Dogs naturally like food, and just like you, they have preferences about flavors and textures! Some prefer their treats to be crunchy and hard while others like them soft and chewy.

When working with over-reactivity you want to use treats that your dog loves so how can you find out what their favorite foods are for training?

Start by assembling a range of treats. What do you think your dog might like? Ideally include a range of textures and flavors. Try a variety of commercial dog treats, homemade treats and human food, such as cooked meat, cheese or peanut butter. You are going to rank all the treats in order of preference so you will also need a sheet of paper to note down your results.

Take the first two treats. Let’s call them Treat A and Treat B. Place them in front of your dog at the same moment and wait to see which treat they choose to eat first.

Repeat this a few times, mixing up where you place the treats so that you are not always placing Treat A on the left and Treat B on the right or you might simply find out that they prefer to take food from one particular side!

If Treat A is always chosen, then note down that A is preferred to B and repeat the process again, this time comparing Treat A with a different treat, Treat C. If there is no preference between them then note this too.

Keep on comparing treats in pairs until you have a ranked list of your dog’s preferences. Now make sure that you have your dog’s favorite treats with you when you go out to train. It will make all the difference to your success.