Food Lures: How to Use Them and How to Fade Them

Luring involves using either food or a toy in a specific way to guide the dog into a position or behaviour that they may know how to do naturally, but they do not know how to do on command.

What does this look like in action? To lure a dog into a sit, hold a treat over the dog's nose, which will encourage the dog to sit back on its bum to look up at the treat. Easy peasy, right?

Luring can be effective if it is used properly. If it is not used properly, you might always need food in your hands for your dog to listen to you! This isn't because the dog is food obsessed. It's because the action of the lure, with the presence of the food, has become a total package: all elements must be present for the dog to understand what you want him to do. Remove one of the elements, and the dog will look at you blankly and maybe even walk away. This is why knowing how to properly use and fade lures is crucial.

How do you properly use and fade out a food lure?

Use the food lure to guide the dog to do the behaviour. The dog should understand the behaviour within 3 to 7 repetitions. The moment your dog shows signs that it understands the behaviour, it's time to:

Fade out the lure!

1. Keep the treats in your pocket or bait pouch.

2. With an empty hand (no treats), mimic the luring motion.

3. Mark the moment your dog does the behaviour.

4. Reward with a treat. We are fading out food lures. We are not fading out the reward for doing the behaviour!

5. Repeat steps 1-4.

6. Gradually introduce a verbal cue and then a hand signal (topics for another day).

If your dog struggles to do the motion without the food lure, use the food lure once or twice at most, then return to mimicking the luring motion without the food. Mark and reward if the dog performs the behaviour.

Remember: Fading out the food lure is a crucial step, especially if you want a dog who listens to you without food in your hands. So any time you use a food lure to teach the dog a new skill, be sure to fade it out quickly and properly. Otherwise, your dog might not respond to you when it matters most.

Kate Hendriks is a certified professional pet dog trainer who offers private, in-home dog training consultations in London, Ontario. Her 5-week Welcome Home program is specifically designed to help newly adopted shelter and rescue dogs decompress from the stress while learning essential life skills. To learn more about her dog training programs, or to book a consultation, contact Kate Hendriks.