Question

[Jamieejo85]

Okay, I have been working with Chico, trying to get him to learn some basic commands. He is now able to sit and he is working on shake. I would like to know how everyone taught their dog some other basic commands because I would love for him to know more.

Also, I was wondering something. I know that when some peope train their dogs to do something, they give the dog a treat when they do it correctly. Well, my question is, do you have to give them a treat every time because they will expect it, or will they learn to do it without a treat? Probably a dumb question but just wondring

[puppyluvs]

No question is a dumb question

[aly]

When you first start training the dog to do something new, a reward (whether its treats, toys, or praise) should be given every time. After your dog reliably knows the new command, you can stop giving the treat every time. You will still want to treat every so often though. Keep your dog guessing. Sometimes ask for 1 position and then treat, sometimes ask for 3 and only treat after the third. Mix up the rewards too. One time you can use something boring like a kernal of dog food and another you might use a piece of cheese or a liver treat. Petting is always a great reward too. Make it so your dog never knows what the reward will be. It will become a fun game and a dog is more likely to do things for the chance that there might be a REALLY good reward.

One of the rules of dog learning is a behavior is more likely to occur if it is randomly rewarded (and it can become obsessive). Think of the Vegas casinos. Those people pulling on the slots are being randomly rewarded. They keep pulling and pulling because they know it is possible to win the "jackpot". It is the same concept with a dog that is randomly rewarded for obeying commands.