No treats needed to stop your dog pulling
As a dog trainer I don't use treats or toys...
A lot of dog training now a days relies heavily on the use of treats to reward the dog for the correct behaviour, but what if your dog doesn’t eat treats?
My Shiba Inu called Miku loves food. When she was a puppy she would do anything for a treat and was very eager to do what I asked, in and outside of the home.
However, that all changed when she became one year old. Out of no where she stopped accepting treats outside the home. This made training her to walk on lead without pulling a real challenge.
Not only had she reached what is known as the “teen” stage in dogs. Where they test everything you’ve ever taught them as puppies and push the boundaries. She just wasn’t interested in food outside the home.
I tried everything, ham, chicken, cheese, hot dog, all kinds of natural dog treats, even her food but nothing work. She would merely sniff it and then look away.
Even though I am a dog trainer I was at a complete loss and found myself back to the books figuring out how to get our training back on track. By this point she had started pulling and even for a little dog she can be quite strong when she wants to be.
Unfortunately the books brought no new information. Some trainers recommended using toys for reward. I thought brilliant Miku loves tug indoors I’ll give it ago. Another epic failure, again I was faced with the same problem, she just wasn’t interested.
Does your dog not eat treats while training?
At my wits end I was determined to come up with a solution to my problem. After months of research, testing and modifying I finally did it! I have found a way to train dogs to stop them pulling on lead. Without the use of food or toys and believe me I do not hit them.
When I take Miku out she does get a reward for walking nicely and that is permission to stop and sniff. You might not think that much of a reward, but to Miku that is the best kind. However, if she pulls and creates tension in the lead then there is a forfeit and that is the walk ends and we return home.
Sounds simple enough right, to simple some might say. But believe me it really isn’t complicated or difficult to teach a dog to walk without pulling. There is something you will need to do though and you can read about that in my next blog ‘The key factor to dog lead walking’.
