Training myths
"Treats are bribes": lure versus reward
The worry is fair. Nobody wants a dog that sits only when a cookie is visible, and that dog does exist. It is usually built by accident, when the lure never leaves the hand. The answer is not to stop using food. It is to change when the food appears, so the behaviour earns the treat instead of the treat summoning the behaviour.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Where it comes from
Why food earned a bad reputation.
Most owners have met the dog who performs beautifully in the kitchen while a treat is pinched between two fingers, then stares blankly at the park when the pouch is empty. From the outside, that looks like a bribe that stopped working. Some older training traditions also treated food as a shortcut or a crutch, so the idea that real obedience should not need cookies has been around for a long time.
Here is the part that is true. Dogs are very good at noticing what predicts payment. If the food is visible before the cue, the food often becomes part of the cue. The dog learns that a rustling bag or a hand at the pocket means work is worth doing, and the absence of those signals means it probably is not. That is a timing problem, not a food problem.
- Food shown before the cue
- Hand still shaped like lure
- Treat pouch acting as signal
- Every single rep paid
Fading the lure
Moving the food from before to after.
A lure is a teaching aid with a short shelf life. We might use food in the hand for a handful of repetitions to guide a dog's nose down into a down. Then the same hand motion happens with an empty hand, and the reward comes from the other hand or the pouch after the dog lies down. The motion shrinks into a hand signal, and the spoken cue is added just before it.
Once the dog understands the cue, food stops being the only currency. A rep might be paid with a treat, a game of tug, a release to sniff, or the door opening for the walk. A marker word tells the dog the exact moment that earned the payment, which is what keeps the behaviour clear when the food is no longer in sight.
What we do instead
Markers first, then proofing in the real world.
Our method teaches skills with markers and rewards first, then proofs them in real places with real distractions, where a dog who only worked for a visible snack would quickly come unstuck. Tools are matched to the individual dog and introduced properly, and food remains one of several ways we pay a dog for a correct choice, not a way of buying one in advance.
The handover matters as much as the training. We show owners when to pay, when to fade, and how to stop holding food up like a ticket at the door. Owners who want to do this themselves can book Private Training, a one-hour session at $150 plus GST with a written plan for the week. The consultation points you to the program that fits, even a smaller one.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Is using treats in dog training bribery?
Not when the food comes after the behaviour. A bribe is shown first to talk the dog into something, while a reward pays for a choice the dog already made.
How do I stop my dog only listening when I have treats?
Start hiding the food until after the dog responds, and use an empty hand for the signal. Mix in other rewards such as play, praise or access to something the dog wants, so food stops being the only predictor.
When should I stop using treats to train my dog?
The lure should fade early, but rewards do not need a fixed end date. As a behaviour becomes reliable, food can become less frequent and less predictable while other rewards take up the slack.
What is the difference between a lure and a reward?
A lure is food in front of the dog's nose that guides it into a position. A reward is delivered after the dog performs the behaviour. The lure is temporary scaffolding, and the reward is the payment that keeps the behaviour going.
Keep reading
Pay the behaviour, not the bribe
Want a dog who responds with empty pockets? Book a consultation and we will look at where your food timing is working against you.
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