We get the question all the time: “When can I stop using food?” While this can be a complicated answer, the short version of my response would simply be: “It depends.”
Just a few reasons you would continue to use food include:
- The dog is still learning the behavior in new environments (example: sit in the living room is easy, but sit in a crowded area is still hard).
- What you’re asking for is hard for the dog (example: my dog can lie down on command, lying down while a stranger is petting him is ENORMOUSLY difficult by comparison, so I want to pay him according to difficulty level).
- You are dealing with emotions not behaviors (example: my dog is fearful of loud noises, so I feed my dog just after he hears something loud and scary to help him make a new association with loud sounds).
Even if your dog is an expert at a given behavior, the big point that I want to get across to you is that while food can be largely faded out over time, rewards are forever.
If you remove all rewards, the behavior will go away. It’s that simple. You wouldn’t go to work if you never received your paycheck. Eventually, without payment, your performance would decrease, and you’d be off looking for a better use of your time (and a more reliable paycheck). That being said, plenty of people do volunteer work. Why? Because they are getting other kinds of rewards. Instead of money, they are receiving satisfaction of a job well done, or the appreciation of those who they are helping, or gratification when they tell other people about their volunteer work and people say nice things about them. The point is, they may not be getting a paycheck, but they ARE getting rewarded.
The bottom line is that if you want to stop using so many food rewards, you need to start thinking, “what else can I use to reward my dog?”
Real life rewards can be any number of things:
- Play
- Opportunity (getting to go for a walk, getting the door opened to go outside, etc)
- Attention (from you or a stranger or visitor)
- Praise
- Petting/massage
- A game (nose work, tug, frisbee, agility or even an opportunity to play with a puzzle toy or slow feeder)
- Sniffing/exploring a new environment
- Off leash freedom in the yard or another safe area
It is important to note that not all of the above are rewarding to every dog. And not every reward is rewarding in all circumstances. If a dog is working hard at something, petting might not be rewarding at all. In that circumstance, it might be a nuisance or a distraction from what the dog is trying to do. That same dog, in another set of circumstances, might LOVE to receive petting and would find that very rewarding. Rewards are always in the eyes of the dog. For more on that and why we use food at all, you can see my article HERE.
While food is often used to teach and reinforce behaviors, it isn’t the only reward your dog can earn for good behavior. If you notice that behaviors that used to be spot on are suddenly diminishing, reevaluate your rewards. Perhaps, over time, you’ve missed handing over a paycheck or two and you might owe your dog some backpay for all those things you’ve been taking for granted.
Happy Training!
Nicole L Yuhas CPDT-KA
This blog is intended to be informative as well as entertaining. It contains my opinion which may not reflect the opinions of any organization I may be affiliated with. My opinions should not be interpreted as those of my coworkers, family, friends, casual acquaintances, and certainly not the opinion of my cat, although my dog probably agrees with everything I say, if for no other reason, than because I provide the treats and meals (cats are less inclined to agree with anyone but themselves). Information provided here is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge but, as information and opinions change, neither the facts nor the opinions expressed here may be true or accurate at any future date. As I don’t currently own a time machine, I cannot be responsible for things that prove to be untrue, or opinions I change my mind about, should those changes become apparent in the future. It should also be noted that, as I am human, there may be omissions, errors or mistakes in the information provided here. Frankly, even if I were a computer, it is likely there would be errors, as computers, in my experience, can be a royal pain in the butt. This blog may contain affiliate links which you are under no obligation to click. If you click them, they will hopefully take you the place I intended. But they may not. As I’ve said, computers can be a pain. If you find yourself somewhere you don’t think I intended, click your ruby slippers three times together and say, “there is no place like home.” If you do that, and click the “back” button, you should be safely returned. Computers can, at times, have a mind of their own. Any training suggestions or opinions expressed here should be taken as information only and should not be seen as advice particular to you or your dog’s unique situation. Please consult with a training professional before taking any action.