Dog treats are like little magic wands, right? Despite their small size, they are incredibly effective at turning your furball into a well-behaved furball. Anyone who has ever owned a dog will tell you that there are better uses for treats than feeding your four-legged friend those tasty morsels. Here’s how to do it when training your dog.

Imagine your puppy is sitting on command, and you’re rewarding him with a treat. In a split second, they love to sit. This magical exchange, repeated over and over again, will ingrain this behavior into their little brains. And what’s at the heart of it all? Repetition. Consistency is the foundation on which you build your training success.

But not just any candy will do! It’s like giving spinach to a kid who wants candy. Your little four-legged friend will probably drool at the mere sight of the spinach. Experiment a few times:
pieces of chicken, some cheese, or maybe a store-bought treat will make your dog do the happy dance. You’ll know you’ve hit the jackpot when your dog starts wagging his tail in an uncontrollable state of ecstatic happiness.

Have you ever tried bribing a toddler in a candy store? You can promise a treat instead of a tantrum just to avoid it. Like toddlers, dogs are no strangers to the joys of reward systems. Timing really is everything here. When Fido puts his cute little butt down in the nanosecond you say “sit,” that’s when the treat magically appears, not five seconds later. Create evidence between the action and the reward. And the biggest challenge is unbridled complacency. Have you ever seen puppy dog ??eyes melt an iceberg? The problem is: if you use them too liberally, the magic will disappear. The trick is finding a balance. Reward often enough to keep your dog’s attention, but not so often that he loses focus.