This is such a common question and one I received again today. Here is how I responded:
To answer your question, yes and no. When training dogs, I use whatever the dog finds rewarding. It’s not something that we can choose for them – just like I can’t choose what you find rewarding. One of my dogs is not overly food-motivated; he is motivated by scent…so much of our training is done while outdoors and I can use a “go sniff” as a replacement for “here’s a treat”. My other dog is incredibly food and toy motivated, so I alternate between them depending on the moment.
I would be very wary of any trainer who refuses to use treats to train; it’s like applying for a job and the HR Manager saying, we don’t use money to compensate you – we use praise. Would you work for “good job”? Likely not – we have our own reinforcers (success, fame, money, etc…) and expect to be rewarded when we do well. Dogs are no different. Working with dogs, we have to reward the behaviours we want repeated, otherwise the dog will do a cost-benefit analysis the next time and say “well, it wasn’t worth it last time, so I’m not going to bother this time.”
When a trainer uses punishment (or even a “balanced” method using treats and corrections), you get confusion. The dog takes a chance every time he’s asked to do something. There’s a 50% chance that he’ll get rewarded and there’s a 50% chance he’ll get yanked by his neck. That makes for a fearful, anxious dog who cannot learn in that environment. If the dog is a strong-willed dog and can withstand that punishment, he may tolerate it for a while but then lash out and bite later (this is what happened to me early in my career when I used corrections – I got mauled.) If the dog is meek and “soft”, he may simply shut down and avoid all interaction with people as they bring fear and pain.
I have signed a code of conduct that states that I do not use fear, punishment, pain, intimidation to train dogs. I treat dogs with respect and in turn, I work with the happiest dogs who trust people, listen to their guardians and are wonderfully successful. When I do use treats, we wean off very quickly so that there is no dependency. We replace the treats with toys, affection, scent-games, socialization, whatever the dog finds rewarding. This is the only method that is scientifically proven to work with dogs.
You might ask “how do you discipline your dog?” Instead of punishing, I set the dog up for success by preventing problems, teaching alternate behaviours before bad habits are built, and redirecting any behaviour I don’t like. “Positive” doesn’t mean “permissive” – I just can’t justify punishing a dog if I haven’t taught him what I’d rather he do.
When dealing with puppies, it’s so important to use food as a reward as it’s what they understand, and the process is much faster (and more enjoyable) for both of you. If a trainer is not using food when training puppies, I can only imagine what they are doing to train them. Likely corrections. Imagine punishing an infant – it’s the same thing.
There is so much conflicting information out there, but if you keep your focus on science-based training rather than television shows or “overnight trainers” (ones who just hung a sign saying “trainer” without any education or training), you’ll do just fine.
A few resources from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior to leave you with:
Puppy Socialization Position Statement
Punishment Position Statement
Dominance Position Statement
