Why does my dog ignore the treats I try to give him when playing?

Question

I usually use this little treats to teach my dog when he's behaving properly or when learning some trick and they work really well, he loves them.

When I take him outside to play (I usually take him on weekends to throw a frisbee) I want to reward him for catching the disc on the air or if he obeys when I tell him to stay. But in these cases he completely looses interest on the treats and won't eat them. The only thing in his mind is the frisbee and nothing else (it was difficult to teach him to stay and not run right away every time the disc is flying).

He obviously gets overexcited about the disc (we only let him play with it outside), but why would that make him reject the treats? I have tried to use the throwing of the disc instead as a reward, but it is much simpler to use the treats.

Answer 1

If a dog is too excited by something (either positive or negative) he may refuse a treat that he would normally accept. You can think about it this way:

You're walking down the street and see a quarter. You might bend down and pick it up. But what if you also see a $100 bill a few feet down the road? You're much less likely to pick that quarter up. At this point for you it's essentially lost its value.

The same thing is happening with your dog and the frisbee. He is so excited to see the frisbee that he simply doesn't care about the treat anymore.

So what are you to do? First, remember that you already have a frisbee which you can use to reward his actions and has a very high value for him. You can use it by asking for the behavior and rewarding by giving him permission to play a game of frisbee. Sometimes though that may not be feasible.

Another thing you can do is increase the value of the treat and show your dog he can't get the frisbee unless he gets the treat first. Let him cool off a bit until he's mentally willing to get the treat. As soon as he does, let him go get the frisbee. Eventually you'll have a dog willing to work for both treats AND frisbees!

Answer 2

Don't forget that it is the dog who decides what's a reward, what's not or what's a punishment. So in your case he chose that the best reward is catching the frisbee.

Don't worry about it and use it to teach him new tricks: sit and stay until I release you and you go catch the frisbee, heel, or any other trick.

Answer 3

It's nothing too complicated, he probably just doesn't want to miss a chance to chase the frisbee.

I would suggest getting some treats that have a stronger smell, and don't require chewing (the size of your fingernail, sort of thing)

That way he'll be more interested in taking the treat and swallowing it quickly, and he can keep his eye on the frisbee.

Answer 4

If the dog is sufficiently rewarded by the activity itself you do not need treats, which will only distract from what you're trying to train. He doesn't want it, that's a good sign that he's been rewarded enough. The idea behind training is to eventually make the dog happy with nothing more than your approval. You're getting there, don't hinder progress toward that by insisting on treats.

In addition to that, your offering of the treat may be rewarding a behavior you don't want. No treats should ever be given to dogs jumping up and down. If your dog is so excited he's ignoring treats, he probably shouldn't be rewarded for that.

http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-care/dog-nutrition/How-and-When-to-Give-Healthy-Dog-Treats