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October 26, 2012

Is there ever a time you would use low value food in training?

Full Question:

Hi Ed & Cindy,

I am new to training and have an awesome 3 year old GSD. I have recently purchased The Power of Training Your Dog with Food DVD and had a question concerning treats. It mentions using treats that your dog considers high value. I see a big reaction with my Shepherd with hot dogs, so I have begun using them starting this training. My question is, is there ever a time you would go back to lower value treats during training? Or do you always use what would be a high value reward for your dog?

I would like to thank you also for the valuable information you offer on your site it is wonderful and love the videos & articles. Keeping in touch on FB and working my way through many video's I have found on YouTube.

Keep up the great job. Look forward to moving through the video lessons.

Cindy's Answer:

If I have a dog that gets OVERLY excited with high value food, I might use something not as exciting for that particular dog. My terrier has crazy food drive, so I might use dry, boring treats with her so she can maintain her composure. My Malinois would not even take a dry treat, he needs steak, chicken, etc... to even get him vaguely interested. So the answer is, it depends on the dog and on the level of motivation AND what exercises I'm working on. For positions I might use a lower value reward, for recalls I might use something more exciting.

You may also be interested in the video Advanced Concepts in Motivation. It covers how to use the food even more dynamically.

Cindy Rhodes

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