Some of you may have been surprised to discover that you are not allowed to use training treats in your new class. Does this mean that the class should be avoided? I believe that the answer is 'not necessarily'. I have put up a new article to address some of the issues around the use of training treats. http://www.thelabradorsite.com/training/treats.php Hope you find it interesting - my Tess had great fun eating treats for the photo this morning Your views/comments are welcome Pippa
Re: Training with treats Hi Pippa, I've read your articles on training with interest and as Riley's at home and will need to be walked on a lead I've started small amounts of training already. The labrador love of food has proved very useful to start Riley's training but am finding that he gets a little bit bitey and occasionally lunges at my hand to see if there's food in it. I tend to just stop whatever we're doing and ignore him for a time if he behaves like this but I wondered if you had any advice on the line between giving treats by hand and getting nipped? I'm aware that as he's so young I should expect him to still be exploring with his mouth and again I'm just trying to work out the balance between this and biting. Thanks for your help Barbara
Re: Training with treats Hi Barbara It is a good idea to overcome snatching and nipping problems early on. Some dogs never do it (my cockers naturally take treats very gently and delicately) others will have your hand off if you are not careful – quite a lot of labs seem to fall into this category. It is a good idea to spend some time on teaching the dog to wait for a 'take it' command. You need to do this as a training exercise on its own, not when you are treating for training another skill or you will lose the value of treating in your training session. You can begin by offering the dog a tiny treat in your closed fist. Hold the closed fist against his muzzle and let him lick it etc. Wait for the moment he stops (you can use a clicker or marker word to mark the exact moment) then open your hand and let him eat what is inside. Gradually increase the amount of time he must stop touching your fist to several seconds before the click and treat. Dogs quickly learn that they must leave the treat alone in order to be given it. The next step is to try offering the treat in your fingers but be prepared to whisk it back inside your fist if the dog is at all rough. This takes a bit of practice but you will get there. If your dog is on the ‘snatchy’ side, it is probably a good idea to keep him as calm as possible when using treats, and not to throw them but rather to give them by hand every time. Pippa
