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Episode #272 When Your Puppy Won't Take Treats · The Puppy Training Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Bringing a new puppy home is exciting, but it can also come with a few surprises, especially when it comes to training.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: One of the most common challenges puppy handlers face is motivation.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: What do you do when your puppy isn't interested in food or seems too distracted to learn?
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're talking all about food motivation, why it sometimes fails flat, especially in those early days, and how to successfully train your puppy using a variety of rewards, including play, while setting them up for long-term success.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the puppy training podcast, the show designed to help you raise a confident, well-behaved puppy using positive practical training methods.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll explore real-life training strategies, break down common puppy challenges, and give you clear, step-by-step guidance you can start using right away.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you're dealing with potty training, biting, jumping, or just want to build a stronger bond with your pup as their handler, you're in the right place.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the puppy training podcast.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Amy Jensen.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Today we are talking about motivation and food, particularly.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of clients will call me and say my puppy isn't interested in food.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And there's some reasons for that.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about that today.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: But food is one of the most commonly used reinforcers in dog training, and it's for a good reason.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's convenient, it's effective, easy to deliver quickly.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And for many puppies, food is the fastest way to communicate.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, that's exactly what I wanted.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the reality: not all puppies are food motivated.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: And again, there are some factors that might motivate that, if you will.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: And that doesn't mean something's wrong with your dog.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: It does, it just means that we need to adjust our approach.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: So a lack of food motivation can show up as maybe they ignore food during training, maybe they spit it out.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Baxter will do that sometimes.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: He's pretty picky.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: He has to test it and taste it and smell it.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: And if he doesn't like it, he spits it out.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh maybe it's being more interested in the environment than the reward.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: If you take a dog outside, I guarantee smells, birds, squirrels, leaves, you name it, uh, can be more interesting to your puppy.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: So we we hear about that one too, and we experience that ourselves.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but also responding when the very best foods are offered.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe they only respond if the good stuff comes out.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: And dogs are very smart and aware of this.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: They know if I wait, I hold out a little bit, she's gonna get something better.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: So what's going on?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's just as simple as your puppy's not hungry.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Other times the environment is too distracting or the food just isn't high value enough.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it's a combination.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've just brought home a new puppy, this piece is important to listen to because your puppy has just experienced a massive life change.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: They've left their mom, their litter mates, everything familiar to them.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Even in the best situations, their stress levels are high.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: And when stress is high, appetite and motivation go way down.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay?
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: So if your brand new puppy isn't interested in food yet, don't panic.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's actually very normal.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to give them time to decompress.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to focus on helping them feel safe, predictable, and comfortable in their new environment.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: We want to keep things calm, keep routines consistent.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: We're just starting to build a schedule for them and to build a routine.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: We want to keep um outside influences to a minimum.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: So don't bring in outside stressors or people right away to, you know, add to the stress.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: We want to just let your puppy settle in and lower your expectations in those first few days.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: So we're not going to jump right into sit down, stay and come, okay?
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to build a relationship, build some trust, let your puppy relax in their new environment, and just let those stress levels come down.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: As their confidence grows, you'll often see their interest in food and training starts to increase naturally.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk practical strategies.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: First, use what you're already feeding.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: So people will say, Well, what food reward should I get?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: What treat should I buy?
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I tell them, just start simply.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: At Baxter and Bella, our go-to training reward is your puppy's regular food.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's balanced, it's consistent, it prevents overfeeding.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: If your puppy needs a little extra encouragement, you can always make their food more exciting by adding a higher value option.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: I like to take a meal mixer, it's just a little piece of freeze-dried meat, and I crumble it right into the kibble, and then that adds a little bit of a pill without completely changing their diet.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, here's another important tip: you do not need to go out and buy a bunch of different treats.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, if you introduce too many new foods too quickly, you're going to have a sick puppy, and we don't want that.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: They're going to have an upset stomach.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: So think of your puppy like a baby.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: We want to introduce new foods slowly.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to aim for one new item every four to five days if needed, depending on how your puppy handles it.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: So this will help you monitor for sensitivities and keeps their digestive systems happy.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Now, next, we want to check your timing and environment.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: So training before meals, I like to use my puppy's meal as the rewards.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll do the training before ever putting food down in a bowl.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then when the puppy is naturally a bit hungrier and we this works well, and then we can start in a low distraction space.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: So outside in your backyard might be too hard to use their food, but inside in a quiet space with not a lot happening, oftentimes it'll work great, especially when they first come to you.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: They do not need higher value food rewards.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: Most likely if they're not, quote, food motivated in the beginning, it's because those stress levels are high.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: So we can just wait a few days.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's fine.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: We can work on other things.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, we also want to keep training sessions short and fun.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's not about the food, it's about the delivery, right?
