Treats serve several purposes in dog training. They can act as “lures” to help move your dog into the correct position (such as lowering a treat toward the ground to help teach Down). They act as exciting incentive to motivate learning. They also provide positive reinforcement and reward your dog for a desired behavior. Once a dog has learned the behavior, a lure is no longer necessary. But positive reinforcement is still important: after all, who doesn’t enjoy working for a reward? If your dog isn’t food-motivated, though, don’t despair. Your praise and unconditional love is the best reward of all!