Question: My husband and I adopted a dog a few months ago but wanted to give him time to settle in before we did any formal obedience training with him. Now that he has fully adjusted to us and our home we have been trying to work with him on some basic commands. The problem is that he has no interest in treats. How do I get him to work with us?

Answer: Many dogs are not necessarily motivated to work for treats, but that doesn’t mean you can’t train them.  There are lots of ways to train a dog and a number of things that dogs find rewarding.   If you are really stuck on using treats, you could withhold all food from him for a few days until he is good and hungry. Another option is to find something else the dog values and use that to reinforce behaviors. Remember, if the DOG doesn’t perceive it as valuable, then it’s not a reward.

I like to tap in to a dog’s “prey drive.”  It is part of their hereditary make-up. The level of prey each individual dog has depends on a variety of factors which we can get in to at a later date. Dogs with a high “prey drive” will often find a tennis ball, a tug toy or a squeaky toy much more enticing than a piece of cheese. 

Dogs that are trained with a ball or a toy have much more fun and are a bit more reliable in their training.  This is why you see most search-and-rescue dogs and detection dogs trained using balls or toys.  The job itself is rewarding but the ultimate reward is the play afterwards.  Since you will be giving your dog a job to do when you incorporate training into his world, it may be worth it for you to try it out.

Start with a tennis ball.  Bounce it in front of your dog with a level of excitement to get his attention. If he fixates on the ball then get ready.  Some dogs will automatically try to jump up to get the ball and this is a big NO-NO. It’s all instinctual.  If he does, don’t yell at him or get angry.  Just hide the ball and wait it out.  You will be working on his impulse control by doing this.

When he settles, then bounce again.  Once he is really fixated on it, then use the ball as a lure and put it over his head a bit. The ONLY way he is going to get this ball is if he goes in to a SIT position.  Once his body weight shifts, and he naturally goes in to the SIT position, mark the behavior by saying “GOOD” then give him the ball. Timing is everything.  Don’t worry about adding any words just yet. Just try to get him to do the behavior.

Do this a number of times in a row and you’ll start to see your dog sitting faster for your release of the ball. It becomes a game. Once he truly understands the game, then you can add the word “SIT” just before his bum hits the ground. Immediately after he sits, mark behavior saying “GOOD” and then deliver the ball.  The final step is getting him to sit when the command is given.  Use this concept for all of the commands.  You may have to get creative at times depending on the command.

 If you are going to train with a ball or toy, then you must teach the dog the word “DROP” or “OUT” so he learns how to release the object when asked to do so. It will help if he has a leash on him while you are doing these exercises since it will give you greater control should he decide to run away with the ball.

Having him near you with the ball in his mouth, produce another ball and start bouncing to get him interested. He may automatically drop the ball in his mouth and if he does, say GOOD and give him this new ball.  Repeat a number of times to get the behavior, and then start putting a word to it like the sequence above.  If he doesn’t release the ball when he sees the other ball, then try to gently remove it from his mouth. Stay calm, don’t yell.  If he gets possessive and refuses to release altogether then end the game and try again later.

If you get to the point where you can’t get the ball away from your dog, then you will need one-on-one professional help to show you how to do these steps in person. Understand that there is a lot of communication that happens with our body that can’t necessarily be communicated with words.

If you get stuck, contact me at jenn@bigcitydogs.net.