Dogs and training rewards

They say that there are three types of rewards to a pet that work for training purposes; treats, affection and toys. You see these treats even used for dog shows to keep the pups attention on the ring. What works for you when you are training your pup? How much time do you spend at a single sitting on each command you are teaching? and finally after they have learned the basics do you continue to reinforce those as well as teach new "tricks"

 

Food, food, food. LOL I start with treats but work to where praise is enough. I've never been successful getting a dog to do anything for a toy.

With Misha, I've used food less that with previous dogs. This was mainly because she'd get so obsessed with the treat that she wouldn't pay attention to me. LOL

At first, we had normal training sessions. I would spend 5 minutes at a time several times a day. I think this fits a puppy's short attention span.

I believe that training should be a part of every day life. Misha has to sit for her food every meal every day. She has to wait when the door is open. I will get a treat and make her go potty and make her come back to me quickly. She gets her treat when she comes back. I've worked these commands into our every day activities. It keeps it fun for her, but it reinforces that I'm in charge, which seems to be something that she needs to be reminded of.

Training is a lifetime thing. I think dogs like to please us and they enjoy doing this tricks. Every few months, I try to teach Misha something new because she is the type of dog that does tricks easily.

 

Toys are okay, but food is much better. When I want to "bribe" Homer, only food works, he focuses all his attention on me if I'm holding something delicious in my hand, lol. As for affection, I pet him all the time anyway, so he doesn't really care about it.

 

Definitely food.
We do not really train our dog but whenever he is a good dog and following commands, we reward him bread which is his favorite food.

 

Claudine, Misha is the same way. Toys are not much motivation for her when it comes to rewards. Food is a different story. She'll do almost anything for treats. And, if you have carrots or broccoli, she will be your best friend for life.

This is how the gardener is befriending her. He brings treats each time he comes now. Misha may bark at him furiously, but once she is outside and realizes he has treats, she becomes the model dog. He's been doing this the last 4 visits and I think she has come to expect it.

 

I never really got into the habit of using toys for behavior reinforcement. I used treats to train my chow on the onset then later on transitioned to praises and affectionate pats or scratching her ears which she loves. I still use praises or hug her when she does a trick we taught over two years ago. It's probably more for me than her, I find it hard not to hug her she looks sooo cute.

 

Do you give her raw broccoli or do you cook it for her? Homer has never tried broccoli, I wonder if he would like it
Your gardener is a very sweet person!