Treat based training has been around since the dawn of time. We can all thank Caveman George. He gave a wolf some meat. And the wolf thanked him by not eating him. Next thing you know, a bond was formed.
So was treat based training.
Treat based training has been effective over the past centuries and does require a lot of time. I have a lot of respect for trainers who use this as their primary reward method. It takes a lot of skill, patience, and an incredible amount of time. Any e-collar trainer who doesn’t respect treat training, doesn’t understand the challenges that go along with it.
But… What happens when all the treats are gone?
We are not going to focus on the longterm cost of this training method. Like the initial 
package amount, the follow-up lessons cost, the specialized lessons cost, the vast amount of human hours it takes with the owner and their dog to accomplish some progress. We’re also not going to talk about the washout rate that some trainers defer to, by saying a dog failed their course and they are not trainable because the dog didn’t have a drive the trainer could use to accomplish their goal. We are also not talking about the fact that you are probably spending three times the amount with this treat training process compared to the initial cost of an e-collar package. It’s like exceeding your phone carrier data plan. If you didn’t have an unlimited plan. Lots of small unnoticeable charges!
What we are going to talk about is; what happens when all the snacks are gone?
What happens when your dog gets full from eating snacks? Or what happens when they understand they only need to carry out the motion long enough to get a snack? And I’m talking about after you’ve logged several hours of training time. Many dogs can respond well over time. Many dogs are also incredibly smart and will out smart you by making you believe they are a dumb dog because they choose not listen to you. Or they will show you a limited version of what you were hoping for. Dogs are smart!
Did you know good treats are expensive? Especially when you are buying them on the bulk for the long haul. I buy lots of dog treats. Not as a training reward but as a just-because reward. Personal spending experience here.
And what happens when your dog wants to do their own thing? Like when you’re out in public and they decide they could care less about treats. For those reading and relating, stop waiting. Find a great reputable trainer in your area for help. You can also check us out. We would love to be the ones to train your dog.
Check out one of our very many training videos and sign up today!
