Should you train a reactive dog with treats?
As a certified dog trainer, I use a variety of methods when training reactive dogs, and they all involve treats. Generally, I use a combination of counterconditioning, pattern games, and barkour, and I always have my trusty waist pouch filled with high-value treats.
Guardians who are trying to help their lunging, barking dogs might be worried that using treats will “reinforce” the reactivity or that people will think their dog is being “rewarded” for his embarrassing behaviour. But there’s no need to worry!
For one, you can’t reinforce emotions like fear and frustration. Secondly, you’ll find that when the reactivity training is done effectively, in time you’ll see fewer reactions from your dog, so it won’t feel like you’re “rewarding the reactivity.”
Even if you do get weird looks or comments from people on the street (which has luckily never happened to me!), just ignore them and focus on helping your dog. The average onlooker likely doesn’t understand the mechanics of your training and all the benefits using food has to offer!
If you’re still on the fence, consider this: Food makes dogs happy, and we want them to feel happy, safe, and engaged during reactivity training. The alternative to using something your dog likes is using something they don’t like: tools or methods your dog might find painful, scary, or uncomfortable. A shock collar or leash correction may seem to offer quick relief, but they have a very real risk of fallout that can make the situation worse and damage your relationship with your dog.
Here’s yet another reason to always bring treats: The way your dog eats treats during training gives you valuable information.
If your dog is happily munching on treats and taking them from your hand the way he normally does, that’s a good sign he is in “the green zone,” i.e. he is feeling perfectly fine and under threshold.
If he’s taking the treats with a harder mouth than usual, or taking them and spitting them out, that’s a sign he may be in “the yellow zone” - he’s holding it together, but feeling a bit worried.
A dog who is too upset to take treats, even if they’re his favourite kind, is most likely in the dreaded “red zone” - he’s upset and over threshold. Imagine how upset you’d have to be to refuse your absolute favourite food!
Over the years, I’ve talked to guardians who say they tried using treats to train their reactive dog, but it didn’t work. My gut feeling is that while they had good intentions, the training needed some tweaking to keep their dog in the green zone at all times, so that he was actually eating the treats and they’re helping with training the way they’re supposed to.
To find out how to train your reactive dog with treats, get in touch with me - I love helping those reactive weirdos! If you’re in Toronto, I offer day training packages and do the initial training for you. Virtual training is also available.
