Is It Mean To Stop Giving Animals Treats While Training Them?

Question

A friend told me about clicker training and I am interested in trying it with my bunny. I understand that when you reward good behaviors, you give treats less and less frequently over time until you don't give them at all and the animal has mastered the behavior. I am wondering if it's unkind to stop giving treats and if it confuses/hurts the feelings of the animal, even if just in the short-term...

Answer 1

No.

Animals can't expect a treat everytime they do something as told, because soon you're going to get overweight animals, just because they're sitting or staying as they're told to do.

Just phase it out, it does NO harm at all.

Answer 2

It's not cruel. When Im training my pups I don't use use 'treats' as such, I reward them with attention and playtime. If you don't want to use 'treats' you can replace the 'treat' with something else that you know your rabbit enjoys as that can also resemble a 'treat' to your rabbit, like it does with my dogs. As long the good behavior is rewarded when the good behaviour is shown then its not cruel.

Answer 3

No, there's nothing wrong with it at all. If you're phasing it out over time the animal shouldn't get confused because it's a gradual progression. And of course it won't hurt their feelings or offend them... animals don't think exactly the same way humans do, so it may disappoint them, but the point of phasing the treats out is that they get used to getting less treats, and if you do it gradually enough they don't even really notice all that much. It is certainly healthier to not give an animal treats all the time. In fact in some situations, such as dog agility for example, you aren't supposed to give the dog treats at all, because it complicates things later on; the dog will refuse to run the course if it knows you don't have treats, or it stops mid-course and costs you time because it expects to receive a treat, for example.

Answer 4

yes thats just cruel well i think it is any way do what you think you dog would fell like and u now dogs they always like a good treat to let them now they have done good

Answer 5

Its okay to stop giving them treats

In fact, once they have the trick down, treats aren't really necessary

Just a pet to the head to tell them they're doing good is just as effective

Though I would keep a few treats with me while training it, just three or four in case it forgets or doesn't obey cause it somehow realized its no longer getting a food reward >.>...

Answer 6

I doubt the animal hold's any malice, so I really doubt it will be offended. It may be used to it, and a change in reward for proper actions may require a little getting used to, but the animal doesn't think like people. They aren't going to wonder why no treat was given. They may expect one, but won't be hurt if none is given. You may feal sorry that  the bunny expected a treat, but I'm sure you'll be the only one fealing sorry. No animals respond to thier own desire, without getting a big head because they don't have that mental capacity. So when you give a treat they just know it as recieving something they desire.

When you have them do a certain action so much that they are conditioned, it's because thier brain has memorized and responded due to the positive recieving of the treat. So much has their brain remembered that it will continue doing it even when no treat is given. I guarantee the animal does not feal bad or even wonders why the treat was taken away. They don't ponder, they don't wonder, they respond and act as they desire and as you condition them.

Try the clicker, it may be a little for the pet to get used to, but it may work better, and if not you can just go back to treat training. I am inexperienced, but if I were to guess, I'd guess animals respond better to positive reinforcement because it plays along with what they desire. I'm not sure of what a clicker does, but who knows, maybe it's better, maybe not.

Answer 7

Treats are only one form of reward that you can use.  Most animals will respond just as well to praise and affection.  If you're constantly feeding your pet treats, you run the risk of overfeeding them, or having them always expect treats for doing tricks.  Easing them away from treats as a reward is good normal practice.  Just make sure you reward them in other ways.  Most pets would rather have your praise and affection, rather than a treat to begin with.

Answer 8

No. Think of a pet as your own child. Children have to learn to grow up without getting something in return every time they do good. Because if you don't, then the child will grow into a teenager and an adult, thinking what's in it for him or her if they do something good. A pet is the same way. Training a pet to behave without giving them something in return will truly tame them, but don't go heartless on them. Just like children, if pets never get anything in return, they'll see no point in behaving. Alternate the number of times you give a treat, like if you tell your pet to do something the first time, give them a treat when they do it, but then the next time, don't then the time after that, do. Change it up to how you feel it should be though.