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Re:Dogs can remember names of toys years after not seeing th... by dkga on Sunday September 08, 2024 @10:31AM (#41480621)
Dogs actually don’t need food for training. It’s an effective, but “lazy” way to train dogs. The best practice is behavioral, to show you are the leader in the dog’s pack. Then you won’t need to ever give a treat for good behaviour. And even in my case where I do give a treat some times, my dog completely obeys me “organically”. PS.: I’m a veterinarian.
Re:Dogs can remember names of toys years after not seeing th... by johnmaguire on Sunday September 08, 2024 @04:23PM (#41482902)
There's certainly a degree of luck regarding a dog's demeanor though. I have a BC / Beagle mix and started training her with treats: she's highly food motivated!

Eventually I realized she also loves to please - and reason things out herself - and the food was completely unnecessary! No specific "dominance" training necessary.

Re:Dogs can remember names of toys years after not seeing th... by dkga on Sunday September 08, 2024 @05:42PM (#41483478)
That is actually my point: if your dog likes to please you, it’s because in part it sees you as a leader. It’s not so much (always) about specific training (and definitely nothing resembling being an “alpha” in modern parlance).