I always keep treats even for my almost 6 year old SD. I don't use them every single time she does something good, but I do frequently reward her. Because why not? It makes her happy. Sure she could work without them, and sometimes does, but she's a little too skinny anyway so extra treats aren't gonna hurt.
To elaborate on this, “yes” by itself is meaningless to a dog. Typically in training, we use it as a marker word when the dog does something right, and whenever we say “yes” the dog gets a treat. If you tell the dog “yes” and do not eventually give them a treat, it loses its meaning.
When training the alerts, absolutely. I still carry a small bag with me because I think *everything* is a learning opportunity, and I would rather have them than not. My dog can work without treats perfectly well, but I love the look of utter glee and wonder she gets when I start pulling out a treat in exchange for a task well done or a distraction ignored.
My SD isnt highly treat motivated so I rarely carry treats unleas I am specifically focusing on training. He prefers verbal praise and butt scratches to treats so he will get a good boy and a quick butt scratch instead
So, in the context of what I think the OP “meant” (essentially “do you give your dog a reward for tasking” since not everyone needs alert-type tasks) you do carry “treats” with you. Your hands *are* the treats, ha!
Yes, I typically have treats with me and will carry a refill when I'm getting low. I don't use them for alerts, although its generally instinctive work vs tasks for him which he does naturally so I don't need treats for those. "Yes", is a verbal marker akin to a clicker vs. a reward and would be followed by a reward like pets, treats, or whatever works for you. Maverick is only 18 months and a work in progress, it's really more about me learning how to train and maintain him than actually training him.
I keep treats on me from the moment I’m awake to the moment I get into bed lol. My SD (labrador retriever) is very food motivated. I don’t reward her every time she does something, but I keep it variable. And I always verbally reward her too, regardless of if I give her a treat or not.
Absolutely. While I am not a handler I was a professional trainer with the certifications and then a handler for a time. I just had needs change. Having treats allows you to take advantage of rare training opportunities to reinforce positive behavior. There's some stuff we cannot replicate in our controlled environments. The example in my minds eye is the squealing toddler running towards us because they don't know better. Its not the same as your kid or not having a kid so them nailing the training? Treat time. This doesn't mean it's not mixed with petting and verbal praise with the praise voice. As I am often non verbal the praise voice is not a guaranteed option either.
Yes. First, she’s on a food reward schedule. While that has progressed to a variable reward schedule with 75% “yes” and a light touch, it still is her main reward. Two, every outing invariably presents a training opportunity or three.
Always. I have a bag of Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb stashed in the hatch of my car right now.
I was taught that pairing a reward marker with treats will cause an endorphin bump in the dog's brain. You say "Yes!" and don't have dandy lamb handy, but the dog still gets a bit of a bump in anticipation of yummies.
Even when a dog is fully trained, food (or a favorite toy) goes a long way to reinforcing that they've done a good job.
Patricia McConnell has some interesting thoughts on the debate over the science.
[https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/click-and-always-treat-or-not](https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/click-and-always-treat-or-not)
That was awesome. Thanks for sharing the link! I think I fall in the middle for training, but I'll have to see once I get my next pup (first SDiT for me).
I don't use treats ever. Not for training or after. Only praise and a treat when we get home and he's off duty. This is my 2nd service dog I've trained. No treats. It's fine if you want to use them but you do need to be consistent.
My service dog and I are still in our first year together, well our first 6 months to be specific so he's getting treated frequently I really don't go anywhere without my pouch we're also traveling a lot right now so we're in new environments so finding things because he's a seeing eye dog he gets rewarded for a bunch of tasks but I've definitely cut back significantly on rewarding for everything eventually my intention is to just go out with a small handful of treats and just give jackpot Rewards
Yes, to reenforce good behavior. Our SDs might not be SDits anymore, but that doesn't mean the work is done. They need to continually be reminded, and encouraged. Not to mention the scenarios you don't think to train for, like the first time we went on a train or to a museum.
Another dog approaches aggressively, and my SD ignores it, treat. If I have to remind her, no treat. No begging for food at a restaurant, she gets a treat. Begging and whining, no treat and a stern talking to. Waiting in a doctors office for two hours, patiently with no issues, treat.
Exceptional behavior should be rewarded, even from exceptional people. That why we give soldiers and police medals for bravery and doing exceptional work, even though it's expected. So I don't see a reason that would be different for dogs.
absolutely. i’m calling my sdit a fully trained sd after she gets better with other dogs. (nothing bad, they’re just really distracting for her lol) and she still gets treats. i still treat her for looking at me and heeling (granted not as often as i used to) and ignoring big distractions and ESPECIALLY for tasking.
I always keep treats even for my almost 6 year old SD. I don't use them every single time she does something good, but I do frequently reward her. Because why not? It makes her happy. Sure she could work without them, and sometimes does, but she's a little too skinny anyway so extra treats aren't gonna hurt.
