Dog boffin in ‘treats plea’

A leading dog behaviourist is challenging the mantra that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!
With 3.2 million households welcoming a pooch into their families since lockdown, dog owners across the nation have spent the past few months training their new pooches, often rewarding them with as many as 27 treats a week.

But does such encouragement work?

Dog behaviourist and trainer, Louise Glazebrook, who is one of the stars of BBC2’s 12 Puppies and Us series, believes the method does work and is encouraging the immediate introduction of ‘treat training regimes’. 

“Contrary to belief, you can teach an old dog new tricks,” she says. “All dogs, from puppies through to senior dogs, require daily play, games, interaction, walks and training. My rescue dog is approx. eight years old, and I still use treats for sniffing games, hide and seek and 'find it' tasks.

“All dogs need daily motivation and treats are a great way of doing this. Whether you are using them to stuff a tr...