[nagdu] Some people aren't very bright ... :)

[Raven Tolliver]

An aspect of clicker training, or positive reinforcement training is
using multiple reinforcers. Food is not the only reinforcer. It really
depends on the dog and the situation. Other rewards can be play,
sniffing, digging, marking, petting/scratching, or verbal praise, just
to name a few. That list is not exhaustive by any means. I think most
of the schools that use food rewards are (a) new to positive
reinforcement training, and (b) believe that food is the quickest,
most convenient, and most effective reward. While it is quick and
convenient, it is not always practical. As others have mentioned, food
is highly distracting to some dogs to the point that it hinders their
work. Also, some schools might not teach or talk the handler through
phasing out the treats. This is something many people struggle with,
but it must be done. You don't want to eternally rely on food, or any
reward for that matter, to get a behavior, or a behavior
well-performed. You want to train the dog so that eventually, an
occasional reward will be enough to keep the behavior coming, even if
the reward is not a primary reinforcer.
It is great to incorporate play as a reward with any behavior that you
want to improve with your dog. It's best to just know your own dog,
and do what works most effectively and communicates what you want. For
some dogs, food is more distracting, for others, play is highly
distracting. It's important to not adhere to the assembly-line
training approach that some schools seem to have.


On 10/9/14, Vivianna via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I completely agree.
> it just does not make sense to try and train your dog to refuse food by
> giving him food.
> i want my dog to work for praise.  and, she does.
> so many folks these days are all on the band wagon of food rewards.
> probably, in a couple years, there will be some other dog training fad.
> i'll never forget the story of a blind woman who ran out of treats for her
> guide dog (GDB) in the mall of america.  that dog refused to work for her
> without them.  and, that place is absolutely huge.
> for that reason, as well as the dog's complete fixation on food, that dog
> was returned to the school.
> i am traditional training all the way.
> Vivianna
>
> On Oct 9, 2014, at 7:38 AM, debby phillips via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Mark, I applaud you for not doing the "food fad thing".  Finding something
>> else that is a motivator for our dogs is awesome! I think one reason we
>> tend to use food as a reward is our own use of food or drink as a reward
>> for ourselves.  (This is just my opinion).  But think about this.  We have
>> a great day at work, get a raise, or whatever.  Often we go out to dinner
>> to celebrate.  Or we have a bad day at work, and we head for the nearest
>> vending machine for that candy bar.  Yes, food is quick, and effective,
>> but I for one don't want to encourage that food drive too much.  Thanks
>> for a good idea, Mark.    Peace,    Debby and NEENA who loves to play tug
>> and toss the KONG.
>>
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-- 
Raven
"if God didn't make it, don't eat it." - John B. Symes, D.V.M.
http://dogtorj.com