Do I have to use food to train my dog?

The answer is NO… but… kinda… well, that depends.

To start off, it’s important to note that Bright Hound uses reward (reinforcement) centered training techniques, because reinforcing an appropriate incompatible behaviour has been proven to be a highly effective approach, and we adhere to the Humane Hierarchy.

Before you consider what reinforcement you want to use, you need to consider if your dog will find it…. reinforcing. That’s right! The learner (your dog!) chooses what’s reinforcing. For instance, if I offered my terrier a piece of Milkbone to eat in exchange for not chasing a deer, I may find myself looking at my dog as he runs off after the deer! Cheese or Chicken? Well now we might be talking.

Praise: praise is an effective reinforcer (reward) if it has been paired with something else pleasant: food, affection, etc…
Eventually, the praise may carry the positive association of what it had been paired with on it’s own, and that is the time where you will see only praise light up a dog’s eyes.

Affection: affection is an effective reinforcer if it’s given at a time and in a manner that your dog appreciates. For example, my dog is not a morning dog, if I offered affection in the morning in an attempt to reinforce something he did, I may end up with him refusing to train with me at all! (you might also think of how you would feel if someone tried to hug you in the middle of your workout)
I would also need to know how to give the affection; if I grabbed his head to give it a good scritch, he would not appreciate that. 
Most dogs enjoy petting or gentle scratches under the chin, on the chest, on the side, or on the rump. Often petting over the head is avoided/disliked. If you aren’t certain if your dog likes your affection, test it! Offer a few seconds of affection, take a step away, and wait. If your dog approaches for more, you’re on the right track!

Toys and play : This is actually similar to affection. Some dogs are happy to play with toys at any time and how ever… some will only want to chase a ball if it’s bounced, or only want to play tug if they’re winning at least half the time, etc, etc

Life rewards : Life reinforcers are things that just are *great* to your dog; a chance to go on a walk, get out into the back yard, go for a car ride, be let off leash to run down for a swim at the beach, etc
For some dogs, life reinforcers are consistent and steady, they could always go for a swim, or for a walk; for other dogs, they might like some activities in fair weather, or maybe the yard is only peaceful outside of regular business hours. So then for the aforementioned dogs, we could only use those things to reinforce if they wanted them at that moment.

Aversive free or Reward-based/centered trainers reach for food so often, because for most dogs, at most times value it. Just like most of us could go for a tasty drink or snack most of the time!