Does your puppy just about take your fingers off with every treat? Training your puppy to take treats gently is an important part of basic puppy training and socialization and can be taught using the five easy steps we'll go through in this guide.

Teaching your puppy to take treats gently is one of the first opportunities for pet parents to help young puppies with learning impulse control. It is also very normal puppy behavior. Puppies are known to be very enthusiastic when food or treats are involved, and they may even become mouthy as they try to grab a treat faster than you can give it.

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Why it's important to start training your puppy to take treats gently (in addition to not losing your fingers)

For your new puppy, learning to take treats nicely is part of learning good manners and how to live with gentleness rather than reacting with impulse. It's one habit you can begin training right away with your new pup in your basic puppy training.

Treats are a constant, happy presence in life with your puppy whether you're giving your pup a treat just because or for a million different great reasons - including positive training. Food rewards are an integral part of your positive reinforcement training for everything from house training and your potty training schedule to crate training to alleviating reactivity and fearfulness. For all these reasons, it's worth putting treat manners at the front end of your puppy training schedule.

Okay, but tell me more...

You'll get the additional benefit of the halo effect of this early basic training. Learning impulse control and good manners around treats (and food) tends to flow into other areas of behavior and helps set up your puppy to be a cooler, calmer, more collected dog overall.

How to teach your puppy to take treats nicely

Here are simple steps to teach your puppy to be a well-mannered treat-taker plus a few pro tips to help with any bumps in the road. (You can also watch me show you how I do it with puppy Spirit in the accompanying video below.)

For starters, just the act of having a dedicated training session for taking treats more gently will help your puppy learn more easily and successfully. Taking treats gently rather than snatching them is one of those things you can quickly resolve with most puppies if you just give a little attention to it.

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5 Simple steps to teach your puppy to take treats gently

1) Have both high-value and low-value treats ready.

• High-value treats are things like pieces of chicken, other meats, anything your dog really loves.
• A low-value treat is something like your dog's kibble.

You'll want to have both ready as you work with your puppy. High-value treats can often raise the excitement factor, so it can be a good idea to start with low-value treats first, then as your puppy gets used to taking treats gently, introduce the higher-value treats gradually.

2) Slow down your treat delivery - your puppy will tend to mirror your pace and pick up treat manners naturally.

Give your puppy the treats gently and predictably. You want to set the tone with a no-rush civility, just as you would with human children... your puppy should feel comfortable that there's no need to grab at or compete for the treat. It should all feel calm and easy.

You'll still be delivering treats immediately when you're using treats for reinforcing good behavior - you just want to make your movements feel relaxed (and in these cases of positive reinforcement, you're also marking good behaviors with a "yes!" or a clicker, then treating).

3) If your puppy goes for the treat too enthusiastically and grabs at it, close your hand and pull the treat away.

No reprimands, no big deal. Your puppy will begin to get the message that your hand is only open and the treat only given when he or she is calm and gentle. Even as you close your hand and pull it back, remember to keep your movements slow and gentle. You want to keep the vibe smooth and calm rather than jerky/jumpy and your puppy will feel and reflect your energy.

4) Try treating with an open hand.

Puppies often take treats more gently with an open hand. It feels more relaxed to them offered with your open-hand body language.

5) Or if you have an extreme case of treat-grabbing with teeth...

You can drop a treat on the ground when your puppy does something good. You can use this as a fallback to reward your dog while you're still training not to be grabby with treats.

Note: Dropping treats on the ground is not a good idea when other dogs are around.

You don't want your puppy to compete for the treats and end up in a scuffle with another dog or dogs which can be dangerous for everyone - and derail your training.

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Pro tip: Keep your puppy's training short and consistent.

As with most dog training, keep puppy training sessions short and make sure all family members are in the loop on how you're working with your puppy so interactions and training are consistent.

Pro tip: If you have multiple dogs in your family, train individually to take treats and then deliver distinctly individually to each when they're together.

You'll want to have enough space between them when together so there's no confusion about who is receiving the treat and no jockeying for position to get it. Especially around high-value treats, it's good to set your dogs up for good manners with a calm, clear delivery from you. (You can see me giving treats to Spirit and our whole family crew in the video below.)

Teaching your dog to take treats nicely is a wonderful way to refine your communications and grow your bond with each other. Results come quickly when you just take the time to give your puppy the simple guidance and attention needed. It's a great way to help your puppy become more balanced and self-controlled in all areas of life as well as with treats.

Next up in the Puppy Channel on Dogly

Now that you know how to train a puppy to replace the impulse to snatch treats with good manners, enjoy treating your newly well-mannered puppy!

Check out the rest of the Puppy Channel for more on basic training, puppy potty training, leash training, and other life skills you can develop now with your puppy. Or jump over to the Life Stage Feeding Channel to find out the best foods for your new puppy from a certified canine nutritionist.

If you have any questions on this training guide or any training with your puppy, just ask us in the Community discussion! Or get customized training help in your dog's plan here.