You know I am not opposed to treats entirely but what I am opposed to is many trainers and training methods today say you should only use treats and that the only type of correction should be a withholding of treats. To me, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as I want my dog to obey me out of this mutual kind of bond and respect we have not because I happen to be holding treats. Sometimes I will use treats to communicate an idea. For example, if I am teaching a dog to sit then maybe I will use a treat to guide his nose backwards which leads to a sitting position but the second he starts to understand it, I switch to just praise. I find there is a lot more teamwork built when there is mostly praise and it is not just treat based training. Anyone can teach their dog a trick with a treat but what I want is functional obedience – obedience you can use in your home, in your yard, on the street. Treats are not the best motivation for that but rather a healthy relationship based on this trust and teamwork and praise is the best way to accomplish that.

Ty Brown is an expert dog trainer, author, and speaker who specializes in obedience training, behavior modification, protection dog training, and narcotics dogs.  To learn more about Ty and the dog training services he offers, visit www.dogbehavioronline.com