I like to use food to train dogs whenever we can for many reasons. First, food is what’s known as a primary reinforcer. That’s a fancy way of saying “the dog needs it to survive.” Think about it, dogs (or us, for that matter) can’t live without food. So it’s pretty important to a dog. Second, food is usually a really nice reward for a dog. It tastes good. It smells good. They like it and will work hard to earn another tasty tidbit.
However, some dogs are picky.
Like Schooner.
He refuses chicken. Won’t take a hot dog. Won’t even consider a dog treat. Which limits my options for using food as a reinforcer. I mean, if Schooner doesn’t like it, it’s not a reinforcer. Period.
I’ve found that he does like cheese. It’s relatively cheap when bought in the econo-saver blocks and it lasts over a week in the refrigerator. It’s easy for me to handle — not too sticky or goopy and easy to deliver one small piece at a time.
The problem: Schooner tires of cheese relatively quickly. Meaning that it’ll work great for 15 minutes, then he begins refusing it. He needs more than a 15 minute session. Sometimes we’re out running errands for a couple of hours — I needed to find a way to mix in a different, non-food reinforcer.
The solution: I happened upon a solution while I was in the yard working on his loose leash walking skills. He had worked nicely for about 15 minutes, as usual, then began turning his head away from the cheese. Ugh, what am I supposed to do?! He needs loose leash walking practice!
He’s huge, it’s easy to forget he’s still an adolescent dog. But I figured, what the heck, I’m going to try getting really silly with him after he walks nicely for a few steps (instead of clicking and giving him an unwanted piece of cheese).
I wish I had video of our original play session. He was as animated as a baby deer or foal — bucking and romping through the yard. I had to pause our training session briefly to get my giggling under control. This is a “re-enactment” of our play session and, while you can see he enjoys the opportunity to be goofy, I can assure you it’s not nearly as enthusiastic as that original session.
In the video, you’ll see me click and treat with the cheese. Notice how frequently I’m clicking and treating. Also notice his attention and enthusiasm. Both are pretty dull when I’m using the cheese. Then I switch to using play as the reward for loose leash walking. Look at the difference! He’s got more pep in his step, I’m getting a lot more steps between rewards, and he’s much more engaged with me.
The results: He liked it! He enjoys the opportunity to get a little silly (I dare say we all like that opportunity!) and it gets him interested in training again. He’s an eager participant with the opportunity to play, whereas with the food he’s more of a passive learner.
The takeaway: I’m not going to abandon food in training — there are places where play isn’t appropriate (restaurant, movie theater, doctor’s office to name a few) — but play definitely has a place in Schooner’s training plan.
Every dog is different. Most dogs I work with (Labradors) love food and will work long and hard for the tiniest piece. Other dogs don’t think food is as great and need a different reason to work. I’m flexible. I’m willing to find out what works.
Hi. I’ve had my little chihuahua for four years now. She turns 10 in March. I believe she did not have the best home life before I adopted her.
She fears getting her nails clipped and I want to be able to train her into not fearing the process. She is a very picky dog and treats won’t work. There is not one food that I have found she will do anything for. She is also not a very playful dog and do have to be careful because she has heart failure. I can’t get her too worked up.
Do you have any thoughts on a step process I can use to get her used to nail clipping?
Thanks!!
I can’t tell you how happy I am that i found this post because it makes me feel sane. I’ve had folks tell me there’s no such thing as a dog that isn’t motivated by food, but Schooner sounds exactly like my dog, and today i’ve been feeling deeply discouraged because I have been finding it hard to train him because he’s not food motivated and I really want to bond with my dog. Each time I find something he likes he, like Schooner bores of it really quickly. But your article made me feel more hopeful.
I am so happy that I’m not the only one with this problem!
My dog absolutely hates dog treats he will sniff it and then leave it however he loves chicken and ham… but ONLY in the house! So he’s really well trained within the house but as soon as we leave the house he’s not interested in chicken or ham or anything for that matter he also turns deaf when we are out and doesn’t listen at all especially if he sees another dog. I have tried keeping him on a short leash and then call him and if he looks at me I will praise him then run with him because that’s all he wants to do is run and then I tell him to sit and if he does that I will praise him and let him longer on the extendable lead but it doesn’t work if another dog comes past ?I f any of you could help me with this that would be great! ? thank you
HI Casey, thanks for your comment. This is fairly common and it means that your dog just needs more time and training with distractions at a far distance. For our Great Dane, I’d take him into our field where there was no chance of running into other people or dogs. We’d work on the simplest of behaviors with the best treats ever. After I could get him to just check-in with me, I’d advance to another simple behavior like hand targeting. When he was good at that, I’d advance to the next easiest behavior. Again, always with amazing treats.
Then, I’d start all over again and move a little closer to the road. This might take a week in total, but in the grand scheme of things, what’s a month of working together with my dog if it means we can ultimately go more places together? Keep up the good work, find a good spot with as few distractions as possible and start there.