Treats are a valuable resource when training your puppy. It is, however, very important to use them well. When training a puppy, I'll make sure to have treat jars everywhere in the house.
Let's dive in deeper and explain why:
Catching good behaviours Catching good behaviours is very important when training your puppy. Every good behaviour should be reinforced if you want to make sure your puppy knows what you want him to do. In order to do this, you should always have access to treats. You'll never know when your puppy starts acting nicely.
Reminder to train your dog Often times people don't seem to plan their daily training sessions. Most humans have very busy schedules and if training sessions aren't planned, they don't seem to happen. Putting treats in multiple places, gives you a reminder to train your dog. Even if it's only one or two simple exercises, your dog will be happy with the attention given.
Countering bad timing Much like number 1 in this list, it makes sure you have the treats ready when necessary. By putting treat jars in lots of places, you won't run into the problem of asking your dog something, and then searching for a reward. Your reward will be ready at all times.
Incorporating the whole family in the training In lots of families not everyone is equally engaged with the training of the puppy. Some family members just want to cuddle the dog, but don't care about the training. By putting treat jars around the house, you can make it a habit for everyone to ask one simple task to the dog when passing by a jar. This way everyone's bond with the dog will become stronger.
No excuse to forget them when going on a walk By putting treats at the front door, you are reminded to take treats on your walk. Even during walks, it's important to provide your puppy with the right feedback in order to enforce the wanted behaviours. Often I notice people are not used to take treats with them on walks. For them a walk is just a walk. For me, a walk is quality time with my dogs.
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