When to Treat Your Puppy

Give the Treat in the First Two Seconds

Your puppy connects the treat with the behaviour that comes immediately before it. The window is very short. Two seconds is the usual limit. One second is better.

Look at a simple example. You say "sit". Your puppy sits. Your puppy then stands up. You give the treat. Your puppy learns that "sit" means sit and then stand. This is a common error, and it is easy to correct. Mark the correct moment first. Say "yes" or click a clicker at the exact second the rear end touches the floor. Then find the treat and give it. The mark holds the moment for you. The treat can arrive three or four seconds later.

Keep the treats in a pouch on your belt. Do not keep them in a cupboard in the kitchen. A search for the treat costs you the two seconds.

Treat Frequently at the Start

Use a treat for each correct response when the behaviour is new. This is continuous reinforcement. It builds the behaviour quickly.

Change the schedule when your puppy is correct approximately eight times out of ten. Give a treat for a random selection of the correct responses. Give it for the fast response, the straight sit, or the quick recall. Praise the other correct responses. This is variable reinforcement. It makes the behaviour strong and difficult to lose. It is the same principle that makes a game machine interesting.

Do not remove the treats completely. Continue to pay for the difficult tasks. The recall away from another dog is always worth a good treat, even after two years.

Select the Correct Value

Not all treats have the same value to your puppy. Make three groups:

• Low value. Dry kibble from the daily meal. Use this for calm practice at home.
• Medium value. Commercial soft treats. Use this in the garden or in a quiet street.
• High value. Chicken, cheese, or liver. Use this for recall practice, for a visit to the vet, and near other dogs.

Pay more when the environment is more difficult. A puppy that ignores you in the park is not disobedient. Frequently, the payment is too small for the distraction.

Keep each piece very small. A piece the size of a pea is sufficient. You can give 30 small pieces in one short session. Keep all treats to a maximum of 10 percent of the daily food. Decrease the meal if you use many treats in a day.

Treat at These Moments

Give a treat when your puppy does these things:

• Your puppy gives the correct response to a known cue.
• Your puppy makes a small step toward a new behaviour.
• Your puppy looks at you without a cue. Pay for attention. It is the base of all training.
• Your puppy stays calm near a frightening object, a person, or a noise.
• Your puppy is quiet in the crate or in the bed.
• Your puppy urinates or defecates in the correct place outdoors. Give the treat outdoors, immediately after, and not at the door.

Do Not Treat at These Moments

• After a delay. A treat five minutes later teaches nothing.
• After a sequence of failures. Do not give a treat because you feel sorry for your puppy. Make the task easier and pay for the success.
• When your puppy jumps, barks, or pushes for the treat. Wait for four paws on the floor and a quiet mouth.
• When you show the treat first. A treat in the hand becomes a bribe. Your puppy will then only obey when it sees food. Keep the treat out of view until the behaviour is complete.
• When your puppy is not hungry. A puppy after a large meal has no interest in food. Use a toy or play instead.

Stop Before Your Puppy Stops

Keep each session short. Two minutes to five minutes is sufficient for a young puppy. End the session while your puppy is still interested. Give the last treat for a good response, and then put the pouch away. Your puppy will be ready for the next session.