It is your choice vs. Poke me

Since a lot of people train “It is your choice” with their dogs (as it is very often being recommended), let me say a few thoughts on this matter. It is an interesting topic. I have nothing against It is your choice, however I don’t really practise it, because I achieve good control around food through shaping games and other things we are still about to do in this class. I might consider it with a dog that is really really obsessed with food, but other than that, I actually see no need for it. Especially since most dogs don’t really have extreme food drive, so teaching self control around food can actually make the whole experience boring and that decreases overall value of food and it starts to show when the exercise that we want to reward with food gets more complex (and that can mean a number of things – it can be physically difficult, mentally challenging, adding duration, difficult environment,…). So if the food drive is not super strong, what usually happens is: The dog says… you know what… it is just not worth the effort. Also – teaching self control to a dog that is not crazy about food is actually not teaching self control. It is just another trick. I am a vegetarian and I never really liked meat. So it takes 0 self-control for me to decline an Argentinian steak. ? It takes A LOT of self control to decline ice cream on the other hand. So if you want the dog to learn how to control its impulses, you need the dog to be 100% and absolutely crazy about the thing in question. I believe it is very easy to shape strong food drive into any behaviour/action you want, so I am not afraid to play poke me (with some restrictions) with any dog, even those that are VERY highly driven. Other way around is not always that easy though. So if I have a dog that is sensitive and polite by nature, without extreme food drive, I would never do “it is your choice” with. Simply because those dogs have hard time letting go in general, so if all you encourage is “control your self and be polite” they feel really comfortable with that and stay in that mode for a long long time. Because it is where they feel safe. “If I don’t go crazy, there is not much I can do wrong.” “I will double think every move I make to make sure I please the owner.” It is in a way adorable and those dogs are very easy to live with usually, but it is not an attitude that gets them far in any kind of sport training, especially agility. To have the dog run full speed, you need a dog that feels a little bit cocky and is not afraid to go for things they love. If you agree and you feel like you have done it wrong in the past… don’t worry. It might not happen over night, but dogs are usually pretty happy to forget good manners. ? So it might take some time before your brainiac becomes a maniac, but it can very well happen if you give them a chance.
So my few cents on this subject… Hope it is helpful.