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May 19, 2011

My nervous dog won't take a treat, no matter what it is, making it really hard to train. What can I do so that he will take treats?

Full Question:

I am having a problem with my dog and since I have seen some of your videos before, I know you are the expert to come to. I adopted a 10 month old Caanan breed dog. The dog has been in shelter and rescue his whole life until I got him at 9 months. He is a typical Caanan, will do circles around you constantly. He is very fearful. He has warmed up to my husband and I, but he will bolt if he gets scared. The problem I have with his training is he won't take treats. I have cooked hot dogs, tried real turkey, freeze dried liver treats, expensive treats from the pet store, regular meat and he won't take anything like it. How do I successfully train my fearful dog? He tenses up when you pet him. I am trying to use positive reinforcement and I also do not baby talk him when he is fearful so I don't make it worse. I have trained other dogs before, but he is such a challenge. Please Mr. Frawley, give me some advice. I appreciate your time.

Laura

Cindy's Answer:

Have you tried limiting his meals so the only way he gets his food is by taking it from you? This is probably the only way to get a dog like this to take treats. Many dogs with really weak nerves will not take food or play when they feel stress. If I had to train a dog like this, he would never eat anything unless it came from my hand.

This dogs needs very strong leadership, I would follow our groundwork program and control his every move. He would be on a leash with me all the time, he would not ever be allowed the option of bolting. Dogs like this blossom with extreme structure because it makes them feel safe.

Please read this article about becoming an effective pack leader.

I would also suggest our new Pack Structure DVD, we just released in a couple of weeks of ago.

I hope this helps.

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