Dog Only Obeys for Treats: Effective Training Solutions

Dogs only obey for treats because they are highly motivated by food, especially high-value treats like cheese and bacon. This is because dogs have a strong instinct to hunt and gather food, which is deeply ingrained in their nature.

Research shows that dogs are more likely to obey commands when they are rewarded with treats, rather than simply following a command. In one study, dogs were given a command to sit, and were either rewarded with a treat or not. The results showed that the dogs who were rewarded with a treat were much more likely to obey the command.

Using treats as a training tool can be effective, but it's also important to phase them out as the dog learns new behaviors. This is because relying too heavily on treats can create a dog that only obeys for rewards, rather than learning to follow commands out of habit.

Using high-value food rewards is a must when training your dog. You should always use food rewards as an integral part of your reward system.

Dog training is fun, and if it isn't fun, you're doing something wrong. Most people don't show up to work because they love it, they do so because of monetary rewards, and it's the same for dogs.

A dog performs behaviors for both the inherent love of the activity and the work aspect because they get paid (AKA get rewarded/reinforced for doing them). High-value food rewards make both work and play overlap and clear to a dog that the activity/behavior is fun and rewarding.

You don't have to use food every single time you want to reward your dog, but you need to use food as an integral part of your reward system. The most effective and underused dog training technique is capturing a dog's behavior.

Capturing a behavior extinguishes a bribe because you are not asking for a behavior and are not showing a dog any food. You can capture behaviors like choosing to walk next to you on a loose leash, sitting down when you stop, or going to their dog crate.

Here are some examples of desired dog behaviors:

Remember, capturing a behavior is simply rewarding good behavior that your dog naturally offers without you prompting/cueing him.

You're not alone if you've noticed your dog only behaves in certain situations. Your dog might only become compliant when you're in the kitchen, or when you have food in your hand.

This is a common problem many dog owners face, and it's not just you. In fact, the author of the article shares a personal experience of having a dog that would sit like a world-class obedience champion only when they had a treat pouch on or a bag of treats nearby.

Here are some common training problems that might sound familiar:

These scenarios are all examples of your dog bribing you for treats rather than actually listening and complying through training.

All animals and people want to be rewarded for behaviors, but understandably parents don’t have dog treats with them 24/7 and don’t want to have to feed a dog every single time they ask their dog to do something.

Dogs perform behaviors for both the inherent love of the activity and the work aspect because they get paid (AKA get rewarded/reinforced for doing them). High-value food rewards are monetary rewards for a dog that makes both work and play overlap and clear to a dog that the activity/behavior is fun and rewarding.

You should still reward a dog with high-value food rewards very often (every day), just as we go to work to get rewarded ($$$). Just because we don’t want to have to reward our dogs with food every time they do something that we want, we still have to reward them in other ways!

A dog needs to learn by luring him with high-value food rewards and rewarding him every single time, before phasing out the lure and transitioning to a variable intermittent reward schedule and the use of environmental rewards.

Here are the four easy steps to follow when training a dog with a new behavior or in a new environment:

Your dog might only behave when you have food in your hand, like a treat or a cookie from the jar. This is a common issue many dog owners face.

Some dogs perk up only when you reach for something rewarding, such as a dog leash or a treat pouch. This can be frustrating for owners who want their dogs to listen and comply without expecting a reward.

If your dog only becomes compliant once the refrigerator door opens up, or when you're in the kitchen, it's likely due to the association of the kitchen with food and treats. This can make training challenging.

Here are some common scenarios that might sound familiar:

These scenarios are not what anyone wants in a training situation. They indicate that your dog is being bribed with treats rather than truly learning to listen and comply.