Training with treats

[AlexiaCarley]

Hi all,

was wondering if anyone has any advice for me about what to use to train my dog. Treats are very effective on him (within the home) but he doesn't know how to play - with ball or with ropes or anything. I think his idea of play is growling at the people who have hold of the toy (sometimes can be confused for play but i think its more that he thinks its his and we cant have it) Even to encourage play in the first place takes a lot of excitement and it only lasts for short bursts of time.

He is 4, we know nothing about his previous life except that he was hit by a motorbike so very hard to know his likes and dislikes etc.

Im trying to get him to be more independent. Also when I try and teach him to 'drop it' as soon as he figures out that i have treats anyway he doesn't care about the toy. I tried to hide them but he's clever!

Thanks

[Adrienne]

Hi Alexia, 

Welcome to the forums!

Are you planning to use toys to reinforce behaviors (like during training) and as a substitute for treats? Is he not taking treats outside the home?

Or are you just looking for ways to encourage a dog not interested in play to play?

Many dogs will play growl when they have something and we play tug with them, but if he's growling aggressively, then we may have a problem as that can be a sign of resource guarding. You generally will notice other signs such as: 

Carrying an object in the mouth and moving away from the owner
Running away and hiding the object
Laying down with an object kept tightly in the mouth
Tensing the body
Hunkering over the possession
Showing the white of the eyes (whale eyes)
Eating faster as the owner approaches
Swallowing edibles/non-edibles fast to protect them
Rushing towards a valuable before the owner can get near it
Sudden bout of intense barking upon approaching something valuable
Growling in a deep, guttural tone
Snarling (showing the teeth)
Snapping (quickly biting the air)
Biting

Here is a general guide to encourage some independence in clingy dogs:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/following-owners-around-house/

If you are using the toy to train your dog your dog to "drop it" then your dog is doing well. The goal is to have the dog drop it and he's doing just that. We can start with toys and then progress to other things.

In your case though, since it seems that you actually want your dog interested in toys, you can try practicing drop its with other random things he may pick up during the day like sticks, shoes etc. or even a piece of bread to swap for something higher value. However, if your dog is prone to guarding toys, I would feel it would be more important focusing more on teaching a reliable "drop it" versus making your dog more interested in toys. 

[AlexiaCarley]

Hi Adrienne,

thanks for your response. I didn't know that you had replied until i decided to check!

I'd like toys to be a good method of training because he's adopted so theres a lot of work to be done in regards to training. When he came to us we didn't know anything about his previous 4 years of life. just that he was hit by a motorcycle. so we had to name him. So basically we started from scratch.

he knows sit, down and heel (a bit) he is getting better at starting to play on his own and we have been teaching him biting inhibition and he has since improved drastically with how quickly he snaps. but he still will snap if its something he's really scared of... like the ear drops that the vet prescribed for him.

On walks he takes treats but not always as i think he gets in the zone with the motorbikes and wants to get them. but working on that and he is progressing slowly.

he sometimes resource guards certain food and toys but it also improving on the toys quite well. I am able to put my hand on the toy right next to his nose and tug at it and he will not bite me. and if he does its a play chew and then he licks me. He won't "drop it" on cue just yet.

my main concern is that when I leave the house he knows I'm about to go and he won't take anything ... not even a wing tip which he loves. so he leaves them till we get back and sits at the door crying and howling for ages (minimum 30mins) then he stops and just sits right at the door whining. I want him to learn how to occupy himself but I think he's just really scared that he will be left again.

The strangest thing is that when I go for a shower or to the toilet he doesn't care that I'm gone will just sleep or chill out somewhere but as soon as i go to the bedroom he will cry till i open the door (he does sleep in the bedroom at night in the crate with no door on because he's still not sure about that part).

Thanks

Alexia

[Adrienne]

Thank you for the extra details, they are very helpful!

I will try to tackle several of the issues you have reported. Please find your statements in bold and my observations under them. 

"I'd like toys to be a good method of training because he's adopted so there's a lot of work to be done in regards to training."

 

Since you mention there's a lot of work to be done, I am assuming that you may want to skip food because you are concerned about calories. However, there are many ways around this.

 

 One of my favorite is using kibble. We feed kibble to our dogs every day and give it to them  for free in a bowl that is consumed within minutes. Many people see kibble as nutrition, while I see it as a wasted opportunity for reinforcement. Just think that within a bowl of food, you can have as many as 30 to 50 or more opportunities to reinforce desired behaviors. So if your dog likes his food, you can use that for training, at least in the home where there are not many distractions. 

