Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hi all! Been trying to work woth Oz on various games and exercises, an issue I am running into is that he is TOTALLY NOT food motivated. Any ideas on how to work with a dog that could care less about treats?

Hi!
I have same problem with Olaf, you can read about it in this thread: http://www.dutchshepherdforum.com/viewt ... =22&t=1633.
But what I noticed over time is that he will "work" better if I play with him and make it more fun! I.E. if he just lays down and I come to him and say give him the cued for "stand" "sit" "lay" "paw" etc, he would listen, but he would give up after couple of cues or just listen after I repeat 2-3 times. BUT if play with him between cues (wrestle, cuddle, tease him etc) he would listen MUCH better, even without food.

Another example: we go to doggie school where we learn "come" command. The dogs have to come to you on the shortest way and sit in front of you. We practice first by feeding him treats while he sits in front, then moving one step back from the dog, then 3 steps etc. He is sometimes good at it, and sometime not so.
So every class you have to show your "homework" and while one man-dog team is showing others watch or practice something on their own. So, while someone else was showing, Olaf was laying down, and i watched the other team. When out turn came, i started with feeding while sitting and then moving one step a couple of times, and then moving 3 steps. It worked fine until 3 steps practice. At that point he would just pass by me and wanted to go sniff something. Later on, while being bored a bit, I wrestled him a bit, talked to him, teased him(..) for a min or 2 and that did "come". It worked great!!

So basicaly, i can use the food to show him what i want when learning new stuff, but later on he is much more motivated by my attention and by making it fun.

And somehow, now he is more obedient in every-day-life even without me making a clown of myself all the time and without carrying smelly treats.

About choosing treats, check above link.

Does he like to play with toys? Maybe he would work for a ball etc?

Kgazlay wrote:Hi all! Been trying to work woth Oz on various games and exercises, an issue I am running into is that he is TOTALLY NOT food motivated. Any ideas on how to work with a dog that could care less about treats?

How hungry is he when you're trying to use treats in training? He should be fairly hungry (so train before you've fed him, for example).

How incredible are the training treats you're using? You have to use what they find most rewarding, and sometimes you have to experiment to find out what really sends them...cooked fish? Terriyaki chicken? Pieces of tripe (YUCK!).

You can do things to motivate a dog to go for treats, but I'd wonder about these first questions, first.

There is a science behind motivating a dog if they are food or play centered. Two of the best teachers I've seen at motivating, and teaching the technique behind it are Bernard Flinks and Michael Ellis. I have these in my personal collection, and watch them periodicly to get a refresher on technique. If your serious about wanting to learn, I highly reccomend these.

http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=561
http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=771
http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=775
http://leerburg.com/flix/landing_new.php?id=676

Drizlaru, LOL, I see your new signature; "Disclaimer: This post is not intended to send anyone to grief counseling, or a mental trauma hospital. The information in this post is intended for "informational purposes only", and is a product of my own opinion." and had to laugh!!

I have a tendancy to come across the wrong way, and people take things to heart very easily. So I have to be careful, but even then sometimes I fail. So, now I can just refer to my disclaimer. =)

Drizlaru wrote:There is a science behind motivating a dog if they are food or play centered. Two of the best teachers I've seen at motivating, and teaching the technique behind it are Bernard Flinks and Michael Ellis. I have these in my personal collection, and watch them periodicly to get a refresher on technique. If your serious about wanting to learn, I highly reccomend these.

http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=561
http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=771
http://leerburg.com/flix/videodesc.php?id=775
http://leerburg.com/flix/landing_new.php?id=676

thanks for these links - I will be checking them out along with the many other ones on their site.

Drizlaru wrote:I have a tendancy to come across the wrong way, and people take things to heart very easily. So I have to be careful, but even then sometimes I fail. So, now I can just refer to my disclaimer. =)

I happen to like your "sense of humor"........

Why thank you! I like it too! =D