What to do if dog is not treat motivated? The Ultimate Guide

The Problem of Misusing Treats

Sometimes dog owners may inadvertently lower their dog’s food drive. This often happens when treats are misused. For example, a dog owner may use a treat to lure their dog to go into their crate, even if the dog dislikes being left in their crate. Or maybe they use it to bait their dog and then force them to take a bath. If treats are used to trap the dog, the dog will associate treats with something scary or unpleasant and will avoid them.

In order to avoid misusing treats, find ways to make activities your dog dislikes (like being crated or being given a bath) more pleasurable. Dog trainers often use techniques like desensitization and counter conditioning to achieve this. Try to keep treats pleasant and enjoyable for the dog.

Dogs That Are “Over the Threshold”

If your dog is not food motivated on walks or during training class when there are other dogs and people are around, chances are he or she is too excited or anxious to eat. Dog trainers often depict such dogs as being “over the threshold.” In other words, their emotions get in the way of their digestive system and the ability to cognitively function (learn) shuts down.

This is a normal reaction. When a dogs body is in fight or flight mode, the blood flows away from the digestive system to the dogs limbs and sensory organs (eyes, ears, etc.) so that the dog is in a state of hyper-vigilance and ready to spring into action.

Dogs that are over the threshold should be kept at a distance from their triggers. Implementation of behavior modification methods using desensitization and counterconditioning may be necessary to change the dogs emotional response in the case of anxiety. These dogs are overly concerned about their environment and need to learn to feel safe. Dogs who are over-excited may also benefit from added distance and can be trained using coping strategies where calm behaviors are reinforced.

Dog owners can use their dogs kibble if they mix in some organic, low-sodium hot dog slices for added aroma and flavor.

While classical conditioning is a tried-and-true behavior modification technique, doing it successfully means introducing a diluted version of the “scary thing,” usually by manipulating distance, and pairing the presentation of food with exposure a la “Open Bar, Closed Bar” training. In any case, the dog has come to learn that “food predicts scary things,” instead of “scary things predict good things (food).”

You’ll find all personality types within a given breed, but some traits are more common in some breeds, including food motivation, prey drive, and play drive. Labradors and Beagles are especially well-known for their interest in food, while many terriers, herders, and guardian breeds tend to be less food-motivated. You can increase the value of food as a reinforcer by carefully pairing food with things that are already valuable to the dog (play, prey, sniffing, etc.).

Getting your overweight dog back to a healthy weight is critical for his physical and behavioral health. Ask your vet before embarking on a new exercise regimen, and have your vet rule out any contributing medical factors like thyroid issues or diabetes. Also, my personal preference: Avoid diet foods. As with humans, the solution is not what you (or the dog) generally wants to hear — eat less, exercise more. There are no magic pills, foods, or creams.

In previous dog training posts, I’ve discussed why trainers use treats or food when clicker training, and discussed a number of non-food reinforcers as well. But maybe you live with a dog that seems not to be food motivated. Many trainers will laugh at that claim. “If the dog was not food-motivated, he’d be dead!”

Obesity in dogs, as in humans, is an epidemic in much of the Western world. In fact, obesity in dogs is so common, I’d argue that many well-intentioned dog owners don’t even recognize an overweight dog when they see it. Sadly, as a dog trainer, I often see these dogs. When I discuss the importance of a healthy weight with my clients, they often tell me, that their vet didn’t say his weight was an issue.

Dog not motivated by food

What do I mean about motivation? I mean the thing that makes your dog WANT to work. For you, it’s your paycheck. Regardless of the amount of love you have for your job, the one thing that keeps you going back is your paycheck. But for dogs, it’s not that simple. What you use as motivation is up to your dog, not you.

Most dogs are motivated by food, which in my opinion is the easiest kind of motivation to work with. But there’s also so much diversity in that category. Some dogs like peanut butter, others like cheese, or maybe hotdogs. Some of the most interesting things I’ve seen include frozen peas, Cheetos and Whataburger French fries.

Rare, but not uncommon or unusual is a dog who is not motivated by food but rather affection or play. Before determining that you might have one of these kiddos, definitely exhaust different food options. If your dog was motivated by food at home but loses interest while on the park or in class, it may just be that you need a HIGHER VALUE treat. But if you have a dog who’s interested in you rather than food at all times, then you most likely have an affection-driven dog. If your dog would do anything for his tennis ball but turns his nose up to your treat, then play is most likely your dog’s jam.

When training a toy-motivated dog, you first must teach your dog a rock-solid leave-it. It’s important to be able to get your toy back quickly in between reps so you can move on to the next. This can be a little tricky, because if your dog loves his toy, he may not want to give it up very easily. I also recommend using a toy that is elongated, like a rope or long stuffed animal so you don’t have to give up your handle of the toy every time. When working with these toy-loving pooches, sometimes I reward with a quick tug of the toy, and sometimes I reward by actually throwing the toy and allowing the pup a second to run around with it before asking for it back. Lastly, be sure that you somehow tuck the toy behind your back, under your arm or into your shirt and only bring it out once the desired behavior has been performed and marked (that’s where timing comes in).

Nothing makes you feel more like a superstar than an affection-driven dog. Because these dogs love to love, they may also be a little needy when not training. I would recommend teaching your dog some sort of “I’m done” cue (mine is wiping my palms against each other as if dusting off some crumbs) that when given tells your dog that you’re done dishing out affection and it’s time for him to move on instead of pestering. Also, keep in mind the level of your affection. If you’re trying to work on a stay behavior, you rewarding with exuberant praise may actually cause your dog to break the behavior instead of remain calm and in place. I usually tend to stick a simple stroke of my hand from the side of the snout to the head with an occasional ear rub and save my gushing for that last, really hard rep.

Remember, what your dog is willing to work for is up to your dog, not you. You can’t force a motivation upon your dog to make your life easier. You have to adjust to him. And just because you can’t use food doesn’t mean your dog is broken or can’t learn. Find what works for him and still have fun!