Dog Lovers Decide Between Toys and Treats as Effective Tools for Pet Training
A former Marine Commando who now works as a shepherd is basically drawing a hard line in the sand about dog training, and he’s doing it with a flock on the line. In his world, toys and treats are not just “not necessary,” they’re a shortcut that hands control to whoever is holding them.
He trains a sheepdog alongside a partner dog, and the whole setup is tied to real, daily work: securing and herding the flock, protecting them, and even bringing in the daily meal when they’re away from home. Up on the hillside where there aren’t shops or roadways, the dog’s obedience is not a cute trick, it’s survival.
And when you hear why his dog obeys only him and immediate family, you start to see why a toy in the wrong hands could be a disaster.
A former Marine Commando who's now a shepherd believes that neither are effective for training.
Neither, in my humble opinion, because it means that basically any fool with a treat or toy in their hand can gain control of your dog. Better in training any dog is to simply love it as much as it loves you… and provide fuss and praise from its chosen person.
It forges a bond that cannot be broken… My dog helps me make my living, which includes securing, herding, and protecting my flock.
Also, he brings in our daily meal when we are away from home, as there are no shops or even roadways built to sustain them if there were… up where we work.
He then tells the community about the work his dog is involved with.
Here is a typical hillside roadway in the area where we work…
The user trains a sheepdog.
Herding dog in action
Training sheepdogs takes time and patience.
And here is what we do… Good sheepdogs take a long time to train correctly, and they do not come cheaply either…
The shepherd doesn't believe in using toys and treats when it comes to herding training.
And only woe will betide any sheep or dog thief should they try to offer him either a toy or a treat… He was reared and trained in a language that few outside of my people have any understanding of.
The dog was trained alongside another sheepdog.
He was trained by myself and another working sheepdog only… And in all honesty, he obeys only me and other immediate family members… Only…
It’s the same vibe as training tips for dogs unmotivated by treats.
Doggo at work
This was the sheepdog's training partner.
And below is his recently deceased co-trainer… Ole Su…
They're not just training partners; they're friends too.
Another user believes that, in the long run, toys and treats are not needed. They can be effective for puppies at the start of their training.
Both treats and toys CAN work. They have been shown to be effective when training dogs that are not your own. As in when your dog is left with a professional dog trainer because you either don’t know what to do or can’t be bothered. Time restraints, and all that, right?
But if you really want to train your own dog or dogs, you shouldn’t need either treats or toys, except maybe in the beginning of a puppy's training.
Praise, love, nuzzling, pats, more praise, more love, more nuzzling, and more pats.
If you love your dog and your dog loves you, no treats or toys are needed.
Your love is the only reward your dog wants and needs.
It all depends on the dog's preference.
Whichever your pup prefers. Usually, treats are best. Just be sure to ONLY use positive reinforcement;
ignore bad behavior and reward good behavior an insane amount—treats, pets, and praise. You’ll be shocked at how quickly it works… Negative reinforcement takes an incredibly long time, IF it even works; it generally just results in the bad behavior continuing and the dog being scared of you.
For positive reinforcement, you’ll have to be a little more intelligent. For instance, for potty training, when they start to go, pick them up and put them outside… When they go outside, praise them. Never rub their nose in an indoor potty or yell at them; they literally won’t understand why you’re being mean, just that you’re being mean.
But eventually, they’ll associate going potty outside with praise. Usually, for puppies, you start by training them to potty on a pad, then move the pad closer to the door, and then outside.
That’s why, when he talks about anyone being able to “gain control” with a treat or toy, it doesn’t sound like a theory, it sounds like a warning from his hillside routine.
When he explains how his dog helps with securing, herding, and protecting the flock, the stakes get real fast, because there’s no easy way to replace a mistake out there.
Then the story turns even sharper when he mentions his sheepdog training partner, and the fact that his recently deceased co-trainer, Ole Su, is part of the bond behind that obedience.
And just as you’d expect him to be open to alternatives, he still shuts it down, even while acknowledging others say toys and treats can work for puppies or for dogs training in someone else’s care.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between toys and treats for dog training. Regular pet owners need to find out which of the two tools are effective for their dogs.
For working dogs such as sheepdogs, some dog trainers discourage the use of both tools because they could potentially be detrimental.
At the end of the day, the owner needs to find out what works.
In his world, a toy is just bait, and he can’t afford bait to win.
Next, see how dog lovers handled the “punish the pet for not coming” plan. Dog Owner Plans To Punish Pet That Doesn't Come To Them
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