Too many treats?

[LincolnJL]

Lincoln LOVES treats. He is crazy about them. I buy the little "trainer treats" and usually just cut them in half to use them for his training. He has been doing really well so far (he is only 10 weeks old) he already knows the "sit" command and the "down" command...he only does "down" when there's a treat involved :o) Overall, he is a very good boy.
I wanted to ask about the treats, though. A couple days ago, I decided to try to take him for a short walk on the leash. He is already used to his harness (I'll put it on him throughout the day to get used to wearing it), so that doesn't bother him. I've read some of the other posts about leash training with pups, and I have all of the same problems. But he seems to do well when I let him smell the treat in my hand, then hold the treat out in front of him while walking so he'll walk with me. It's almost back-breaking, but this is pretty much the only way to get him walking with the leash on. That evening that he was pooping even more than usual (diarrhea-like) and I just know it had to be those darn treats. But that's the only way I feel I can train him (food reward). Does anyone have any ideas as far as a different sort of reward, or treat suggestions? I have been using the "Lil' Gooberlicious peanut butter" treats. I have tried just using a squeaky toy, but that only works for a minute or two. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated! Thanks!!

 

[whiskers]

On days when my dog gets a lot of treats, usually I will cut back how much I feed her at meal times. Because otherwise I have the same problem, she gets diarrhea just from eating too much in general. Might be somewhere for you to start, puppies have sensitive stomachs so maybe it's just too much food for him to handle.

 

[Althea]

We do turkey dogs here, and I only give a few, keep the training down to just a few minutes, and have no issue.

One benefit with him being so small is that he's constantly looking for you right now. So utilize that with your leash training instead of treats -- Suki is great on a leash and I've never used treats. Just let her look for me if she gets out ahead and pulls on her leash. It may not work on every dog, but when they are so young, it is much easier to train.

 

[sunspot]

I had a similar problem with my 10 month old because we train at home as well as were starting a training class=lots of treats. I also cut down on her kibble on class days and started to make homemade treats for class. Google dog treats and you'll come up with tons of easy to do homemade reciepes. My Rosies favorites are something I kinda made up by trial and error cause I wanted something good and smelly but not messy. 1/2 c powdered milk 1/2 cup oats and 2 cans drained tuna in water. Mix all together well spread on a greased cookie sheet to about 1/4 in thickness and bake at 350 for 15 mins or so. Cut into bite size tidbits with a pizza cutter while still warm. They freeze in small portions great so I just pop out what I need for the day for a few minutes to thaw. At least you know whats in them as opposed to store bought. Cooked cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts are really good too. Hope this helps!!

 

[TwoDogs]

What I usually recommend to students is to do all your "in the house" training, where distractions are low, using your pup's regular kibble. Just subtract that amount from the daily feeding.

For slightly higher distractions, I recommend using a fish-based kibble as the reward because they generally are a bit smellier and the dogs think they are getting something great but it's still a nutritionally balanced item. Additionally, you can put some kibble in a plastic container with some stinkier treats and the kibble will absorb the odor and so have a bit more value.

Save the real tasty treats for high-distraction training. Ideally, you want to keep treats to only about 10% of your pup's diet as they are not balanced and don't adequately meet a growing pup's nutritional needs. You can also use a product like Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls which are very smelly and treat like, but are in fact a balanced food.

I also tell people that you don't have to use commercial dog treats. Make your own jerky, dice up a chicken breast, slice a hot dog, etc. Lots of dogs will work for sliced carrots, thawed frozen peas, cheese shreds, or a chance to take a lick of peanut butter off a spoon.

With regards to your pup being distracted while on walks, well...that's to be expected. You will need to use your tastiest treats and keep your rate of reinforcement very high initially. Don't fall into the trap of luring your pup too much. Really, you should not be holding the treat out in front of him and rewarding every 4-5 steps which is what most people try to do. Instead, truely use the treat as a reward and deliver a reward for every step. Once you've got your pup following along for that, then you can slip in a reward for every two steps in there once in a while, then a reward for every three steps, etc. always varying the pattern. Otherwise, you'll end up with a pup that only follows along if the treat is visible. Of course, if your pup becomes distracted (ha!ha! what pup doesn't?) definitely use that treat under his nose to lure him back to you.