19/08/2026
Don't judge as I'm always so late with jumping on trends and memes and sometimes I’m not sure how to do it 🤣
BUT I needed a bit of Dwight's help with this one because I hear this objection ALL the time and I see people use food in the ways that can also hinder their training e.g. when dogs develop aversion to treats/food. 😖
I mean, I DON'T want you to have to over use treats forever either 🤣 But TREATS ARE NOT EVIL 🫠 ...
The problem is that lots of people use treats as a bribe, don't understand how to gradually phase them out, or they go completely cold turkey and stop taking them on walks altogether. 😖 Treats should NOT disappear as soon as you've taught a behaviour.
Food is a training tool and dogs are natural scavengers meaning they are naturally motivated by it. Food can also help with creating dopamine so they’ll willingly come back to you for training again and again. Why wouldn’t you want that? 🤷🏼♀️
It all comes down to having the appropriate training skills, and no, you don't have to become a professional trainer to do that. When you know how to use food properly without starving your dog first for motivation or as a bribe, you can build behaviours that become habits, strengthen your communication with your dog, and gradually reduce your reliance on food without your training falling apart!
For example, during our Better Walks training programme, we work on achieving less pulling and lunging on walks, more engagement with you and building social skills - without constantly having to wave a treat in your dog's face! If you want to see how it works, I put together a free 4-Step Roadmap to Better Walks that breaks this down properly - comment "ROADMAP" and I'll send it your way. 🙌🏻