As trainers, we LOVE that people have embraced the use of food in training. Treats make the learning process so easy for so many dogs, and are almost always the core of our training methods.
When we teach dogs new things, the treats almost always come AFTER the behavior. The dog learns "when I do this thing, good stuff happens!"
But there are also times when we "lure" our dogs (or coax them) to do things. Sometimes this is just what we need! We might use a treat in our hand to lure our dog into a Down position, or put treats near the new vacuum cleaner so they'll associate it with good stuff.
But there are two main problems we often see when the dog sees the treats BEFORE they do something.
Problem 1: “My dog only listens when I have treats!”
This is such a common challenge. If you’re always waving a bag of treats when you call your dog to come inside, it’s likely going to be hard to get them to come in if you’re not holding the bag. Whoops! For more on fixing this, see our other blog post.
Problem 2: “My dog is afraid of peanut butter!”
Yes, you read that right. We had a client once who said “my dog used to love peanut butter, but now he’s afraid of it.” Confused, we asked some questions. This dog didn’t like the bath, and his people had started to use peanut butter to fix things. They grabbed a spoonful of PB and would lure the dog into the bathroom. Once he got there, he’d panic. After a few times, when they brought out the peanut butter spoon he’d run and hide in another room.
The problem wasn’t with the peanut butter at all- it was that peanut butter became a predictor that bad things would happen!
When we use big rewards to lure our dogs into scary situations, there’s a decent chance that things will backfire. Not only did the dog not learn to love the bath, but now the peanut butter was also "ruined" for him and couldn’t be used to help him in other areas!
So before you accidentally ruin your dog’s favorite treat, be extra cautious about the timing. Instead of using it to lure your dog into a scary situation, give it AFTER something that might be stressful.
Whenever possible, split the scary thing into small chunks so your dog is less afraid- and the amazing snack is more likely to outweigh the bad stuff!