Grant is a finicky eater, but really..? He won't come inside for raw meat? Wow, this makes training tough unless he's in the mood.

Oh, and he touches his activity mat to ask for treats (will work for food). But last night when I filled the pockets with regular kibble and he tore the Velcro open enthusiastically, he saw the food and closed the flaps back again with his nose. Like, "I think not, mom." I wish I had it on video.

I've had to bait him using creative means, such as getting him into the car after a run by letting him drink water from my cup, since his will is more valuable than any high value treat.

Ugh. Recall advice?

Yeah, I once tried giving Misty regular kibble as a "treat" too, and that was a miserable failure. Misty absolutely loves treats, but I've found I have to rotate them. Otherwise, she loses interest because she's assuming it's something specific that just isn't as exiting as staying outside to WOO at an imaginary bird or something. Rotating the treats has so far kept her interested, probably because she really has no idea what I'm offering to her until after I get her back into the house or the car.

Ohhh, so you don't let her smell it until she's performed...tricky! Thanks, Faye, I'll try that. In training, both classes and private, the trainers always said, "put the treat on his nose to guide him." I guess we've graduated from that.

My Corgi is all about food drive, but Grant snubs his organic veal I cook for him half the time--we are working on timed eating in preparation for his sister's arrival.

He's really cute or I'd throw up my hands at this point. Haha

And Grant cornered a baby o'possum on the porch the other night, so I know the "leave it" command works. Especially shrieked at a decibel only dogs can hear. So I'd be grateful with imaginary birds. How adorable.

Ah, good point! I hadn't thought of it that way. True -- Misty never knows what I'm going to give her until after she does what I need her to do. Good luck with tricking Grant -- He's a smart fella!

Thank goodness for the "Leave It" command. That seems to be the only thing of value Misty learned from her former, mysterious life. She's very, very good at "Leave It." Wish she was as good at "Down." She'll get there someday ...

Thanks, and I'd love to watch your procedure with treats. Today we started doing hurdles in the yard and we still need treats to train. I'm curious how you promise a treat without one in your hand. Miss Misty sounds advanced compared to Mr. Cary Grant, but he is a great running partner. Agility will take time and treats. Funny how running is its own reward.

Note: edited typo

Believe me, Misty isn't advanced at all - She's a big knucklehead.     It's a conditioning thing.  We keep ALL of our dog treats separated into small, generic zip-loc bags -- the kind that are "frosted" so you can't see what's inside them.  Then we always shake the bags whenever we get them out to give Misty a treat.  So now, Misty is so used to the sound of shaking plastic bags/treats that in order to get her attention, all we have to do is shake a plastic bag -- and she comes running for a treat!  This was never planned, by the way -- It's just something that developed into a habit of ours through owning several dogs.  The only part that's different with Misty is that we have to keep rotating the treats so she doesn't think she's just getting the same old thing.  It's always a surprise for her.

EDIT: Come to think of it, I guess it's the same principle as using a clicker to train a dog. Difference is, the bag shows the dog that a treat is involved but the dog can't see or smell what the treat is.

Perfect! I used to call my cat by shaking the treat bag, so this makes sense for recall. Seriously, thank you--none of the trainers I read or have worked with have come up with this. I bought TOTW to use as agility treats. Fingers crossed...