Cut food when using treats

If you are using treats to train your dog, reduce the amount of food you provide during meals to keep your dog at a healthy weight. Treats are an important part of training, but you don't want to end up with a well-mannered pet with weight problem.

If your dog is always a little hungry, you may be able to use 10 percent of his daily kibble for training and save treats for teaching him new behaviors.

If your dog does not work for kibble, even when hungry,

then you may need to increase daily exercise during training. Exercise is a great relationship builder, as your dog associates you with an enjoyable excursion. Exercise is also a great stress reliever and may help your dog focus better during training sessions.

(Animal beha vior e xperts Susan and Dr. Rolan Tripp are the authors of "On Good Behavior." For more information, visit their Web site at AnimalBehavior. net.)