bradpattison.com

we have a 4 month old bichon shitzu and are beginning puppy training shortly. we can't seem to find any training facilities that do not involve clicker and treat training. is this a bad thing?

No its not a bad thing. I took Wolf my German Shepherd to puppy classes and I told the trainer that Im just here to get use to defferent things,and to get him use to alot of people and they'er dogs, being a show dog an all. And I also said that I can not have him sit when we stop walking. He has to stay standing when I come to a stop. And you know what the trainer was fine with that she even helped me out by have him stand and having others walk up to him as if they where a judge. See I show him in conformation shows.

So really what you can do is call some of those trainers and just ask them if they mine that your not wanting to use treats as a reward.

Becca

I would suggest that you get Brad's book and start training your own dog as most traditional trainers will teach you bad habits and use less effective training methods.

It also depends on where you are, I know there is a non-treat trainer in Toronto, there are CET's in Alberta and BC and like Becca said, talk to trainers before you sign up for anything. Also download Brads book, watch the show and go from there.
Meaghan
P.S. See if there are other Brad followers in your area, there are quite a few groups that meet in person on the site here.

Well this goes against the thinking for this site but I can tell you both my dogs got treat training at first (as pups) and neither needed treats later. The first dog was actually more motivated by toys but this one was all about food motivation and it worked to get her to learn her first commands. With both dogs (different trainers, different schools, different times) I was told to treat train until they were reliable and then the treats start getting exchanged for a good chest rub or head massage and that has worked. I don't even carry treats with me and would say they were both off them by the time they were a year old. Same with the clicker. I used that one on the second dog for some more advanced training and she knows the noise but doesn't associate it with treats anymore.

So if you are stuck, I wouldn't worry too much about it. IMO better to get that training than none at all and just move away from treats after they are reliable. BTW treats don't have to be huge. The size I used with this dog last time (puppy training and after) was treats broken up to the size of the eraser on the end of a pencil. Just enough to give them a taste basically without gaining weight or being a meal.

doesn't brad use traditional methods??? (old school)

Brad definitely DOES NOT CONDONE TREAT TRAINING.
Honestly, take him to the puppy classes for the social interaction, but forget the treats. Get Brad's book because it seriously teaches you everything you need to do to train your pup on your own. You don't need treats to train your dog. You only need a six foot leash and a martingale collar.

Good luck!

Nathalie