Best basic pet obedience video without food... - Page 1

I have lots of pet people contact me about basic obedience videos.  They are looking for training without food or toys.  Anyone have any titles they recommend?  I train using food, toys and play.  Back in the old days I was a kick and stick trainer but that was in the 80's.  Totally lost track of the kick and stick methods so need some help on this one. Thanks guys :)

brynjulf,
IMO, I don't think it is possible to do any basic obedience without motivators for a learning dog.  Motivators such like treats and toys are neccessary without which the dog's performance cannot be reinforced unless you are going down the route of punishment for non compliance.  Those motivators can be intermittently phased out and replaced with lots of praise depending on the individual dog.  For me, I dread seeing a dog doing basic obedience through avoidance.

I'm not a trainer, I just have a question... is it wrong to train without food or toys? Years ago when I had my 1st GSD, I took a training class (1992-3?), I had a 6 foot leash and my dogs, when my boy passed and I eventually got a pup, I used my female to train the new pup and that's kinda how it's gone over the years... I'm taking our newest pup to a puppy class for something to do and in this class it's all about treats and toys

Clee27 it is not "wrong" to train without food toys etc.  However the old fashioned training methods of yesteryear have been replaced with less harsh training methods shaping the dogs behavior rather than commanding him to do it.  I absolutely shudder at how we used to train.  Hang the dog til it sits, then say sit. Stomp on the leash til the dog is forced into a down. Yank the leash and shout "HEEL" while the dog is cowering at your side.  It actually makes me feel ill what we used to do.  Only the hardest of dogs would still happily work at your side.  But imagine your neighbors toy poodle getting the same treatment. We thought it was the way to train, we didnt know, ignorance... God we were barbarians.  Thankfully times have changed and dogs are now working joyfully without all the fight and fuss.

Guess it depends on what is considered a "toy".....just about anything can be a toy!   A leash, my hand, a stick, etc.

No matter what, training can (and should) be enjoyable.  It's about building a relationship. Training shouldn't become an adversarial relationship.  It's very possible to build a good relationship without specifically using food and toys in training....but training with food and/or toys is a heck of a lot more fun for everyone involved!

Was reading a clicker obedience email list recently....it's a little nuts, they seem to think they are the only people who train using positive reinforcement.  Crazy!

Hi brynjulf,
I train using different methods,based on the dog's temperamant.
To me there are different ways to motivate a dog and teach an exercise, using force ,praise,touch, food or toys.
The dog must understand the command and once it complies it must be rewarded.
If done correctly the dog will be motivated ,pay better attention and enjoy learning.
Force should only be used by experienced trainers ,who know how to apply it correctly.

Clee27,
 As far as I am concern It's not wrong.
I find many owners do not know how to slowly minimise the use of food in training.

I agree with Poseidon.

Thank you for all the input, I think the old ways of obdience were not my cup of tea and that's why I used my older dogs to train my pup. The puppy sees the big boy doing certain things and getting lots of praise and attention and then the puppy figures out how to get the same result. For basic manners it has been a very easy thing to do and I have wanted my boys to want to do it. We go to puppy school for fun, socialization and new experiences, he already walks on leash, sits, does watch me, down and IMO the most important, come. He is not 100% yet but he is pretty constant for a happy go lucky, curious and very puppy, 13 week old puppy. Thanks again, I really like reading this section and seeing all of the very experienced trainers and handlers explaining and helping with their ways of doing things. Jennifer

Sooooo. i take it that there are no good basic obedience videos out there :)

Brynjulf, I apologize, I should have asked separately if training without treats is wrong. Sometimes I do not think when I have a question, Jennifer