Why does nobody talk about how positive reinforcement backfired on my dog?

I used to be all in on treats and praise for every little thing my terrier did right. But after 6 months of that, she started ignoring me unless I had a chicken cube in my hand. Last week at the park, she wouldn't come back until I waved a bag of treats, and some trainer just laughed. Now I'm mixing in firm boundaries and ignoring bad behavior way more, and she actually listens better. Has anyone else had their dog turn into a treat negotiator?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliotc101d ago

Have you noticed how they get that look in their eye like they're calculating the treat-to-effort ratio? My lab mix did the exact same thing - he'd sit for a second, glance at my hand, and if there was no treat he'd just wander off. I switched to a system where he gets praised and a scratch behind the ears for basic stuff, and the high value treats only come out for new or really hard commands. It took a few weeks but now he listens even when my pockets are empty. The whole positive only thing works great until your dog realizes they can hold out for a better deal.

johnson.ryan1d agoMost Upvoted

Is it bad that I kind of respect the hustle though? My husky straight up negotiates. He'll do a sit but then look at me like "okay, that's the cheap stuff, what's next." I accidentally trained him to only work for cheese by giving in too many times. Now I just keep a block of cheddar in the fridge and pretend it's my secret weapon.