Stop Training with Treats. Do THIS instead!

While training a puppy or new dog with treats is essential for dog / puppy training basics, you don't have to rely on food forever. In this episode, I break down the best way to reward your dog without treats by leveraging environmental rewards and intrinsic motivation.

Whether you are looking for essential puppy training tips, figuring out how to train a new dog without food during walks, or wanting to know how to reward your dog using the world around them, moving beyond treat training a dog is entirely possible.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between extrinsic rewards in the environment (like a stick in the woods) and intrinsic motivation.
• Why some dogs naturally transition off food rewards easier than others, and how to identify what motivates your dog.
• The truth about sniffing on walks: when it acts as calming enrichment versus when it triggers over-arousal.
• How to handle foraging and "leave it" without overworking your dog’s cognitive bandwidth.
• The distinction between emotional reactivity and arousal control, and how self-regulation actually works.

Timestamps:

0:00 - 2:41 2 Ways to Use Environment as Reward

2:42 - 5:43 When Sniffing is More Valuable than Treats Outside

5:44 - 8:07 Arousal Control vs Dog Reactivity

MORE DOG TRAINING (for free!)

📝 List of 50 Enrichment Ideas to do with your dog. Easy, realistic ways to meet your dog’s mental and emotional needs — without buying a bunch of gear, adding hours to your day, or wondering if you’re “doing enough.”

🌭FREE Guide to Help You Find Your Dog’s Treat Value Scale. Stop guessing what motivates your dog and strategically use your dog’s high, medium, and low value treats comparably to how hard your dog’s working.

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Disclaimers: Jenna Romano is not a veterinarian. Always consult a veterinarian. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. This video is for entertainment purposes only. Jenna Romano will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death to you or your dog. This video is not instructional.

Want to work with J and Team GACD? Go to https://www.getacalmdog.com/ to learn more.

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