Pitfalls of Luring

A common complaint about using food in training is “My dog only comes when he sees the treat!” This is generally because the dog was taught by luring. The lure has become the prompt for the dog to perform the behaviour. The dog is dependent on the lure, and if the lure is not present, the dog doesn’t know the exercise.

The handler is often as dependent on the lure as the dog is. “If I don’t have food in my mouth, how will I ever get a straight sit?!” “If I don’t have a toy under my arm, he won’t give me the heads-up heeling I want!”

Thus, for both the dog and handler, it is important to move away from luring by fading out the visual prompt as quickly as possible.  The dog must learn that the only signal that begins the behavior is the verbal cue (command).

Cue → Behaviour → Consequence

The cue is often called the antecedent, for the easily remembered “ABCs” of dog training:

Antecedent → Behaviour → Consequence

Example:
Antecedent: Handler says WATCH → Behaviour: Dog makes eye contact → Consequence: Handler marks YES and gives treat.

But when a visual cue such as showing the dog food is given before the command, the dog no longer hears the command. Instead, he only reacts to the presence of food. The food, not the command, begins the behaviour.

Antecedent: Food shown to dog → Behaviour: Dog makes eye contact → Consequence: Dog is given the food.

The food becomes a bribe, not a reward.