When people hear about the Treat&Train®, they frequently ask similar questions.
- How can the Treat&Train help me train my dog to be calm?
- Why would I want to use a machine to deliver treats instead of giving them myself by hand?
- Can I use the device if I have multiple dogs in the house?
Here’s one set of pet parents to a spunky Pembroke Welsh Corgi who learned the answer to all three of these questions when they tried the Treat&Train® with their high energy pup.
“We have a high-energy dog who had trouble calming down, states owner Jennifer Lundmark. Even when she would lie “down” she remained hyper-alert, so that any movement caused her to get up.”
Lundmark had been working on rewarding Stella for lying down and giving additional rewards for remaining down, but like many owners, she faced some challenges.
“One issue was that Stella’s short, so getting down to her level, especially if she was lying down, was difficult. She would almost always begin to get up before we could get the reward down to her level.” So Jennifer and her husband needed the ability to deliver the treat at floor level quickly.
Jennifer noted additional issues too. “Also, we were trying to reward Stella for a longer down-stay, but she was so hyper-alert, that just the arm movement to the treat bag would get her up, so it was tough to reward the behavior we really wanted.” In addition, the Lundmarks had two other dogs and those dogs know what delivery of treats by hand looks like, so they would stare and get in the way when treats were delivered in this manner.
How did the Treat & Train help?
The Treat&Train delivers the treats quickly and in a low position that encouraged lying down. It also has a timer function that helps the owner reinforce at the correct rate—first frequently, and then at systematically increasing intervals. As a result, Stella was able to progress quickly.
As an added benefit, since the other dogs had never been rewarded from the Treat&Train, they dogs don’t interfere or stare when Stella was being trained. They weren’t interested in the training.
What Were the Results of Their Training?
So how did they do? Soon after the Lundmarks started through the Treat&Train program the started seeing great changes.
Say Jennifer, “Stella actually relaxes!”
Stella can also stay lying down for long periods. Lundmark explains, “We often have her on the floor near us in the evenings, and even when we sometimes forget to reward her for 5 min or so, she just stays put, often relaxing her head into the Treat&Train dish. She loves it!”
The Treat&Train also has an automated function that the owners have found valuable. Its automated “downstay” button, that can be adjusted to longer time frames, states Jennifer. “It’s a good ‘babysitter’ if only one of us is home and we need to be doing things with the other dogs”. They can just have Stella practicing a down-stay while the owners give attention to the other dogs.
Recap of the Answers
Now let’s go back and revisit the original common questions people have.
- How can the Treat&Train help me train my dog to be calm? The Treat&Train can help you train your dog to be calm because it allows you to easily reward the dog for lying down and to do so frequently enough and with the food reward positioned in a manner that make it convenient for the dog to remain lying down?
- Why would I want to use a machine to deliver treats instead of giving them myself by hand? The remote control allows handlers to precisely time the rewards when the dog is performing the correct behavior. And the machine allows you to reward the dog away from you. As a result, you can position it to reward the dog in a location that’s advantageous to your training, such as for a down-stay, rewarding close to the ground.
- Can I use the device if I have multiple dogs in the house? If the other dogs don’t get rewarded from the Treat&Train, they will ignore it and ignore the dog who has learned the Treat&Train and is being trained with it.
Watch for more Treat&Train blogs this week. Also, do you want to win a FREE Treat&Train®? Go to Premier Pet Product’s Facebook page for a chance to win!
