Dog Health Questions: Dog training question mouth baiting?

Does this really work?
I've seen people training their dogs in obedience and they hold the treats in their mouths so the dog pays attention to them?

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I'm a professional trainer and I have never seen this. Nor would I think it would work. Hold your treats in your hand so that you are able to treat your dog. Also, your dog should not need to see a treat in order to pay attention to you. That defeats the purpose of training.

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• People use this method to teach the dog to watch their faces rather than their legs during the heel exercises. In fact, I did this myself when I was training dogs for competitive obedience. Had dogs who would heel with their necks cranked at 90 degrees just to keep their eyes on my face. A dog watching your face has a much harder time being distracted by smells, sights, or sounds around them.
  
  A dog will watch whatever produces the treats - whether it's the pocket, the hand or the mouth.


• It's successfully used to hold a dog's attention during conformation showing. It can increase a dog's focus on your face instead of your hands/pocket if you spit treats or even take them out of your mouth instead of your pocket, but any kind of "baiting" or "bribing" by letting them see it dangling there is not appropriate for training - only for getting that expression while showing.
  
  I don't do it because I don't care if my dog looks at my face, my hands, or my body to pick up on the cues I am giving him... when heeling I would rather him watch my shoulders/hips as they cue when my gait is about to change or when I am about to turn much more than my face does. In agility, I want him watching my hands as I direct him, my face can't pull in in, push him out, steer him right and left, or get him to quickly change sides like a simple hand gesture can. When I did 4-H showmanship I would just make funny noises or talk to him to get the expression I wanted.
  
  So... that was a long answer to a short question: it can work for getting "expression" or teaching a "watch" command, but has little relevance for actual obedience, agility, or other training.


• Yes it does, I have seen it a million times and used it as well. With the right dog it works wonders if you need that focus.
  I have used the hot dog hanging out of my mouth, the ball under my chin, the ball under my armpit works the best for my needs as the dog looks up at me the entire time.
  If your dog is a chow hound, use it, make sure he sees you put it there first and when you reward, make sure it comes out of your mouth into his from your height, no stooping, and no hands.
  Hope I helped and that is a gorgeous looking dog in your avatar!!


• I have not seen that, no. I've seen professional handlers hold a treat right in front of the dog's mouth and even let them lick that treat they're holding to keep the dog's focus while the dog is stacked.
  
  When my dog is getting her nails clipped, I'll hold a treat right in front of her mouth and she'll lick it. But again, I'm just refocusing her away from the nail clipping.
  
  So I've only seen it done to distract the dog from something else going on.
  
  ETA: Sorry, I think I misunderstood your question totally. I thought you meant the treat was held in the DOG's mouth, not the trainer's mouth.
  
  Loki's got it. ;)


• All you "professional" trainers who've never seen, heard, or known of this mouth baiting probably also don't know about Westminster Kennel Club shows where most of the handlers/trainers use this method in the ring. It's been talked about during the telecast of most every show since at least 1992.


• Lots of trainers spit treats from their mouth to the dog. Yes, for highly food motivated dogs it works great. Plus, a little "smack of the lips" before spitting it out gives you some "cheating room". If your dog is a little distracted during an exercise, all you have to do is smack your lips, and he's glued to your face again.


• It gives you beautiful fronts and lots of focus.
  One of the first dogs I trained could catch, and almost all of her treats came from my mouth. She had perfectly straight fronts and she was always focused on me b/c she knew she had to watch for that treat to drop.
  
  Both of my current dogs are complete boneheads when it comes to catching anything and it will take them 5 minutes to find the treat after grabbing for it, missing, and it rolling away. I do a lot of holding treats behind my back and marking a "watch" rather than actually spitting treats, now. (though I do want to see if one of my dogs will eventually get the hang of it)
  
  Plus, then I get to snack on cheese and sausage while I train...lol.


• Depending on what the food is, yes, I hold it in my mouth. I do this because I want my dogs to watch my face. All the people that I know and train with do it. I've been doing this for close to 20years.
  
  When the dog is "right" and looking at us, with spit it at them for them to catch.


• Mouth baiting works really well but...it gets annoying! As Dutch said it does give you cheating room though! I prefer to keep a tug under my arm like Greek said, or keep bait in my fist clutched high on my chest. I haven't mouth baited a dog in 3 or 4 years.


• I have seen handlers in the dog shows do this. They said it is so that the dogs will be looking at their face instead of their hands.


• I don`t know, i guess if they like the kind of treat ur holding LOL! it depends if they r food-driven or not,,some hav no interest in treats..some like toys or praise.