One of the strongest senses for a dog is smell, so with a great smelling treat in your hand it is amazing what a dog will do for it, even for my puppy’s. I had by now started to really work through the pain barrier of owning 2 puppies that didn’t suit my energy levels or my lifestyle.
My Miniature Labradoodle & Cockerpoo would do almost anything for a tiny piece of cooked meat. I found this treat to be one of the highest value treats I could offer, which then could be used on the more complicated training routines. I used them at the weekly training sessions & when we worked together daily at home. I used to place the meat on a baking tray and slowly cook until it was well done and then chop this into tiny 0.5cm pieces and kept them with me whenever I was with my girls.
As well as the structured training that I used to do after the walks and before food every day, I would continuely call my dogs to me where ever they were and make them sit then take the treat. It became second nature for them to stop what they were doing and respond to me quickly, they also had to learn to take it gently even though her dog sister was waiting beside her for their treat.
Taking the treat gently may not seem like a big deal but when you have a treat in your hand and your dog tries to lunge forward to snap it up this can catch you and hurt. I would keep showing them a treat and say “off” , hold on tight to it and only release it once they moved their head away from my hand and waited. This really helped as the same command could then be used on other items like the snail they found in the garden - Yuk.
It did sometimes get a little tiresome to constantly remember to take the treats with you, top up the bag and fingers smelling of meat - thank goodness for babywipes. However it was so worth it as this is when the most development was achieved even now nearly 6 years later if they are having a moment I will call their name and say “come” and they rush to me, sit and wait for their treat, which can be really helpful when you need it.
I started to include treats that were shop bought, but only if they didn’t contain lots of additives or sugar’s as believe me this type of processed treat, like a child can make them hypo, which isnt very helpful when you already have a couple of high energy dogs. Once they both reached the 2 year mark, I would still go through the training routine and on the spot training not always offering a treat but did include lot’s of praise.
This was the point that really changed my life. I started to research dogs to find a puppy that would be ideal to join our household, as the 2 girls were getting much better behaved and I wanted 2 dogs to be at home always with company while I was out walking, training or enjoying the company of just one dog.
This is when I found my perfect puppy match - Coton De Tulear.
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