Most people don’t want a treat dependent dog. It can easily happen due to our lack of asking for more and us paying them for every behavior they perform. One goal of dog training is to create a dog that is reliable. Use whatever your dog values as the reward. Read on for a fun and effective dog training game to help you retrain yourself and your dog.

Make a list of the cues your dog is reliable with. You are going to use this list to play a little game with your dog. The game will start with you asking for 3 things in a row from the dog, rewarding only the last. Next, you will ask the dog to do 4 things in a row, rewarding only the last behavior. Continue this trend in a way that the game is still fun for your dog and does not result in the dog checking out or losing interesting in the game. Keep the dog guessing, and avoid getting into a pattern… vary the rate of reinforcement in a way that the dog wants to work for you. Keep your session capped at a minute or so and end on a happy note.

The goal of this game is to help teach the dog that they don’t get paid for every behavior, while also teaching you, the human, not to pay for every behavior, which helps with fading the treats. This is also going to challenge you in terms of not repeating yourself, being mindful of your dog’s abilities, and having to set the scene in such a way that the dog is successful when you ask them for more… which will make you a better trainer.

Example:  vary the number of behaviors before rewarding: 3 behaviors, 5 behaviors, 2 behaviors, 4 behaviors, etc.

Rules for the human:

-         Have fun with your dog – be fun and safe for the dog to engage with; no getting upset or frustrated with the dog

-         Set your dog up to be successful

-         ONLY ask your dog what it will be capable of doing (be mindful of the 3 D’s: Distance, Duration, and Distractions)

-         DO NOT repeat your cue, give the dog time to think it out

-         DO NOT give the same cue twice in a row

-         DO NOT pay for the first cue your dog performs, but do praise

-         End on a positive note; perhaps cap it off with playtime or a walk

Rules for the dog:

-         Have fun with the human!

By playing this “game” - I put “game” in quotes because you are actually training! - you are setting both you and your dog up to succeed. You will find yourself implementing this “game” outside of training sessions. Just be sure to take your dog’s capabilities into account, set them up to succeed, praise, and find ways to implement life rewards like sniffing a tree, taking the leash off, and so on to reward them for a job well done.