She Knows Where the Treats Are

She Knows Where the Treats Are

I’ve got to start hiding treats everywhere, all over the house. I started this process years ago, but she’s figured it out. I’ve got to find new, and more numerous hiding spots. Underestimating Marley’s intelligence–particularly when it comes to food–is always a losing strategy.

See, here’s the thing. She knows where the treats are. So rather than having learned "sometimes when Monte gives me a command, I get a treat," she’s learned, "when Monte is in certain places in the house and gives me a command, I get a treat." So my commands carry a lot of weight in some places, and virtually none in others.

So from now on, I’ve got to have a treat within reach from just about everywhere. She’s got to learn that there could be a treat at any moment, in any place, as a reward for good behavior. (The key to training isn’t the reward, it’s the possibility of a reward.)

Did I mention that Corgis–even by dog standards–are wildly food oriented? Oh man. If suddenly Corgis weren’t food oriented, and they focused their intelligence on other things, we humans might be in trouble.