[nagdu] Food rewards

Sat Feb 28 18:46:12 UTC 2009

Early on when I came hoem with my new Shepherd guide a few months ago,
I tried to use some kibble as a food reward for finding our cubicle at
work. She ended up taking the reward that I gave, but then shortly
after that she dropped it on the floor. I found it a few minutes
later. Granted, this is only one instance, but it led me to think that
my Shepherd at least may not be stimulated by food rewards. I haven't
tried the same trick again to be sure if this is true or if she just
refused that one time. She's pretty sharp though, so usually it just
takes me putting her at sit and praising her a lot to imprint
something on her mind.

Wayne

On 2/28/09, Dan Weiner <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net> wrote:
> Hi, guys.
>
> Dan W. and the hilarious hounds, His Royal Goofiness, carter and Evan here.
> For what it's worth, here's my take on food rewards.
> I think it is an excellent idea.
>
> Sure, some dogs might get a little silly, but it's a great incentive for the
> dogs. They can associate a certain object or place with the food. The food's
> coming from you and that also builds the bond.  Of course, I suppose you
> might have to watch the dog's weight as those calories add up.--smile.
> You're not required to give them food all the time and that's up to you.
> I've taught my dogs to find stairs consistently, poles, etc. using treats.
> Why do I mentioned stairs?  Well, at guide dog school they're taught to find
> the stairs in some program including Leader.  But, I have honestly found
> that to make it really consistent you have to reinforce it and treats can be
> a great incentive.
>
> Now, here's a question.
> I've only worked with labs.
> So, do treats act as an incentive for shepherds, for example.
> Some shepherd handlers I've met swear that their dogs are less
> food-distracted than labs.
>
> Cordially,
>
> Dan W.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Julie J.
> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 10:27 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] statement re: ownership and qeustions re:
> schoolspolicies
>
> Merry,
>
> I do use food rewards with my dogs.  I've only trained two with clicker
> methods and food rewards.  I'm not sure that's enough to draw huge
> conclusions, but here's my observations for what their worth. *smile*
>
> Belle is not very food motivated.  On the way home from picking her up from
> the shelter I ate a hamburger in the vehicle with her sitting between my
> feet on the floor.  She was not interested in the food.
>
> During training with her I used  things like chicken, hamburger, cheese,
> peanut butter etc.  She will not take food from the ground, other people or
> anywhere else.  She has never counter surfed, gotten on the table or
> snitched food.  I don't recall that she has ever gotten into the trash
> either.   she arrived this way, so I can't claim any credit for her very
> nice manners! *smile*
>
> Using food during training has not altered her behavior toward food.
> Excepting that she is more interested in what I have and what she can do to
> get it.   this is a product of clicker training, because you are
> purposefully training the dog to think and problem solve
>
> Okay now for Monty.  He is a loveable, cheerful beast, but he is the most
> food motivated dog I have ever met in my life.   He used to counter surf,
> get into the trash, put his head on the table,  and about 101 other things
> that pushed me to the brink of insanity.
>
> We have gotten most of that sorted out now.  He has not jumped up on the
> kitchen counters for several months, doesn't get into the trash as long as
> the lid is closed and I am able to keep his bag of dog food in the kitchen
> on the floor without him bothering it.
>
> I have used mostly his dog food or other similarly boring treats with him.
> I often joke that I could give him pocket lint and he would enthusiastically
> eat it.  Probably he would, but I haven't tried it.
>
> I don't see that using food rewards has caused any bad behaviors as long as
> it is used appropriately.  My son was giving food bribes to Monty to get him
> to lie down.  Monty doesn't need that sort of reinforcement for a simple
> down, so it has caused problems.   We are working on it and making progress.
>
> I think rules about the food is key.  Food has to be used as a reward for
> the behavior you want, not as a bribe.
>
> Monty's extremely high interest in food has made training him with clicker
> very easy in some respects...he is always willing to work for food, but a
> challenge in other ways.  He is often very excited to learn new things, so
> much so that his enthusiasm can interfere with his ability to perform small
> delicate tasks.  that could be his youth and extremely high energy level too
> though.
>
> My main observation with the two dogs and using a lot of food rewards is
> this:
> The base line interest for food is more a predictor of food related behavior
> problems than the use of food as a reward.
>
> HTH
> Julie
>
>
>
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