional breed things like retrieve or scent work - you have to make it fun and rewarding for them, then it also becomes fun and rewarding to you too!

your training a puppy for God's sake....if the teacher cannot understand you need a little more to help with concentration & motivation, etc. then maybe it's time for a different teacher.

- maybe one on one lessons or something would be better to start. In all the classes & seminars I've taken with Dixie, which are WAY to many to even count, I've never had ANYONE who didn't encourage what works best for "my dog" no matter if it was what they promoted or not - there is never ONE answer to anything in dog training.

Your paying for the class, so it should be what works best for you and your dog - the teacher can express what she does and would like to see, but no dog is a cookie cutter - they are all different and need different things.

ok - sorry, will get off my soap box now! LOL

I've trained 3 bulldogs over the last 10 years. Each one was a little different. But to get the foundation I wanted it was alway "click & Treat". Once the foundation was established I had one that I had to mix it up ( food, praise, toys )another was only going to work for food, and the current one likes food, likes praise, and loves the toys. Toys to the point of obsession.
"Bob" has his CGC and Rally Advanced titles and this weekend we went to an Obedience match. He heeled and sat when I stopped without food or verbal command. He's 4 now and no way would he have been able to do regular obedience without doing Rally first. Lots of talking allowed.
My goal has and always will be to have a happy dog in the ring with me.

and I loved the treat method. After a while you do treat less and less. Eventually you don't need the treats at all. It's a great start, especially for a puppy, it can really get their attention and hold it when nothing else can.

Now Ruby doesn't need a treat at all to listen. And she listens to the "leave it" command just fine. Just last night I dropped a fry on the floor and I told her to leave it and she did. I just didn't want her to scarf it down because it just came out of the pan and would have been way to hot.

She is really giving you a run for your money isn't she? I just know she is going to be a great dog, she will love to run and play her whole life. It will keep her healthy and in shape I hope to meet her someday!

Gretl is just a baby, so if she is a little spazzy in class, so what. Just keep it enjoyable for the both of you.

Lynn King CPDT

started using treats as a positive reinforcement. I cut a little hole in the corner of a sandwich bag and squeeze a tiny bit of peanut butter for the treat. A little dab'll do ya. Then, as the dog learns what I want, the treat is gradually phased out. I do try to work with each dog on something new so there's always a reason for treats. Keeps everybody happy.

Cathy Miller

My life is full of bull.

http://www.marshillbulldogs.com
http://www.bulldogclubofmetropolitanatlanta.com

But then expected her to perform in class without it? She's so ADD in class as it is...

I wouldn't treat constantly at home... just enough so she didn't always expect it, but enjoyed it. I just don't want to undo anything I've done in class... but I just feel like we need more time than all these other "dogs" and treats would probably help.


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rewarding with something valuable to the dog ie. treats/tennis balls increases the likelihood that the behavior will be performed and it then becomes a habit.

Reward based training is universal. It's how they get killer whales to lay quietly on the side of a pool for vet exams, do you think they do it because they love the trainers?

If Gretl is food motivated, she enjoys training with treats, you enjoy the training, so thats a good thing. Treats aren't used forever, they are eventually phased out. But, I still occasionally treat my dogs for jobs well done. I have a JRT that lives to chase joggers, it took a lot to teach him to come off the chase, so even now after 7 years, when he returns to me quickly, he gets a huge reward.

Keep it fun



Lynn King CPDT

The trainers all start out using treats and we slowly wean the dogs off over the several weeks of classes. The last class I took with Trace was my first with a clicker. I really enjoyed it and I believe the dogs picked up on things quicker with the clicker. The first step in the clicker class is to "load" the clicker where you click, give a treat, click, give a treat. The dogs learn fast that click=treat.

I also use toys in teaching too....it's gotta be fun, new & exciting for them or what's the point!?