Treats for thought
Are treats as good as we think they are? Most importantly, do we really need them?
These are the questions that were running through Lyubov’s mind during one of the walks she was recently taking with her dog Heidi. This evening they had run out of treats and had none to take along for the walk.
Heidi quickly understood she could not expect to get a treat (usually she would occasionally come asking for it during walks). It was probably because Lyubov did not have her treat pouch on her.
To Lyubov’s surprise, her dog’s behaviour changed quite significantly during that walk. She was calmer and able to cope with a situation that is usually very challenging to her (seeing swans on the river and hearing them their sounds). So Lyubov decided to repeat the experiment and for a few more days did not take any treats on walks. Heidi continued to be calmer and their walks became even more pleasant.
Swans used to be a big trigger for Heidi
This situation is not unique or unexpected. We often observe that treats can become an additional stressor for our dogs. In fact, we were taught by our mentor and teacher Turid Rugaas to avoid the excessive use of treats.
Here we shall stop and put a disclaimer: we are firmly against any punitive methods and we DO use treats when working with dogs. In this article we want to look deeper than positive reinforcement training.
Now we hear some of you asking: “Treats? How can they be a stressor?”. That’s a very good question! The answer is that positive events result in the body producing similar chemistry as negative events. Adrenaline and noradrenaline release is part of this effect. The body becomes ready for action which makes it harder to cope with additional stressors in a calm way.
Another aspect of using treats is control. We see many people relying on treats to have better control of their dog’s behaviour: luring them and distracting them from seeing something (another dog, a person, something moving, etc).
In some situations it’s really handy to call our dog away using a treat. However, we quickly learn to rely on such strategies too much and can miss on several important things:
We prevent our dog from learning. Instead of being distracted by a treat, they would often prefer to just take a few minutes to observe something and learn to cope with it better. Read more about this in our article “Give me a moment”.
We miss out on building a deep relationship based on trust and open communication. Dogs communicate with their body language and pay very close attention to ours. Leaving treats aside and paying closer attention to dogs’ body language can tell us a lot about how they feel, what they like and dislike. In turn, you can say a lot to your dog by using your body. The book “On talking terms with dogs: Calming signals” by Turid Rugaas and this article are great places to start deepening your relationship with your dog(s)!
In turn, by relying on treats instead of paying attention to our dog’s body language we risk putting our dogs in situations they cannot cope with. Such situations can escalate quickly. Dogs are great at telling us when they are not okay with something. Spotting these small signals early and increasing the distance from the trigger on time will spare you lots and lots of treats, and, most importantly, nerves!
Lastly, using treats excessively removes agency from our dogs. Dogs are sentient beings and have lots of opinions. Giving them an opportunity to practise agency, to make choices, is a huge boost for their confidence and wellbeing, because choice is deeply rooted into the fundamental sense of safety. Of course, we have an article about it too!
And now we would like to challenge you:
On your next walk, leave the treat pouch at home. And all the commands and demands together with it: to avoid frustration refrain from asking for behaviours that they usually get a treat for. Go to a nice calm place where your dog can feel safe. Walk slowly, relax and pay attention to what your dog is telling you with her body language. Use your own body to communicate with her. Finally, try asking your dog which way she would like to go.
We are sure it will be fun for you to discover your dog’s opinions! And we hope you will see why leaving treats at home can be a beautiful thing as Lyubov and Heidi did.
Further recommended reading: “Practicing mindfulness” blog.