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: It might be too boring in my training or too robotic.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Puppies get bored pretty quickly.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: They're like toddlers with very short attention spans.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: So try to make it more fun, try to make it interactive, try to make it quick.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Puppies love that kind of stuff.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if food still isn't doing the trick, let's expand your toolkit.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Reinforcement is anything your puppy finds rewarding.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: And for many dogs, that's play.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: I say play is powerful.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: If your puppy loves to chase, tug, or interact with you, we can use that as rewards.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I ask for a behavior like a sit and then I reward with a quick game.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I toss their favorite toy or I engage in a little tug or I move with them in an exciting way.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you guys haven't tried hide and seek with your puppies, that's pretty fun.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: You could actually ask them for a sit and you could run and hide and let them come find you.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is especially helpful for high-energy puppies, puppies who are adjusting to a new home, like we talked about, or dogs who are more relationship-driven than food-driven.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Some dogs just love your praise and attention.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's what they crave.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: So recognize that and you'll start to learn that as your puppy lives with you longer and longer.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: You'll start to learn what they like and what they prefer, and you can use those as rewards.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: We call them life rewards.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Things like I see my puppy wants to go outside.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: They want me to open that door.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: I can actually ask for behavior and do a little training session right there for some good behavior and then open the door as the reward.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: And we teach you how to do that in our intermediate training program.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: So if you need help with that, don't worry.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: We have you covered.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: So just keep play structured and brief.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: You want it to feel like a reward.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: You want it to be fun and game-like, not a distraction that derails training.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Now, even if your puppy is food motivated, the goal isn't to rely on food forever.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, in fact, a lot of people get in trouble where they are showing their dog the food like a bribe, and then their dog only does things because they see you have food.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: So we do use what's called luring, meaning I show my puppy food and I lure them into a sit, or I lure them into a down, or I lure them into a spin.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: But once I've taught that behavior, maybe five, 10 repetitions, I'm actually hiding the food.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's going behind my back in a pouch.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: My hands are free from food.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm asking for the behavior first.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: When my dog does the behavior, then I reach behind my back, pull out a reward from my pouch and deliver it.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: So the the cue comes first, then the behavior, the dog does something, then they know that they'll get paid.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: But they don't have a bribe or like a carrot dangling in front of them, if you will.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: So that's where people get into trouble because sometimes you hear, oh, I don't want to use food rewards because my dog will only behave if I have food.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's really what's going on, is some people just always have food in their hand and they never get rid of it.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: We've got to teach our dog that we give a cue, then we get they give us the behavior, then food appears.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: We also help you with that in our program if you have any questions about that.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, real life rewards, when we talk about that with, again, like I mentioned, going outside, opening the door is a great one, right?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Getting the leash on, um, being fed, playing, anything that's not just uh food, but other things that your dog loves, we call life rewards.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it they learn that, oh, this pays off because I get something I want.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if your puppy isn't food motivated, it's not a failure, it's just feedback.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's telling you maybe they're stressed, maybe they need some time, maybe they value something more, like when you're outside and a little lizard runs by, movement might be more um rewarding than food for your puppy.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: So our job is to observe, we're going to change and adapt as needed, and we're going to meet our puppy where they are.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to recognize what is motivating to my dog, what and create a hierarchy, if you will.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, what's the most rewarding thing to my dog?
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: It might be movement.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a dog that has a high prey drive and loves to chase little critters, um, it might be praise or your attention, you looking at them and talking to them.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: It might be a belly rub.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: My dogs love belly rubs.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Or Baxter, his favorite actually is a chin scratch.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: He loves his chin being scratched.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: So you're going to start to learn about your dog and they're going to start to communicate to you what they love.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: That needs to go into that reward hierarchy so we can incorporate those into the training.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now, connection and consistency matter more than any single food reward.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks for listening today, you guys.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully that's helpful.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: I know we get a lot of questions about food and training and how to use it appropriately, and my dog's not food motivated.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so there's a few tips for you.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you want more, come check out our program.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: We'd love to help you and answer any of your questions.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Have a great week, you guys.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Happy trading.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for tuning in today.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe so you never miss a training tip.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're enjoying the show, leaving a quick review really helps other handlers find us.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: For more training resources, tips, and support, visit me Amy Jensen at baxterambella.com.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, happy training.