spark
New Member
The title pretty much sums it up. We've had Zoey for roughly 6 weeks now, and I've been keeping up a steady flow of treats and praise whenever we have a training session. She responds to me well and does all of her basic obedience commands and tricks without actually seeing the food first, so I don't necessarily have to bribe her - but she expects a treat immediately afterwards. I also use toys for motivation occasionally, but they just don't have the same appeal as FOOD.
My question is: When and how should I start phasing out the food? I generally use tiny bits of carrot (yes, carrot. Crazy dog.) and biscuits. We've used a clicker from the very beginning and she definitely knows that click = reward now. She'll come running looking for a treat if she so much as hears it.
So... Should I wait a while longer before I go to the next step since she's still a puppy? Or maybe just very gradually make her work harder for the food? I don't want to rush her, so any tips would be greatly appreciated!
My question is: When and how should I start phasing out the food? I generally use tiny bits of carrot (yes, carrot. Crazy dog.) and biscuits. We've used a clicker from the very beginning and she definitely knows that click = reward now. She'll come running looking for a treat if she so much as hears it.
So... Should I wait a while longer before I go to the next step since she's still a puppy? Or maybe just very gradually make her work harder for the food? I don't want to rush her, so any tips would be greatly appreciated!