1. Fade the lure quickly, if using lures.
A lot of times, the reason why the lure stays in the hand for so long is because the dog doesn't cleanly follow the lure at first. Instead of trying to get a sloppy, complete follow of the lure into a position like sit or down, you can break it up into little pieces. Reward the dog for following the sit lure up with their heads without jumping up. Reward them for leaning backwards, and then for sitting. If the dog can follow the lure cleanly, it is far easier to fade the lure.
The important thing to remember is not how many repetitions you've lured your dog, but the length of time you keep the lure in your hand. So focus on getting rid of the lure in the first or second session of using it and switch to the dog following your hand without treats in it.
2. Teach hand targeting as an essential skill
If you teach your dog to touch your hands when they see them, then you have a tool to move and reposition your dog without needing to have food in your hands. I use the hand targets in several flexible ways in the video. As a check-in behavior (good for off leash play to have your dog periodically touch her nose to your hand), as a way to refocus, to aid in teaching hand signals, and to give security and confidence. And, the video above showed my guinea pigs doing it. If guinea pigs can do it, your dog absolutely can do it, too!
3. Use a high rate of reinforcement while training new behaviors
Rate of reinforcement is a phrase which means the number of reinforcers (rewards) given per minute. A high rate of reinforcement means you are giving around 30 treats every minute. And it's also very counter-intuitive for people who want to eventually use fewer treats.
Treats are not just rewards. They are also a form of feedback for your dog. If you are stingy with the treats, chances are, you are stingy with feedback in general. And it's very hard to learn with a lack of feedback. It's also very hard for the dog to be successful if you try to fade the treats before your dog has a solid understanding of the behavior.
4. Expand the list of reinforcers that you use in training
When you are working with your dog, don't just hand your dog treats. If you do that, you'll get a dog who will only work for treats. Teach your dog to enjoy multiple reinforcers (rewards) in training. Make a list of everything your dog enjoys out of life and try to figure out creative ways to use them in training. An easy way to inject fun in training without using treats is to use praise and toys in training. Here, Pip shows you how you can start playing with your dog and how to introduce obedience and structure in play as well.
Other reinforcers include: praise, petting, going somewhere fun, playing with other dogs, playing chasing games with you, running, bubbles, water (for water loving dogs), interesting smells.
5. Teach training skills which help aid in communication
Just like hand targeting can help, teaching your dog to do things like, fetch a leash when she wants to walk or ring a bell when she needs to go out can help to teach her that she doesn't always have to work for food. Here, I've taught my guinea pigs to load themselves up into carriers in order to communicate if they want to go into or out of the cage. No treats are needed because feeling in control over this aspect of their life is the reward, in and of itself.
6. Reward for effort to build a habit of working hard
When you first start training your dog. Sits and downs are not the easiest thing. But once your dog becomes proficient at them, start to ask more and more from your dog. Consistently challenge your dog so that they feel they have to work as hard as they can to earn the goodies. If sits at home are easy, ask for a sit while asking the dog to leave it. If that's easy, work multiple behaviors with an open container of food on the floor.
In addition, if the dog has worked long and hard, give her a reward worth that effort. If you asked for ten different behaviors when that's hard for her, don't give her a piece of kibble and a pat on the end, give her a piece of steak and a tug session! You'll eventually see a dog that, the longer she goes without a reward, the harder she works because she believes she'll get the best reward in the end!
7. Get the treats off of you!
Train with the treats off of your person. You want to get the treats and toys off of you or hide them on you (in a way the dog can't know you have them). If you use a treat pouch, take it off. Don't hold the toys or treats in your hands. Instead, hide them in your pockets or under your shirt (toys). Once your dog is confidently trained in the behavior, your dog should perform whether she sees the rewards or not and trust that you'll reward her in some way, whether it's praise, treats, a chest rub, toys, or a fun game of chase.
8. Clean up your training mechanics
Too many people will mark (with the word "yes" or a click) at the same time they reward. Or, if their dog is doing well, they'll put their hands in the training pouch. Or, they get a habit of touching their pocket and their dog suddenly becoming attentive. You want to train as cleanly as you can. This means, you plan the steps you take before you train. You don't move for treats until after you mark the behavior. And you don't work with the treats and toys right in front of your dog's face. And you need very clean training mechanics in order to train a guinea pig!
9. Don't just "up the value" of the treats constantly
You hear it all the time! You should increase the value of the treat if the dog is not attentive. While it is important to make sure that the value of the treat matches the level of distraction your dog finds herself in, it's better to look at the environment and whether or not your dog's ready for it.
If the dog isn't listening at home during a training session, don't reach for the better treats. Just end the session. Your dog is missing out of the great chance of working with you and playing the training game. Bad training is asking the dog to do something and when she doesn't do it, breaking out the good stuff so she'll listen and pay attention. This teaches her to blow you off so that you will get the better stuff out.
Sometimes, your dog will not listen is because the environment is too distracting. My dog Pip gets overwhelmed easily. When I take her someplace new, I let her sniff and take in the sights. I used to wait until she finally relaxed enough to offer attention to me. When she does, I know she's ready and I'll make training super-duper fun. She is already starting to ask for training almost right away in distracting places because of this approach.
Asking her to do things while she needs to process her stress will just stress her more. Attend to your dog's emotional and mental needs before you do training. Pulling out the high value treats in this situation is ignoring your dog's needs and may create a relationship of conflict when training.
10. Build a love of working and training with you
Training should be a super fun time. While food is feedback, you want rewards to be moments you share when your dog is successful. For example, when you ask your dog to come to you. Don't just hand her a treat for a "job well done." Tell her she's the best dog in the world. That she's smart and brave and beautiful. Let her cover you with her kisses. Make her feel like she made the best choice in the world for coming when called. When you get frustrated, just stop working. Training should be all about the relationship between you and your dog. It should also be about having fun with your dog.
My last blog post explained about how to build intrinsic value in working and training with you.
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