 

Treat-wise, there are many treats out there on the market that are low calorie. If you visit a pet store, store clerks may be happy to show you which ones are low calorie among their vast assortment of training treats. Zuke's mini naturals is a popular choice with each treat being less than 3 calories. 

 

On top of this, consider that you don't have to use whole treats. Many dog owners are often amazed when they see how many pieces  I get out of a regular chew treat. With some chews, I can get as many as 10-15 smaller pieces and each piece can be used to reinforce a desired behavior. 

 

We also have the option of using low-calorie healthy foods for training such as small pieces of apple (with no seeds), small pieces of baked sweet potato, small pieces of banana, blueberries, plain boiled pasta, and canned plain pumpkin (not the pie type  with all the added spices!). 

 

Finally consider, that although there may be many things to train, you'll have to split sessions into several short intervals during the day so it's not an all day ordeal. Even if you were to use kibble for training, you'll often find that you have several left overs from his daily portions and you can use that for some fun brain games. 

 

Toys can work well for certain types of training, but often it works best with dogs with a strong play drive. It sounds like from your description, he has been somewhat reluctant to play, so toys may not rank too high in his hierarchy of reinforcers. 

 

We have been teaching him biting inhibition and he has since improved drastically with how quickly he snaps. but he still will snap if its something he's really scared of... like the ear drops that the vet prescribed for him.

 

With snapping for eye drops, if this is something you will have to do for extended periods of time, you can work on creating positive associations with it. Fear of eye drops often happens because they feel the water in the eyes and perceive as an odd/aversive event. They don't understand why it happens and nobody can tell them it's for their own good.

 

You can try splitting the action into smaller steps and create positive associations with that. This can be done through behavior modification using desensitization and counterconditioning. You can read more about how this works here:

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning

A behavior mod program for this may look like this: 

 

 -You hold the eye drops behind you back and then show your dog the bottle and feed a treat. Once he's done eating the treat, you put the bottle away. 

You then repeat this same action several times, until you obtain a positive conditioned response (he gives signs of looking forward to seeing the bottle because it means treats are coming).

 

-Next, you hold the eye drops and move the bottle towards the side of his face, while a helper feeds him a treat. Once he's done eating the treat, you put the bottle away. 

You then repeat this same action several times, until you obtain a positive conditioned response (he gives signs of looking forward to seeing the bottle because it means treats are coming).

 

-Next, you show a super high value treat but don't give it to him. You hold the eye drops and move the bottle towards the side of his face, while a helper feeds him a treat. Once he's done eating the treat, you put the bottle away. You then repeat this same action several times, until you obtain a positive conditioned response (he gives signs of looking forward to  seeing the bottle because it means treats are coming)

 

-Next, your helper shows your dog a high value treat and make him eager to have it. You hold the eye drops and move the bottle towards the side of his face,

  and pretend to put the drops in very briefly while the helper feeds him the treat. Once he's done eating the treat, you put the bottle away. You then repeat this same action several times, until you obtain a positive conditioned response (he gives signs of looking forward to  seeing the bottle because it means treats are coming)

 

-Next, your helper holds several high-value treats in his hand (5-6 small pieces are enough) and makes your dog eager to have them. He then keeps the treats  between his fingers high to tilt his head upward and let him try to release them from his hand. You hold the eye drops and move the bottle towards the side of his face, and this time for real put the drops in one eye while the helper feeds him the treats several in a row. Once he's done eating the treats, you put the bottle away. 

 

--Next, your helper holds several high-value treats in his hand (5-6 pieces are enough) and makes your dog again eager to have them. He then keeps the treats  between his fingers high to tilt his head upward and let him try to release them from his hand. You hold the eye drops and move the bottle towards the side of his face, and this time for real put the drops in the other eye while the helper feeds him the treats several in a row. Once he's done eating the treat, you put the bottle away. 

 

If at any time your dog seems uncomfortable, it's a sign you are progressing too fast. Take a step back in the process and work until he's comfortable with that, before moving forward. For safety, I would suggest muzzling since he threatens to bites. 

 

On walks he takes treats but not always as i think he gets in the zone with the motorbikes and wants to get them. but working on that and he is progressing slowly.

 

What method have you been using for this? And for how long?

