Why High Value Treats Still Get Ignored Around Big Distractions
Step-by-Step Plan to Hold Your Dog’s Focus
By Jenna Romano
You and your dog go out for a walk feeling completely prepared.
Walking shoes? ✅
Leash? ✅
$15 bag of 'specialty' treats that the dog-fluencer swore would fix everything? ✅
You look like the model guardian.
Your dog, on the other hand, is currently deciding which furry wildlife to make his new favorite – ummm… let’s go with – ‘friend.’ 🙃
And, oh boy, he just set his eyes on Mr. Squirrel running along the bushes.
Your dog fixates. Body goes rigid, ears perk up, and he starts pulling the leash toward Mr. Squirrel… (just so overjoyed to say ‘hi’.)
You call his name. Nothing. Ask for eye contact. Nada. Your dog’s in a staring contest with destiny, and you ain’t part of it.
So you make a last-ditch effort to get your dog’s attention: reach into your treat pouch; pull out one of those $15 specialty treats; hold it directly in front of your dog's nose; and pray to Hercules you can lure him away.
Does it work? Of course not. You mind as well have offered a piece of dry cardboard.
Cue the sinking feeling in your chest: "Great. I managed to get the 1 dog on the planet who doesn’t like treats.”
If you’ve ever played the “Puhleeeeze look at me!” game while your dog pretends you’re a ghost, let me give you some immediate relief:
Your dog isn't broken. He isn’t ‘stubborn.’
He’s actually quite smart.
He’s running a cost-benefit analysis. The squirrel’s value to your dog is at an 11. Your treat’s value is at a 3. Add on that your dog’s arousal levels are skyrocketing because of the environment, and you’ve basically offered to buy a Ferrari with coupons.
That $15 bag of treats might be exciting in your living room, but the second you step out to a chaotic cocktail of sights, scents, and sudden (delicious!) movement, that treat will instantly lose its power.
Before you try fixing your dog’s focus on walks…
You need to understand how your dog’s individual treat hierarchy works. Here are some rules to live by:
REFUSAL IS DATA.
When your dog turns down a treat on a walk, don't get annoyed or panic. A refusal isn't disobedience. It's communication. Your dog is literally telling you: "The environment is too challenging for the value of the treat you're offering right now."
DOG’S DON’T KNOW “HUMAN FOOD” vs “DOG FOOD.”
Your dog doesn't look at a piece of turkey and think, "Ah, human food!" They only know food and the context of its delivery. (If you feed your dog from your dinner plate, he learns the dining room is a casino.)
AVAILABILITY DICTATES VALUE.
The more available a food is, the less value it has. Ex. Your dog gets kibble every single day for free, so it’s usually low on their treat hierarchy.
EVERY DOG IS AN INDIVIDUAL.
While kibble is usually low-value and steak is usually high-value, every dog is bound to break the rules. My dog went out of his mind for plain white bread like it was Christmas Eve. Trust your dog’s individual reactions to treats, not the status quo of what we think dogs like.
PUT. THE CREDIT CARD. AWAY!
Before you run to the pet store or drop $150 on every fancy bag of freeze-dried treats on the shelf... stop.
Your kitchen is already a goldmine. Cheese blocks, apples, Cheerios, leftover chicken, Greek yogurt—you likely already have incredible, high-value jackpots sitting right behind your fridge door.
High, Medium, & Low Value Treats… According to YOUR Dog
How to Map Your Dog's Individual Treat Hierarchy
So how do you figure out which treats hold power in low, medium, and high-distraction environments?
Run a 2-StepTreat Scaling Experiment to test treats against environments and criteria with your dog; then log the data.
I compiled the experiment instructions, sample treat value charts, and printable experiment log for you to fill in with your dog’s data into this free downloadable guide for you.
Prefer a video tutorial > reading the instructions?
I teach the entire treat scaling process with real-life examples in my YouTube video below.
(Time stamp 50:47 is already cued up for you when you hit play.)
Related Resources (for FREE!)
📜 How to Train a Hyperactive Dog to Calm Down. Let's train your dog to focus while over-aroused. Train a hyperactive dog to stay calm and focused even while playing. In this dog training tutorial, we'll use positive reinforcement methods - mainly using play as a reward - to train your dog how to stay focused even when your dog has too much energy.
🎙️Dog Prey Drive vs Dog Reactivity: How do they differ? - Distinguishing between prey drive behavior and reactivity behavior, (especially around cats or small breed dogs) comes down to the emotions motivating your dog’s behavior. Learn how to train your dog not to go after small prey (or small breed dogs that look like prey) in Ep 20, Season 2 of the Get a Calm Dog Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, & anywhere you get your podcasts.
🎥Stop Barking & Lunging on Walks FAST 🤯(Dog Reactivity Tutorial) This out of control Pittie barked and lunged at other dogs every time his guardians took him outside. Learn the training protocol I taught his guardian.
🎥 Teach Your Dog to Not Pull on Walks This tutorial breaks down the exact dog training plan you can follow to get your dog to stop pulling on leash and gives answers to common obstacles guardians face when training.
