Show me handlers who teach with treats and I'll show you dogs that learn. But handlers who always smell like a delicatessen can have dogs that may lose attitude, attention and precious points when they enter n obedience ring, where food is forbidden. For some dogs, performance disappears when the food does. Going home disappointed isn't fun.
Food is one of the most powerful reinforcers on earth.
Problems develop when trainers concentrate too hard on reinforcers and ignore what stimulates behavior. This is a huge mistake because the stimulus is where the problems begin. If a trainer focuses only on consequences, without giving proper attention to stimuli or antecedents, the behavior portion sits exposed on one side, like an open-faced sandwich. A dog's brain will focus on all three parts of the ABCs. forging orderly links. It connects every action to immediate consequences, then connects back to what happened just before the action occurred.