Can't seem to train without food...

I feel like my pup doesn't do ANYTHING without food. Fetch is about the only thing I can actually get her to do without a treat.
And coming to me when called--forget it, sometimes even when I do have a treat.
I've tried "fading out the lure" but she will do it a couple of times and then just look at me like "Excuse me, where is my treat? No treat? No following instructions."

Any tips? The things I'm having problems with the most are coming when called (which really gets my goat when she looks at me then runs away, then looks at me again and looks like she's laughing...you guys know what I'm talking about I'm sure). And jumping up on people who come to visit. She gets down immediately with my husband and me if we tell her to. But not when she's excited about meeting someone new or having company. Are obedience classes worth it? Been thinking about them but I've never taken any of my dogs to them in the past. I've also never had a pup this strong willed. Help!?

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on September 2, 2012 at 10:27am

Classes are worth it. You will learn not only come but also emergancy recalls plus much,much more:) You will probably have to take multiple classes to really have a well trained dog and then continue to keep up with it at home. Try giving her a treat every other time to start...good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on September 2, 2012 at 1:29pm

I see from your profile the pup is only 6 months old. Don't start fading the lure on the come command til well over a year, and even so "come" should be rewarded with treats or play time nearly every time.

While she is a puppy, only call her when she is not distracted and you know she'll listen. Give jackpot rewards regularly; this is when you have 10 or 20 little treats and just keep feeding them to her when she gets to you. I will be happy to give you some tips on the recall command if you would like them. Just remember, she's only a baby and right now she's learning how to learn, so your job is to make sure that training is super fun and that you don't do it when there is something else she'd rather do.

Work on fading the lure with sit at this age, but still treat her after every training session. You can do this by telling her to "sit" sometimes when you don't have a treat on you, then running together to get the treat. Or ask her to sit before you give her a favorite toy, put down her food, or open a door.

Fading treats for the recall won't come until much, much later.

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Permalink Reply by Appa and Iroh on October 17, 2012 at 9:32am

thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Ivy on October 18, 2012 at 10:53pm

Instead of using treats all the time, try alternating with a toy reward. For Ein I would play tug with her for about 30 seconds or so. The point is to emphasize the "you did that correctly - yay!" Classes are good if you can find a sport that they love. We did agility for a while, then started herding. Ein listens to me so much more now, since there is a reason for my commands. Smart dogs get bored easy!