Training Dogs With Treats – Is It Bribery?
Many people might think if you train dogs using food – it’s bribery. There are still lots of owners (and even unenlightened trainers!) who discount treat training it as a valid way to help dogs learn new skills and cooperate. Many think training with food means the dog will only ever do something for a treat. Is training dogs with treats bribery? Holidays4Dogs finds out.
Bribery v. reward.
Bribery is often associated with underhand dealings and corruption. The definition of bribery in English is ‘an attempt to make someone do something for you by giving the person money, presents, or something else that they want’. Example : The organization was rife with bribery and corruption.
A reward on the other hand is defined as ‘something given in exchange for good behaviour or good work, etc’.
Examples of bribery might be when you use food to distract your dog from barking, for example. Be careful though, you may end up positively rewarding the barking so they do it more!
Fundamentally, we are trying to avoid these sorts of situations. Instead, food rewards can change underlying emotions and motivations in the dog and ultimately how they behave. Bribing is an easy trap to fall into, though, and we’ve probably all done it at one time, or another. Read on to our next sections to find out more.
Should dogs just do as their told because we say so?
Some owners and trainers are just against using food in dog training at all, regardless of whether they think its bribery, or reward. Many believe dogs should behave simply because we say so. But this is a domineering attitude that is not relevant, or required, with such willing participants as dogs.
It is also a myth that once the treats stop flowing – undesirable behaviours come back, or learned ones are forgotten. People who believe this just demonstrate a lack of understanding of what reward based training is.
Positive reward based training – why it works.
Food has a massive impact on a dog’s brain. This is a crucial point. It also raises dopamine – (feel good hormones). Dopamine enhances a dog’s ability to learn and reinforce behaviour.
Timing is important too. Bribes are usually offered as a means of encouraging a particular behaviour. The exception to this would be ‘luring’. This usually involves teaching a physical bodily movement such as a sit, or a down by holding a treat above the dogs head, or between their paws. The dog still receives a reward, but only after the desired behaviour.
However, think of a nervous dog who might be encouraged to reach out for a treat from a stranger – but remains fearful. They may stretch out, but have ears pinned back, low tail and crouched position. Bribing the dog to come forward, doesn’t address the dog’s fear of strangers.
Rewarding dogs involves giving the dog a treat after a specific behaviour has happened – (though these behaviours can be incremental). As a result the dog is more likely to repeat that behaviour again.
Why bribery doesn’t work.
While bribery might help to sort out a short term issue – like when a dog refuses to come in from the garden, or distracting them in stressful situations, it won’t address the underlying problem. By distracting, or bribing, the fearful dog for example, it will never be possible to change the emotional response that positive well-timed rewards can achieve.
How to tell if you’re accidentally bribing your dog.
1. Your dog only performs the behaviour after they’ve seen the treat. If your dog ignores you until they can see you have a treat in your hand – you’re probably bribing. Your dog knows it too! If you can only get your dog to come back by showing him a treat, or rustling a treat bag – that’s bribery.
2. Your dog loses interest once the treats have gone. This usually means they have become used to being bribed i.e. seeing the treat before they will perform the behaviour.
3. Your dog is super interested in where the treats are and won’t perform until the treat is visible.
How can stop myself from bribing my dog?
Think of it this way. If you ask your dog to sit, while holding up a treat, the dog may come to associate visibly seeing the treat with the action. When the treat isn’t seen, the behaviour likely won’t happen. Don’t show that you have treats too early.
Using lots of high value treats is really important when you begin teaching your dog a new skill. These rewards should come thick and fast in the early stages. However, once your dog is reliably performing the behaviour, gradually reduce the treats and then reward intermittently. Otherwise, your dog will learn to only perform the behaviour when treats are there.
So, I won’t have to carry treats around for all of my dog’s life?
Absolutely, not. This is one of the main differences between bribery and positive reinforcement. Once the dog understands and has learned a new skill, treats can be phased out. Once the dog is reliably responding, it is possible to reduce the value of the treat (or, switch to verbal praise), and reward intermittently, and eventually occasionally.
What happens is; because the dog never knows when a treat is coming, or what it is, they continue to respond in anticipation of food appearing at some point. Once you get to this point with the dog, you will find the dog actually responds super fast and reliably.
Think of a slot machine. You wouldn’t keep playing if it gave out money every time, but the motivation to keep playing is dependent on the possibility of a jackpot happening at some point.
My dog doesn’t even like treats – bribery, or not. Now what?
While food is a primary reinforcer with dogs, some dogs just aren’t that bothered about food. If your dog doesn’t seem to be food motivated, you can try other things like toys, praise or play which have just as much effect with some dog. Sniffer dogs, for example, are trained using toys. The reward for finding an object or detecting a scent, is a game with a ball.
Some dogs may be more motivated with toys. A ball on a rope is a good call.
Just find out what really switches your dog on. However, bear in mind, certain foods – high value ones like cheese, or liver – may even tempt the fussiest of dogs. So this is well worth a try if you are only using kibble type treats.
Final thoughts.
Those of us who value the connection, communication and bond with a four-legged friends, will see the sense and the science in training dogs with treats. Our aim is to do things for us because the want to, not because they have been forced to. Treat training is not bribery – it’s a way of reinforcing positive behaviours in dogs. And – it doesn’t mean those behaviours will disappear the moment the treat bag goes away. Try it. You’ll be amazed at what you and your dog can achieve.
