Your Dog Won't Take Treats Outside? The Science Of Why

Your dog won’t take treats outside? The problem isn’t your dog or your training. It’s the environment. In this Skill Boost episode, we break down why dogs ignore food in distracting environments and what’s really happening from a learning science perspective. Because when positive reinforcement training in dogs seems to stop working, it’s almost always a problem of competing reinforcement, not a failure of the method. This is part of our new Skill Boost series, where we take you from foundation skills to deeper understanding. From beginner basics to more advanced concepts like this one, each video builds your training knowledge step by step. You’ll learn why even high value dog treats can lose their power, how reinforcement intensity actually works, and how to set your dog up for success instead of frustration. Most importantly, you’ll understand: 👉 Why your dog is not ignoring you 👉 How distractions change reinforcement value 👉 Why training breaks down outside 👉 What to do instead to build reliability When you shift from trying to train through distractions to building success in the right environment, everything changes. Your dog is trying. The environment is just winning right now. 🐾 Key Moments: 00:00 Why Your Dog Won’t Take Treats Outside 00:28 The 3 Factors That Drive Training Success 01:10 What Reinforcement Value Really Means 02:40 Low Vs High Value Rewards In Action 05:50 Why Distractions Beat Your Treats 06:25 Understanding Competing Reinforcement 07:15 Why Training Fails Outside 08:15 Environmental Neutrality Explained 08:40 Building Success Step By Step What This Video Helps With: Positive reinforcement training in dogs that falls apart outside Dogs refusing food on walks or in new environments Understanding high value dog treats and why they fail Building focus and engagement in real life situations If you’d like to learn how I train dogs using game-based methods, you can join me in the free ItsYerChoice Summit. https://dogsthat.com/y/sb1/iycsummit Resources: 1. Podcast Episode 4: T.E.M.P. (Tail, Eyes/Ears, Mouth, Posture) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZLXI9H3Aro 2. Episode 323: Why Dogs "Ignore" Commands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI5YtGIriRg 3. Episode 276: What No One Tells You About The Best Place To Train Your Puppy Or Rescue Dog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TiZ3BACSkI 4. Blog: How to Use the Distraction Intensity Index to Help Your Dog https://dogsthat.com/blog/2020-09-10t220753/ 5. Episode 242: Help! Why Won't My Dog Pay Attention? (Secrets Of Focus) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=549B77rN-cY 6. Episode 205: The Hidden World Of Reinforcement For Dogs And Why You Need To Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1UWLxdDPEI 7. Episode 179: Help For Dogs Refusing Treats: Case Study With Training Plan Help For Dogs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSoSuz2hV3g P.S. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you get notifications of new videos! - - - - - - - Dogs That is brought to you by Susan Garrett and the Say Yes Dog Training Team. Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behaviour started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Science. Since then she has developed into a preeminent dog trainer and canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last three decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years. A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is world renowned as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply science-based learning principles to both competitive and family pet dog training has been pivotal in changing how dogs are trained. Susan is now helping many thousands of dog owners in 132 countries have the best relationship possible with their dogs. The real joy for her comes from bringing confidence to dogs and their owner through playful interactions and relationship building games that are grounded firmly in the science of how animals learn. - - - - - - - Our Website: https://dogsthat.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanGarrettDogAgility/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SusanGarrettDogsThat/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dogsthat LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dogsthat Pinterest: https://pinterest.ca/dogsthatcom/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/susangarrett There’s always something new happening at Dogs That, so if you’d like to be the first to know, visit our website, register to receive updates, and we'll keep you in the loop. https://dogsthat.com