Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, my dog georgie has been going to obedience class for a while now. i bring treats for him but he wont eat them in class. he'll eat them at home though. i've used cheese, hotdogs, bacon, steak and even catfood, all of which he eats at home. he was eating in class the first month, but then just stopped and i dont understand why.

>>ok, my dog georgie has been going to obedience class for a while now. i bring treats for him but he wont eat them in class. he'll eat them at home though. i've used cheese, hotdogs, bacon, steak and even catfood, all of which he eats at home. he was eating in class the first month, but then just stopped and i dont understand why.

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The method I was taught for using treats with a dog makes it about more than how interested in the food the dog happens to be the moment. Read the article "Eye Contact" at the link below my signature for this method.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Some dogs need to have more tempting treats for class situations vs. home situations where the distractions are less and the emotions are not running as strong.

I find boiled chicken with a bit of garlic salt sprinkled on it and microwaved so you can put it in your pockets is a cheap, easy way to reward your pup for good behavior in classes.

Has your dog been scared in class? Have it been getting harder and more confusing? Is there one particular dog or individual your dog does not like? The reluctance to take treats can be a for of "shut down" which is a stress signal.

Hopefully, you two can just work through it with soem tastier tidbits to keep your pup's mind on you and not on the surroundings. In class, it's my dog's job to work with me and ignore everything around it.
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PHReign
Email me: HReign@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">PHReign@pethobbyist.com
Dear dog,
I can not buy anything larger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think that I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of dogs sleeping, they can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to your fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straigt out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing more than doggy sarcasm.

Those all seem like good treats. One thing I've done with my dog is to ONLY feed her the really special treats (for her, that's turkey dogs) during training sessions since if she gets any treat too often it no longer seems worth "working for." You might want to switch things up and keep some treats special, used only for class. You'll have to experiment to find out what really motivates your dog.