Dog Training Using Toys As Motivation

One question I am asked a lot is, "do I always have to give my dog a treat for doing something?" The short answer is, no, you do not have to give your dog a treat all the time. When I start training a new dog I introduce the behaviors using food rewards. Once the dog is learning the behavior and showing predictibility I start using a toy to motivate the dog to perform the behavior.

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You can start using a toy immediately if your dog is toy motivated. My suggestion is to play tug of war or fetch with your dog and use those games to help strengthen the behavior you are working on.

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For example, get your dog interested in a ball, once they are nice and excited, ask them to sit, when they do, throw the ball as a reward. Of course your dog should know how to play fetch otherwise they will probably get the ball and run off.

Another example is using tug of war as a reward. Prior to using this game as a reward your dog should know what "drop it" means. You will also want to teach a "release" cue. A release cue is a cue that tells the dog it's alright to play.

Whether you play fetch or tug, the steps are the same. When playing fetch you toss the ball where it says, "play a short game of tug."

Using tug of war as a reward goes something like this...

1. Get the dog interested in the toy. When they are motivated give the release cue and then play a short game of tug.

2. Give the "drop it" cue. When they let go give the release cue and play a short game of tug again.

3. Do steps one and two a few times to get your dog understanding the process. When they listen the game starts, when they don't, you just stand there.

4. Once the dog is dropping the toy well and then playing again when released you can add obedience. Start with sit. Give the drop it cue, when they let go say, "good" then encourage them to try and get the toy again, do not give the release cue, have them miss the toy a few times, then when they have all four feet on the ground, raise the toy up a bit and say, "sit" when they do give the release cue and play a game of tug.

In the beginning keep the obedience requests short. Don't ask for to many sits or drop its. You want the dog to enjoy the game. The more you play tug this way the better the dog will get at listening. Their behaviors will speed up and their motivation will be high.

I prefer toys because from my experience dogs are motivated by play far better than by food. After eating so much food they become full and start to lose interest. Playing gives you the advantage of keeping them interested and giving them exercise at the same time. Keep sessions short in the beginning until your dog develops more stamina for the game.

Both of these training examples can be started with puppies as young as 8 weeks old.

Dog Training Using Toys As Motivation

Jason Mann is the owner/master instructor of Top Dog K9 Training Solutions based in Lexington, Kentucky. For more dog training tips and information Visit Jason online at http://www.TopDogTrainingSolutions.com

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