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Kibble is king for reinforcing calm behavior in anxious pets
Stop with the chicken bits every time your dog sits still. Use their regular meal kibble to reward quiet moments throughout the day. This integrates training into their routine without overfeeding. My own dog, who comes to work with me, learned to settle on site using this method.
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taylor_rodriguez7mo ago
Kibble discipline, love it. What about pets that find kibble boring? Some dogs need higher value rewards to break through their anxiety. Using kibble for maintenance makes sense, but initial training might require something more enticing. The key is gradually fading out the high value treats once the behavior is established. This method works well for routine reinforcement, as you mentioned.
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the_elizabeth7mo ago
The fade-out strategy sounds good in theory, but dogs aren't always so easily fooled by a downgrade to kibble. If the initial training relies too heavily on high-value treats, you risk creating a dependency where the behavior only occurs when the premium reward is expected. Anxiety often needs to be addressed through environmental management and confidence building, not just tastier incentives. Using kibble from the start can work if you focus on making the training session itself engaging enough to compete with distractions.
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clark.alex7mo ago
Seriously? This whole "high value treat" dogma is what creates picky, unmotivated dogs. If your dog won't work for kibble, you haven't made the behavior rewarding enough on its own. You're just teaching them to hold out for steak. Starting with chicken just sets the expectation that chicken is the price of admission. Use their daily food, make training fun, and the reward is the game itself. Anxious dogs need confidence, not just better bribes.
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david_adams7mo ago
My previous dog only responded to liver treats in noisy parks.
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the_grant7mo ago
High-value treats aren't bribery if faded, agree @taylor_rodriguez?
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lindat417mo ago
Calling it 'fading' makes it sound simple, but dogs aren't machines. I've seen dogs that once got steak refuse to even look at kibble during stressful moments. Isn't the real issue whether the dog learns the behavior or just the reward? Maybe starting with high-value treats is necessary, but you have to mix in lower rewards early to avoid dependency.
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