 

He sometimes resource guards certain food and toys but it also improving on the toys quite well. I am able to put my hand on the toy right next to his nose and tug at it and he will not bite me. and if he does its a play chew and then he licks me. He won't "drop it" on cue just yet

 

With dogs who resource guard, we need to tread with caution and practice trading. I wouldn't suggest putting your hand on the toy and tugging on it as you may be sending him the message that your intent is to take the toy. I would suggest aiming more on trading. 

You can read more about the process here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/

 

Here are some forum posts on resource guarding:

 

 

[Adrienne]

my main concern is that when I leave the house he knows I'm about to go and he won't take anything ... not even a wing tip which he loves. so he leaves them till we get back and sits at the door crying and howling for ages (minimum 30mins) then he stops and just sits right at the door whining. I want him to learn how to occupy himself but I think he's just really scared that he will be left again.

The strangest thing is that when I go for a shower or to the toilet he doesn't care that I'm gone will just sleep or chill out somewhere but as soon as i go to the bedroom he will cry till i open the door (he does sleep in the bedroom at night in the crate with no door on because he's still not sure about that part).

If he's not eating, that's often a sign that he is too over threshold to be comfortable to eat. A wing tip may be too big for him to chew at the moment, it may help to start with some easy-to- eat smaller treats for now and split the exercises in smaller steps. 

This may or may not be separation anxiety. To know what you're truly dealing with, you will need to record his behavior when you are away and show it to your vet/veterinary behaviorist. He or she can then evaluate it and based on the findings, may suggest behavior modification, possibly with the help of medications to bring him to a calmer state so that behavior modification can be started. 

I will be posting some material on some general examples of protocols that you can familiarize with if this turns up being sep. anxiety. Every dog though may need a personalized program. 

One of the most challenging parts of separation anxiety behavior modification is that it requires management when the dogs aren't in "training." This means that to "protect" the hard work and preventing dogs from rehearsing the problem behavior absences should be avoided during the behavior modification process. In other words, if you are at the point in the process where your dog can successfully remain calm in a room for 15 minutes in your absence, you may need to hire a pet sitter or have a friend stay with your dog if you need to stay away for longer.

What Will Be Needed? First of all, patience, determination and consistency. Helping a dog suffering from separation anxiety is not an easy task. Many dog owners wonder how long it will take and there's no easy answer as each case is different. The more a dog has been rehearsing the problem and the more severe it is, the more work may be needed. Severe cases may require the addition of medications and the assistance of a professional as some dogs are just anxious at any time of the day on top of during owner absences.

Interactive toys, treats, food, a mat, baby gates and some technological gadgets such as remote monitoring devices and/or automatic treat dispensers can be used in the exercises. Although optional, the use of these technological gadgets come extra handy considering that they allow to monitor dogs remotely so to evaluate whether it's a good time to raise criteria or whether a dog is being pushed too hard.

A safezone will also need to be established. This safezone is the dog's confinement area where the exercises will be performed. For comfort, it is best to use an area that is central to family activities such as an office, kitchen or living room. Dogs who enjoy their crate, exercise pen or playpen and love to lounge in it, can have it placed in the safezone as long as these enclosures remain open as some dogs with separation anxiety suffer from concomitant containment phobias. A safezone should be blocked out by a baby gate or in homes with open-plan layouts, a super wide gate may be needed.

Tier 1: Protocol For Dogs Who Follow Owners Room- to- Room

One thing many dogs suffering from separation anxiety share is extra clingliness, so much so, that many dog owners have started to nickname their dogs "Velcro Dogs." These dogs follow their owners from one room to another and like to sleep by their owners' feet so to be the first alerted when their owners are about to get up and walk around.

 

This component of treatment for separation anxiety in dogs needs its proper protocol since it would be non-productive starting practicing outdoor absences if these dogs aren't even able to tolerate brief absences within the home. The goal of these exercises is to gradually build on distance until the dog can be left in a room while the owner is in another.

 

On top of these exercises, it's ideal to encourage these dogs to sleep at night on their own bed or mat and sleep there as well during the day (rather than sleeping constantly on the owner's lap, glued to the owner's body or at the owner's feet).

 

Note: some dogs are particularly attached to one person. To start the exercises easily, it is best to start with the person the dog is less attached to and then progress using the person the dog is attached to.

 

Step 1:

 

The first step entails having the dog to be able to relax and cope without following their owners everywhere. These dogs need to learn to perform brief sit/stays or down/stays on a mat or other comfy place while the owner walks around, but initially remains always in the dog's sight.