Absolutely. I get paid for my work, I'm happy to pay her for her work.
Yes cause you never know what you might encounter that needs some more motivation
Always always always. Just saying yes is a good way to make the yes loose power and for you dog to stop alerting over time
To elaborate on this, “yes” by itself is meaningless to a dog. Typically in training, we use it as a marker word when the dog does something right, and whenever we say “yes” the dog gets a treat. If you tell the dog “yes” and do not eventually give them a treat, it loses its meaning.
When training the alerts, absolutely. I still carry a small bag with me because I think *everything* is a learning opportunity, and I would rather have them than not. My dog can work without treats perfectly well, but I love the look of utter glee and wonder she gets when I start pulling out a treat in exchange for a task well done or a distraction ignored.
My SD isnt highly treat motivated so I rarely carry treats unleas I am specifically focusing on training. He prefers verbal praise and butt scratches to treats so he will get a good boy and a quick butt scratch instead
So, in the context of what I think the OP “meant” (essentially “do you give your dog a reward for tasking” since not everyone needs alert-type tasks) you do carry “treats” with you. Your hands *are* the treats, ha!
Yes, I typically have treats with me and will carry a refill when I'm getting low. I don't use them for alerts, although its generally instinctive work vs tasks for him which he does naturally so I don't need treats for those. "Yes", is a verbal marker akin to a clicker vs. a reward and would be followed by a reward like pets, treats, or whatever works for you. Maverick is only 18 months and a work in progress, it's really more about me learning how to train and maintain him than actually training him.
Yep. Sometimes even without a dog LOL it’s routine
Always!
Always, that’ll never change
You don't have to use food as a reward. My last two guide dogs weren't trained with food of any kind, only praise.
I keep treats on me from the moment I’m awake to the moment I get into bed lol. My SD (labrador retriever) is very food motivated. I don’t reward her every time she does something, but I keep it variable. And I always verbally reward her too, regardless of if I give her a treat or not.
Absolutely. While I am not a handler I was a professional trainer with the certifications and then a handler for a time. I just had needs change. Having treats allows you to take advantage of rare training opportunities to reinforce positive behavior. There's some stuff we cannot replicate in our controlled environments. The example in my minds eye is the squealing toddler running towards us because they don't know better. Its not the same as your kid or not having a kid so them nailing the training? Treat time. This doesn't mean it's not mixed with petting and verbal praise with the praise voice. As I am often non verbal the praise voice is not a guaranteed option either.
Yes. First, she’s on a food reward schedule. While that has progressed to a variable reward schedule with 75% “yes” and a light touch, it still is her main reward. Two, every outing invariably presents a training opportunity or three.
Always. I have a bag of Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb stashed in the hatch of my car right now. I was taught that pairing a reward marker with treats will cause an endorphin bump in the dog's brain. You say "Yes!" and don't have dandy lamb handy, but the dog still gets a bit of a bump in anticipation of yummies. Even when a dog is fully trained, food (or a favorite toy) goes a long way to reinforcing that they've done a good job. Patricia McConnell has some interesting thoughts on the debate over the science. [https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/click-and-always-treat-or-not](https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/click-and-always-treat-or-not)
That was awesome. Thanks for sharing the link! I think I fall in the middle for training, but I'll have to see once I get my next pup (first SDiT for me).
I don't use treats ever. Not for training or after. Only praise and a treat when we get home and he's off duty. This is my 2nd service dog I've trained. No treats. It's fine if you want to use them but you do need to be consistent.
I always carry treats. My boys is 4 and fully trained but I like to reward his hard work sometimes!
My service dog and I are still in our first year together, well our first 6 months to be specific so he's getting treated frequently I really don't go anywhere without my pouch we're also traveling a lot right now so we're in new environments so finding things because he's a seeing eye dog he gets rewarded for a bunch of tasks but I've definitely cut back significantly on rewarding for everything eventually my intention is to just go out with a small handful of treats and just give jackpot Rewards
Yes, to reenforce good behavior. Our SDs might not be SDits anymore, but that doesn't mean the work is done. They need to continually be reminded, and encouraged. Not to mention the scenarios you don't think to train for, like the first time we went on a train or to a museum. Another dog approaches aggressively, and my SD ignores it, treat. If I have to remind her, no treat. No begging for food at a restaurant, she gets a treat. Begging and whining, no treat and a stern talking to. Waiting in a doctors office for two hours, patiently with no issues, treat. Exceptional behavior should be rewarded, even from exceptional people. That why we give soldiers and police medals for bravery and doing exceptional work, even though it's expected. So I don't see a reason that would be different for dogs.
absolutely. i’m calling my sdit a fully trained sd after she gets better with other dogs. (nothing bad, they’re just really distracting for her lol) and she still gets treats. i still treat her for looking at me and heeling (granted not as often as i used to) and ignoring big distractions and ESPECIALLY for tasking.