Quote: Mara Jessup

Pretty sure that it was in the newest food DVD where ME said that.

But personally I think it depends on the dog. I've done a mixed bag for quite a while and it works fine for my very food motivated dogs. I think that part of the reason it works so well is the scent of the high value treats makes the kibble or whatever higher value (scent is HUGE for dogs). They're swallowing the treats as fast as I can present them anyway.

But I suppose if you have a dog with lower food drive then maybe using one type of higher value treat would be a better way to go.

I too think that the scent of the very HV reward (like, say, bacon or cheese) "rubs off" on the rest for cheap.

And good point, that it also depends on the dog.

 Quote: Ariane Gauthier

I could give dirt to Harley and he would still hope that he could get a good one now and then

Lolol. What a present of a dog.

 Quote: Mara Jessup

I think that part of the reason it works so well is the scent of the high value treats makes the kibble or whatever higher value (scent is HUGE for dogs)

Lol yep, otherwise they'd never eat kibble. I'm not dissing on kibble, some of it is really good quality, just saying that it has things mixed in that they'd never eat if it wasn't for the flavoring it's sprayed with.

I can't count the number of times I've thought "food drive is a wonderful thing!"

One tip I heard was always hold the highest value reward back until you NEED it. For example, if steak is the highest value for your dog, then save it to use on special occasions when you need something more (like a high distraction environment or a more difficult exercise)

Of course having dogs that happily work for bread and kibble makes this very easy for me

I prefer to vary my treat rewards mixed in the treat bag. I want the dog to look at me like I'm a slot machine. You never know when the "big one" will come but you keep working because you know it's always a possibility.
In reality I'm not even sure if the average food crazy dog looks at different values of treats. They're all good to him/her.

 Quote: Bob Scott

... In reality I'm not even sure if the average food crazy dog looks at different values of treats. They're all good to him/her.

Quite possible!

Having three chow-hounds, I can believe that.


But I do see real eagerness over some food items ... different things for each of them.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Bob Scott

... In reality I'm not even sure if the average food crazy dog looks at different values of treats. They're all good to him/her.

Quite possible!

Having three chow-hounds, I can believe that.


But I do see real eagerness over some food items ... different things for each of them.

If that's the case then the question I have about high level treats for certain behaviors is, Will it create behaviors that become relative to the reward it expects?
That's why I want the dog to expect that high value reward at any time for any behavior in the training. Randomly of course.

 Quote: Bob Scott

I prefer to vary my treat rewards mixed in the treat bag. I want the dog to look at me like I'm a slot machine. You never know when the "big one" will come but you keep working because you know it's always a possibility.
In reality I'm not even sure if the average food crazy dog looks at different values of treats. They're all good to him/her.

or they get demotivated the first time they get "garbage"

i don't know for sure))))) just following what Michael said

I have to agree with Mara and others here that dogs are individuals, and I think, rather than following one particular trainer's advice as a "bible" of sorts, it's more important to adapt techniques to the individual dog you are working with.

I have an enormous amount of respect for ME, I have a number of his videos and will surely add more to my library. But I'm willing to bet he doesn't use the exact same strategy on each and every dog he works with. Same overall training philosophy, yes, but adapted to the individual dog for best results.

I have one dog right now that is the most food-motivated dog I have ever seen. There's no such thing as high-value or low-value with him. I literally could use pieces of kibble and he would still be drooling with excitement. That said, I am one of the folks who likes to mix up different kinds of treats in my bag; or, if I'm going to use all one kind, I will change it up from one session to the next.

Again, if we hit on something that works well for our dog, stick with it! There's always a chance it differs from how Trainer A or Trainer B does it, but they're not the ones training your dog at the moment, you are.