 

Initially these sit/stays and down/stays should be very brief for just 1-2 seconds while the owner just takes a step or two away in various directions and then returns to reward. Criteria is then raised with the owner just walking a few steps away (3-4) and then returning to reward.

 

Gradually, distance and duration can be added, but it's important to make sure to not make increases in time and distance predictable as dogs will soon come to predict this increase in difficulty and may grow incrementally anxious. To avoid this, mix in shorter (less time) stays and closer stays (less distance) frequently. For example, 2 second stay, then 4, then 3, then five, then 1, then 4, then 6, then 2 etc or 2 steps away, then 1, then 3, then 4, then 1, etc.

 

Distractions at some point can be added as well. Clap your hands as you walk away, count to five out loud, turn your back to your dog, lift your arms, walk around your dog etc. If your dog ever breaks the stay just say a casual "oops" and send your dog back to the area where he was asked to stay. Resume the exercise, this time making it a bit less difficult before progressing to asking for more.

 

Many clingy dogs follow their owners every time they get up from sitting. If your dog gets ready to follow you every time you are sitting on a chair or couch, and you put your hand on the arm rest or put down the remote, practice sit/stays and down/stays as you repeat these actions over and over. Then increase criteria, and start to get up repeatedly from your chair/couch/. Then get up and take a few steps and may be even walk around your dog and go back to sitting.

 

These exercises should be done until fluent and the dog appears totally relaxed and no longer eager to follow. End the sessions with a jackpot of treats.

 

Step 2:

 

Gradually increase distance/duration. With longer duration, it's best to request down/stays to prevent tiring. Take more steps away (from standing or sitting) and for gradually longer times and start going out of sight.

 

Ask your dog to down/stay on a mat as you briefly get out of view behind a wall or door for a split second, then return and reward. Repeat several times as you gradually mix in shorter absences and longer absences and shorter distances with farther distances, making sure to not allow you dog to detect an incremental pattern of difficulty.

 

You can mix in brief errands too such as opening/closing a closet, grabbing a beer from the fridge or closing a window as long as they don't cause you to be out of sight for too long.

 

These exercises should be done until fluent and the dog appears totally relaxed. Always end the sessions with a jackpot of treats.

 

Step 3:

 

Increase more the distance and duration. Install a baby gate, hide several treats around the enclosed area, send your dog there and have your dog explore his new confinement area and find the goodies. Leave the baby gate open for a couple of days so that the dog can freely visit and discover goodies in there.

 

Next, practice briefs stays as you get in and out of the baby gate and return. Stay always in sight. Gradually increase the time you stay out as always mixing in briefer stays with longer ones, but not more than a minute in length.

 

At some point, get out of the baby gate and start preparing a stuffed Kong that can be easily unstuffed in just a minute or so. Place the stuffed Kong behind the baby gate where your dog can see it and smell it and cannot get it. Your dog should try to get the Kong. Wait for a little bit of frustration to set in such as your dog trying to paw it or whine. Grab the Kong and give it to your dog as you remain in view at a distance behind the baby gate for 1 minute. Return inside.

 

Repeat, reloading the Kong again making it more challenging to unstuff and then less challenging, so that you can increase the the time you stay out as always mixing in briefer stays with longer ones. Try to return when you know your dog is just about to finish unstuffing his Kong.

 

Step 4:

 

Start incorporating the treasure hunt game, using a portion of your dog's meals as outlined in the course. Have your dog sit/stay or down/stay as you get a portion of your dog's meal allowance and hide the kibble around. Have your dog watch you in anticipation and then as you leave the room and release your dog. Allow your dog to hunt as you are briefly out of sight.

 

Return and repeat the exercise hiding the remaining portion of your dog's meal allowance and leaving as your dog goes on his hunt. As always, gradually increase the time you stay out of sight, mixing in briefer stays with longer ones, but not more than a minute in length.

 

Alternatively, in lieu of the treasure hunt game, you can stuff a slow food dispenser such as a Kong Wobbler, Buster Cube or regular Kong with the kibble and let your dog work on it while you are away.

 

At some point, start delaying your returns a bit so that your dog has finished hunting or eating from the Kong but doesn't appear to anxious about running out of food and being alone.

