HOW TO GIVE TREATS TO DOGS

There are many ways to give treats to dogs. This video covers the do’s and don’ts of treat exchange. There are also tips for how to help your dog take treats gently – especially from strangers or children if they are fearful:

Here are some highlights from the video:

Don’t teach your dog to only take a treat off of flat palm. Because eventually somebody’s going to hand it to them in their fingers and your dog is going to bite/nip their fingers. Instead, practice “gentle”. Here are detailed instructions for teaching a dog to politely take treats without mouthing or jumping: Gentle treat taking

Always hold the treat carefully and make sure that your dog takes it gently. With other people or especially with children, other common mistakes can occur such as them pulling the treat away (thereby teasing and frustrating your dog), or dropping the treat.

We also suggest using your hand to cover the child’s hand, as demonstrated in the video. That ensures they will not tease the dog or throw the cookie and, if the dog does take it too eagerly, they’ll nip you, not the child.

Lastly, if you are really trying to help your dog get out there uncertainty and/or fear of children or strangers, it’s important to make sure the treat is long enough so you don’t have to have mouth to hand touching at all in order to exchange the treat. We used a jerky treat here to demonstrate.

Here’s to safe & happy treating for everyone!