If you feel like dog training efforts are all in vain and you are not making any progress, you might just be making some basic training mistakes without even being aware of it.
Don’t think that your pooch is not intelligent enough, he probably is, which is exactly why you would want to rethink some of the methods you are using. Today on our menu: Treat Dependence
You Might Be Overdoing It
Using treats as a lure and a trigger for coveted dog behaviors is an effective way of training, however, you need to make sure you stop using this method as soon as your dog starts understanding this behavior.
Otherwise, your dog’s training might become dependent on treats.
Breaking The Habit
Try holding a treat in your hand and use it like a magnet, slowly moving it between your dog’s eyes towards the back of his head. Make sure you don’t give him the treat before he follows the treat and sits. This technique is perfectly fine and it works, but! – if you keep doing this without him absorbing the Sit! command, he will only relate to the treat part.
Instead, after a few successful repetitions using a treat, be sure to use the exact same hand motion without the treat. This way you are teaching him a hand signal for Sit!. Once your dog sits, only then should you give him the treat.
This way you are using the treat as a reward and not as a magnet.