•  

Tier 2: Protocol for Uncoupling Pre-Departure Cues

Dogs are masters in reading body language and learning all the cues that culminate into our departures. It's therefore not surprising when they start acting nervous when dog owners get up, have breakfast, and then put on makeup, shave, brush hair, put shoes on and grab the keys. These are all pre-departure cues that put dogs on high alarm, as these cues have been chained one to another and associated with departures.

 

Uncoupling these associations requires some work. The work encompasses desensitizing to the pre-departure cues and breaking up their associations with the departures. These exercises are done when not leaving the home. Make sure that you therefore have time set aside for this.

 

To start, compile a list of behaviors you perform normally when going to work or head out and identify the ones your dog seems to react to. Then, place them in order chronologically, starting with the one that is farthest away from leaving the house.

 

You will then work on exposing your dog to these behaviors starting with the first and then chaining them one by one until the dog becomes uninterested in them as they lose value due to them no longer leading to departures. For instance, if your list looks something like this: put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys and walk out the door, your exercises will look something like this: (please note, sit on the couch/watch TV is an example, you can do many other things that your dog associates with you being home like knitting, washing the dishes etc.)

 

Put on shoes, sit on the couch, watch TV (when you sit down and watch TV or read a book or go prepare a meal, do so for a few minutes each time)

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, sit on the couch, watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on the couch, watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, sit on the couch, watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door slightly, close door, sit on the couch watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, then back in, close door, return, sit on the couch watch TV

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on couch, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door (with you outside), quickly reopen door, close door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on couch, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door (with you outside), lock the door, unlock the door, return, sit on couch watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door (with you outside), and increase duration of staying outside gradually, but for no more than half a minute (always mixing in shorter absences in the midst of longer ones), then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Note: If your dog seems upset by any of these behaviors, you may need to split them further. For example, if your dog is doing well up until you start opening the door (like you catch your dog whining), then, you may want to split the action of walking to the door in further segments (e.g take a few steps towards the door, return, sit on couch, then, walk to the door and stand in front of it, return, sit on the couch, then, walk to the door and touch the knob for a split second, return, sit on the couch, then walk to the door and open the door a bit for a split second, return, sit on the couch. Do this until the door can be successfully opened without the dog worrying about it.

 

Tier 3: Exercises by the Door

 

Monitor your dog for signs of distress

These exercises are more difficult, and therefore, require dogs to be very well proficient at the previous tier level. Dogs should therefore have reached a point where they are fine with being left alone for up to half a minute as the owner stands behind the closed door.

 

Because these absences are longer and more distractions are added (car engine starting), it helps to provide some high-value long-lasting goodies for the dog to consume such as a strategically stuffed Kong with layers (e.g a layer of cookies stuck at the bottom, kibble mixed with peanut butter, a cookie stuck midway, canned food, another cookie at the top). For longer absences, on top of a Kong, an automatic treat-dispenser set to release treats at frequent intervals can turn helpful.

 

When providing goodies to consume for these absences, it's important to provide them as well while you are at home to prevent them from turning into a pre-departure cue signaling to your dog you are about to leave.

 

At this point, it may also be important to use some form of remote monitoring so to assess how the dog is doing and keep tabs on progress and/or setbacks. Body language should be carefully assessed. Anytime a setback is noticed, it means that one must work more on a lower level until the dog is perfectly comfortable with that level.

 

For example, if the dog becomes anxious upon being left alone for 8 minutes, more time should be spent practicing at lower times. Increments should be done in seconds rather then chunks of minutes always mixing in briefer times to make the exercises as variable as possible. Build the time gradually up to 30 minutes if possible.

 

Arrivals should always be no big deal. Ignore your dog as you walk in and just go straight to the couch.

 

Example of exercises:

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, spend a bit of time in the car, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, move the car a bit ahead and then back into parking space, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV.

 

Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, drive the car around the block and then back into parking space, then unlock the door return, sit on the couch watch TV and so forth. Gradually increase more time spent away, mixing in shorter absences.

 

A Word About Treatment For Separation in Anxiety in Dogs

It's important to consider that slow and steady wins the race in behavior modification. It will take time, commitment and determination to attain results. The goal is to get a dog to be calm and reward that. Setbacks are always possible during behavior modification no matter how well planned the program. To reduce the chances of setbacks, it is best to perform separation anxiety exercises with the help of a professional for in-person evaluations and coaching. Once the dog appears calm in the safezone, it's time to generalize the behavior and practice in other areas of the house and with other family members.

 I hope this helps!

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog is showing aggressive tendencies, please play it safe and consult with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation.