Positive training requires the use of treats. Some people think trainers like me are “cookie pushers”. So let’s understand treats.
Category I: Food – ranging from banal (dust bunny covered stale cheerio) to extraordinary (“canine equivalent of a hot fudge sundae”).
Category II: Everything else the dog likes that isn’t food in the context of the moment as to whether the dog actually likes it.
I am willing to put in the time/energy when puppies are young (or adopted older dogs are new to the environment) to shape them into what I need and convince them it is what they want and then have a happy, wholesome wonderful life with them. To that end, I use treats generously.
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER:
Reward the positive
Ignore the negative (as long as living and inanimate things are safe– using management) until learning happens and you practice to generalize it for your dog
Show patience, consistency and layer in distractions as the dog at hand can handle it — there is a wide range of aptitude on that
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are overwhelmed or need some fine tuning. Sometimes it is very simple adjustments and developing a better sense of timing to fix behavioral issues.