When Can I Stop Using Treats? (Spoiler: You Probably Shouldn’t)
- Deb from Busy Pawz
- Nov 12
- 3 min read
When you first start training your dog, using treats feels natural.
They sit? You give them a treat. They come when called? Another treat. You’re building trust, teaching skills, and rewarding great choices. But somewhere along the way, a question pops up:
“When can I stop using treats?”
This is one of the most common questions I hear from owners, especially as their dog starts to improve. There’s often this assumption that treats are just a short-term bribe, or a tool you use with puppies, and then phase out once your dog “knows what to do.”
But we wouldn’t apply that same logic to ourselves.
Flipping the Picture
Let’s say you’ve worked hard, learned the ropes, and become really good at what you do.
You’re quicker. More efficient. Tasks that once took hours now only take minutes. You anticipate problems before they happen. You support your team. You’re thriving.
Now imagine your boss saying,“Since you’re so good at your job now, we’re going to give you a pay-cut.”
Ridiculous, right?
That’s what it feels like for your dog when we stop rewarding them for good behaviour.
Just because they’ve learned the skill doesn’t mean they don’t deserve acknowledgment. If anything, like you, they should be rewarded more - because they’re doing the job better and faster, often in more distracting or complex environments.
Rewards Reinforce the Brain’s Pathways
Every time you reward a behaviour - whether with food, praise, play, or access to something your dog loves - you’re reinforcing the neural pathway that led to it.
It’s like paving a road through the brain: every reward smooths the surface, strengthens the route, and makes it easier to choose that behaviour again next time.
But if you stop reinforcing it entirely? That road fades.
Just like a language you haven’t used in years.
When I lived in South Africa, I could understand and read Afrikaans. I was never fluent in speaking it, but I was comfortable enough. Fast forward 27 years of not using it, and now I struggle. I can pick up a few words, but reading it is harder and having a conversation would be nearly impossible.
The skill is there, somewhere. But without reinforcement, it’s not accessible anymore.
The same goes for our dogs. If we stop reinforcing the behaviours we want, they’ll start to fade. Not out of defiance, but because the motivation to maintain them disappears.
“But I Don’t Want to Rely on Treats Forever!”
Totally fair. And you don’t have to.
Rewarding your dog doesn’t always mean handing out a piece of chicken. It just means continuing to pay them in a way that feels meaningful - especially when they make good choices on their own.
Here’s how that might evolve:
Save the high-value treats for tricky moments, like distractions or tough environments.
Use real-life rewards like sniffing spots, off-lead freedom, tug games, or greeting a favourite person.
Randomise your rewards to keep things interesting and unpredictable.
Upgrade the reward for next-level behaviour (e.g. coming away from a kangaroo = jackpot).
You can absolutely reduce how often you reward over time, especially for behaviours that are well-established. But that doesn’t mean stopping completely.
And remember - just because a dog can do something doesn’t mean they will, especially if they’re not getting paid for it anymore.
From Treats to Trust
When we consistently reward our dogs for doing the right thing, we’re not just creating habits - we’re building trust.
You’re saying:
“I see your good choices.”
“I know that was hard, and I appreciate it.”
“You can rely on me to notice the little wins.”
And over time, that shapes how your dog sees the world. They become more confident. More resilient. More tuned into you because the relationship feels rewarding.
Final Thoughts
Training doesn’t stop when your dog “knows it.”
Just like we need motivation to keep showing up at work, your dog needs motivation to keep making great choices - even when life gets busy, even when things get easy, even when they’ve “got it.”
So keep those treats in your pocket. Keep rewarding the check-ins, the calm choices, the little wins.
Because when you stop paying your dog for a job well done… they might just start taking sickies. 😉
Thanks for reading!
And as always, throw your dog a treat from us!
Deb & the Busy Pawz Crew xo
P.S. If you’re loving this reward-based approach but still feeling stuck with behaviours that just won’t shift, my Chaos to Calm eBook can help where I share 7 simple hacks to help you create more peace, confidence, and connection with your dog - no stress, no shouting.
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