Hello All. I've been having a problem with Yuki recently, who is now almost 16 months old. She keeps demanding treats constantly when I have her out walking. My 2 sons who also walk her don't have this problem. She walks a short or a long distance, then stops and refuses to budge without a treat. If I try to ignore her she starts zooming. On walks with her I have my phone in my pocket, so that I can check the time when I need to, and I also have treats. As soon as I put my hand in my pocket for my phone, her ears prick up and she looks around expectantly, thinking I'm going to give her a treat. Yesterday I took her for a 1 hour walk and didn't put my hands near my pockets. To my great surprise we got the whole way without any demands for treats. I don't know if that was a fluke or if that's the answer to my problem. She's fickle and she doesn't demand treats from anyone else when out walking.


Gillian

I think you've got your answer. My guys are highly "ritualized" if we've done something once, it becomes a tradition and they expect to be repeated. They also are heavily cue responsive...for instance, if I get anything out the cupboard that holds their treat bags all the dogs will come running from different directions and sit expectantly waiting for a treat. Even if I was only opening the coffee bag ????

Yes, it looks like that was the answer. The only time I was using treats was in the mornings when I was letting her run loose around the yard at the front of the house, but she was beginning to get too interested in the gardens on either side of us and wasn't always responding straightaway when I called her, so I put a stop to that rather than risk her climbing or jumping right over either wall.

Gillian