Is it better to train dogs with treats or praise?
Amy Quitzon
2025-06-23 04:23:28
Count answers: 7
Dogs are known for their loyalty and intelligence, making them excellent companions and trainable pets. Recent research highlights a significant finding in the realm of canine training: dogs learn more effectively when rewarded with praise and petting, rather than just treats. Dogs learn more effectively when rewarded with praise and petting. The findings were clear: incorporating social reinforcement such as praise and petting enhances dogs’ performance in learning tasks. Treats alone are not as effective as positive reinforcement in dog training. Positive reinforcement training involves rewarding desired behaviors to encourage repetition. Verbal praise, when combined with treats or petting, proves to be a powerful tool. According to the Humane Society, while treats are effective, combining them with social reinforcement can lead to better learning outcomes and a stronger bond between the dog and its owner.
Clementine Mann
2025-06-23 00:13:07
Count answers: 9
A bribe and a reinforcer are not the same thing. A bribe is produced before the desired behavior, a reinforcer is produced after the behavior. If you use food, your dogs will not obey you without it. The only reason your dog would refuse to perform without food is because she's used to seeing it beforehand. Dogs should work because they want to please you. When you think about it, it's pretty silly. Dogs should work for praise. Some dogs actually do find praise rewarding, and it's also possible to condition praise as a reinforcer. The fact is food is just another tool. If you're using food wisely it'll be out of the picture pretty quickly, and only used as a random reward once a new behavior is trained. You'll also be introducing alternative rewards like play and yes, praise, too. The idea that training with treats leads to people walking around with treats in their pockets for as long as they have their dogs is based on a poor understanding of how good dog training works.
Xzavier Powlowski
2025-06-23 00:00:45
Count answers: 11
The value of rewards is fluid, changing all the time depending on hunger, level, environment, who is training, context, energy level, etc…. Your dog may love praise from you, but not from a stranger. Your dog may go bonkers for a game of tug or fetch, but not when he is tired or it’s hot out. You don’t have to be a behaviour geek like me to have heard of a recent study that proclaimed dogs preferred praise over treats. If you’ve ever given Rover an affectionate ‘pat-pat’ on the head for a good deed, did you notice how he reacted. If not, try it now. Does he lean in or duck his head/turn it slightly away. No study is going to tell you how best to reinforce your dog’s behaviour. Positive Reinforcement based training works, but only if you understand what your dog values most at any given time. Don’t assume that because your dog eats something that he finds it reinforcing in any way.
Meta Purdy
2025-06-22 22:31:18
Count answers: 10
When it comes to training your pup, you probably already know that treats are one of the most effective ways to tell them they did a good job. But if you want your pup to learn most effectively, treats alone aren’t the solution. A new study finds that as much as your pup wants a snack, they equally value your positive emotional reinforcement. Dogs who received pets and praise in addition to treats performed better than pups who received treats and light reprimanding. Keep the treats coming — but if you want your dog to be stress-free and in peak performance, they’ll need tons of chin scratches and good dog affirmations, too. During permissive training sessions, dogs who succeeded were given praise, pets, and treats. Our results indicate a central role of positive reinforcement both in enhancing their performance and welfare. Giving pets and praise to pups can significantly lower stress and potentially improve their memory — so, no need to play the stoic trainer. Go ahead and smother your pup in pets; it’s good for everyone.
Read also
- Is giving treats positive reinforcement?
- Is giving a dog a treat positive reinforcement?
- Are treats good for training dogs?
- When to stop training with treats?
- Is positive reinforcement good or bad?
- Is it better to train dogs without treats?
- What is negative punishment in dog training?
- What is the best negative reinforcement for dogs?
- What are the cons of positive reinforcement in animals?