I'm having a hard time teaching Kasey to take the treat 'easy' when we're training. I've tried the technique Cindy uses in Ed's video where you keep your hand balled up in front of the dog until he quits trying to get at the treat, and then open your hand. And he does quit trying to get it, but then when you open your hand he goes for it. I hold the treat like Ed shows with your thumb in your palm, but he uses his front teeth to grab it (he not trying to be aggressive, he's just SO food motivated), and those teeth are sharp. By the time I'm done with a training session my fingers are sore.

Does anyone have any good ideas - I think I need to take some training sessions and teach just how to take the treat! But how?

What treat/s are you using? Perhaps you could find something that has a lower value to him and start with that.

 Quote: lori hall

I'm having a hard time teaching Kasey to take the treat 'easy' when we're training.

I feel your pain.

The way I dealt with this was to teach the "easy" part as a separate exercise, in the kitchen, with the food bowl in my lap and feeding each bit of food separately. I'd hold the bit of food between two fingertips, and require it to be gently taken. If not, a "yelp" and no food.

I know there are a lot of folks who don't like the yelping part, but it has worked well for me in this specific instance. It also transfered to working on bite inhibition when dealing with toys and such.

However, when you take it to training, when your dog is ramped up or in drive, you can still end up with sore fingers at times. But sometimes is better than all the time.

(Another trainer I used to know would hold a whole hot dog in his hand, and let the dog nibble a bit off the end when training...I tried this some, but didn't end up using it that much over time.)

leih

BTW, there's no reason you couldn't use a negative marker instead of a yelp in teaching "easy"...

leih

 Quote: leih merigian

The way I dealt with this was to teach the "easy" part as a separate exercise, in the kitchen, with the food bowl in my lap and feeding each bit of food separately. I'd hold the bit of food between two fingertips, and require it to be gently taken. If not, a "yelp" and no food.

I know there are a lot of folks who don't like the yelping part, but it has worked well for me in this specific instance. It also transfered to working on bite inhibition when dealing with toys and such.

This is exactly what I do as well. Oscar's learned to be quite gentle - friend's who give him treats comment constantly on what a soft mouth he has - but occasionally he gets a bit overzealous in training and his mouth manners will fade... when he starts to catch my fingers we actually stop what we're doing, I'll ask for a simple "sit/stand" routine and with each treat I'll give the "EASY" reminder and hold on to the morsel a bit more tightly (which is his cue that he can't have it until he lightens up on his gip). Works like a charm.

When you have a very food motivated dog, this is something you may very well need to give regular little "reminders" about , though as Leih points out, sometimes is better than ALL the time, and I personally don't mind the trade-off (having a very food motivated dog makes training SO much easier!! :grin.

And I'll second Leih's comment about yelping as an assist to the bite inhibition - maybe I have a softie of a dog, but it has really worked with Oscar too.

~Natalya

I have this problem too! I've tried to separate training sessions to make her take it gently but she gets so very amped up the very same treat during the real training it will make her spiral back into her old self and we end up going in circles...

I'll have to keep working on it, I'm sure.

Thanks so much for posting this Lori. I have the same problem and was about to ask what to do about it! I'm getting to work on "easy" today.

I taught my dogs a 'be nice' command from the very begining. 'be nice' means...take the treat gentley & be gentle with the cat, be gentle with kids etc. If they are not they don't get the treat, don't get to play with the cat, don't get to play with whomever...& we stop doing whatever it is we are doing. Since they want the treat,to play with the cat,etc this has always worked for me. Even as adult dogs if they get excited (and these are very driven dogs) they get a NO negative marker & we try again. If they continue to do the same thing we just stop for a while & try again after a bit. If you hold firm it will work, just don't cave, if you do then they have your number & your done. Not being gentle means, no mugging, no pushing,no barking for the treat etc... NO TREAT no nothing.

With an older dog...I would just hold firm & wait him out with the treat. I would use a lesser value treat & work with him & that treat seperately from actual marker training for other behaviors. Just offer the treat telling him to be nice (or whatever word you want to use) & then offer the treat. When he can take the treat nicely without nipping for a few sessions,up the trat value & do the same thing for a few sessions, then I would again see how he does in the excited time of actual marker training a behavor. If he starts to nip, go back to taking the treat nicely seperately. Kind of like a back chaining exercise.

I also used head position to my advantage by giving the treat from above so that the nose had to be pretty straight up. When the chin is up, I think it is harder for the dog to snap and nip at the treat. Don't go in too high or they jump up. I just get it over the nose with my palm facing down. Cut up jerky stayed better between my thumb and palm than smallish round treats.

Even though my dog knows "gentle" and will take treats gently if presented with a treat... during training my guy will still sometimes be a little rough. I now offer treats on an open hand (as you could a horse)....it works great and no pinched fingers!!!!!