My puppy only works for treats. How do I transition off them?

Question

Grace is 5 months now, she does her basic commands like sit, laydown, bark , paw , stay etc she is also well potty trained but she does these only when I offer her treats in return without treats she is not interested, do I always have to give her treats in return for the command? Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Female | unspayed | 5 months and 2 days old | 25 lbs

Daniel Fonza, DVM · Accepted Answer

In the beginning when training, treats train dogs to do these commands due to positive reinforcement. At a certain point, dogs will respond to commands regardless of getting treats or not because they become conditioned to the response to the command. At this age, you will likely have to continue giving Grace treats to get the response you want. Gradually reduce the frequency at which she receives treats and try and get her to respond to a command without a treat. Rather than a treat, try praising her and telling her how good she is. Dogs like praise as a reward as well. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

My puppy only works for treats. How do I transition off them?

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