By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:          

How many times a day do you get a treat? And how many times a day to you beg for a treat? Oh, only when your people are around. And every time (or almost every time) you beg for a treat, you get one. Wow! May I ask a personal question? How much overweight are you? Oh-oh! You can’t go on blaming it on a lack of exercise due to this winter weather. It will very soon be spring and you’ll want to look your most handsome when you step out-and-about with your V.I.People and maybe meet new doggy friends. You have this treat deal down pat, so maybe it’s time your People got clued into it for their sake and yours.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:         

Treats for the dog are perfectly okay. It’s how they’re handed out that can lead to problems. Weight gain is an obvious result of too much eating and treating. What you see is what you gave! More difficult to spot, to acknowledge and to overcome are the behavioral issues that result from over-treating. There are some ground rules that can help dog owners (especially the overindulgent ones!) understand how dogs react to treats. For the sake of this discussion, let’s narrow it down to four ways a dog looks at a treat: How? Why?  When? Where?

HOW? Treats are hand-fed to the dog. It is the symbol of the person’s hand offering a special bit of food that makes it, in the dog’s head, a “treat” or source of unexpected pleasure. There are dog toys made to contain a few treats which the dog must figure out “how” to get; sort of a self-reward. Then there’s the game in which a treat is hidden and the dog must find it. But for the other 98% of the time, treats are offered from the hand of the doting owner.

WHEN? The timing of handing out treats is vital – to the dog, that is. This is when things begin to go wrong. If Rufus can earn a treat any old time by sitting obediently, looking up at you with starvation written on his face, score 10 for Rufus! Believe me, he will learn and remember that a lot quicker than Come-on-Recall. Speaking of which, basic obedience training may start off with a treat (a tiny treat) for a perfect performance, but those goodies are soon eliminated. Instead, Rufus gets a big smile and warm approval. If you always have a treat in your hand when you call Rufus to come, he’ll start playing the “I don’t hear you” game. Ha! He’s just holding out for something bigger or better in the way of a treat.

If your dog is shy of people coming into your home, here’s one way to utilize the “when” aspect of treats.  Supply your friends with a couple of really small treats and tell them to totally ignore the dog even as he comes to sniff and investigate them. When he seems somewhat calm near them, they can slowly and without saying anything, offer the treat in an open hand. (Dogs that jump up on guests in an enthusiastic greeting don’t get treats, just a firm correction and more training!)

WHERE? This is the biggest downfall of all because it invariably means “begging.” Train your darling dog to stay in a specific spot away from the food when you are eating. If that adorable pooch is offered one morsel of food from your plate while he’s sitting under the table or by your chair, he will have learned a lesson to last him for life! Don’t do it! 

Feed him bits from the kitchen counter once and you will be tripping over a beggar for years to come. It’s a tough rule. I know because I’m guilty of breaking it. One way to handle the kitchen beggar is to make him earn the treat even if it only means moving him to the other side of the room and having him do a long Down-Stay. 

WHY? This is where we get into some of the real behavioral problems. Let’s say you’re about to hand Rufus a treat and there’s a distraction. Maybe someone steps between you and the dog, or the phone rings. The dog may jump up, or try to grab the treat, or even growl. This is not true dog aggression, but more like “me first” behavior. However, it definitely is the kind of situation that can lead to the dog’s becoming increasingly pushy, dominant and, in some cases can even become aggressive behavior. The first time you see any of these behaviors – from begging to a snap or growl – you need to start some re-training. Begin by simply recognizing and ignoring the little actions on the part of Rufus that have been earning him those treats.           

As a verb, “to treat” means “to negotiate” and once the dog figures out that definition, it can cause big problems!                                                                                              

Until next time – BE GOOD!

-  Bardi