Training a Dog That Doesnt Like Food or Toys can be very frustrating at times, especially if you want to use positive reinforcement training. If you are set on using reward based training, check out my post Motivating a Non-Treat or Toy Motivated Dog
There are some dogs that just dont respond to food or toy based training. Such as the dogs mentioned in the comments of the post linked above.
Youre here because your dog doesnt like either food or toys. In fact, you have a hard time seeing anything your dog does like! You see reward based training everywhere, and every time you ask What do I do if my dog doesnt like food or toys you either get no answer, or you get answers just to get you to go away and ask somebody else.
My answer is, try a different Method! Its Okay if you dont train using food or toys.
Now, lets go over the other methods available to you.
How To Train a Dog That Doesnt Like Food or Toys : Praise and Correction
In this method, you dont use food or toys. You simply use petting and praise as a reward for doing the right thing. You always have these with you and its really easy to do! Dog doesnt like food? No problem!
To teach your dog what you want, you first show them what you want by getting them to do the behavior a few times. (Im not going to go into detail on how to do this, the link to the system below will show you exactly how to implement this training method. It works very well and is very fast.) Once you know the dog knows what you want, then you add in corrections when they dont do it on the first time you say.
If you would like more information on this system, check out the website to watch videos, read testimonials, and read more about it. See the website Here
I have this system myself and have used it on many dogs. Ive gotten very good results every time, and it does happen as fast as they say it does.
Get the Large Dog System
here.How To Train a Dog That Doesnt Like Food or Toys : Remote Collar Training
Our next method available to us if you have a dog that doesnt like food or toys, is Remote Collar Training. When used correctly, these do not hurt the dog and should not be used to hurt your dog. If youre hurting your dog or you see someone else using one of these and they are hurting their dog, you are Using It Wrong!
Remote collars can be an extremely useful tool in training, if you choose this method, please go to someone who knows how to properly use one and can teach you how. The best people Ive found that use Remote collar training is Sit Means Sit dog training. This company does amazing things, and no Im not affiliated with them in any way. I do not get paid to recommend them. Ive seen their You Tube Channel and have really liked what Ive seen. I highly recommend watching as many of their videos as you can so you can get an idea of whats possible with them. They have trainers all over the place, so be sure to see if there is one close by to you.
Here is a video of one of their off leash classes, it might give you an idea of what you can expect.
Sit Means Sit Dog training will let you use food or toys if you want to or if your dog responds to them, but they are not required.
How To Train a Dog That Doesnt Like Food or Toys : Natural Training
Natural training is using communication your dog understands and use on themselves. No corrective collars, no food or toys. I have honestly not experimented a lot with this type of training but would like to learn more on it. I found this nice website that is all about it, you can see it at Pam Shaw Canine Consultant. He has a DVD available and I think Im going to order it myself and see what its all about.
I am sure there is more available on the internet about him and on Natural Dog Training. Do a search for it and see what you can find.
To sum this all up, if you have a Dog That Doesnt Like Food or Toys then throw out the reward based training and try something else! It is Okay! Dont let others make you feel bad because you dont use food or toys with your dog. The important thing is finding something that Works!
I would also like to point out, all of these methods are great even if your dog does like food or toys, but maybe you would like to try a different method.
Food or Toys are great to use during training if your dog finds them rewarding! However, dont get frustrated if your dog has no interest in either. There are plenty of other methods out there that dont use food or toys. I hope I helped you find some that will work for you.
Happy Training!
Image Credits:
Dobie Pic: Pato_Garza @ Flickr
Amy @ Talented K9
talentedk9@yahoo.com
www.talentedk9.com
