Do treats reward aggression?

This dog was about to be euthanized because he was aggressive to kids and dogs.  See what happens when you blow in his face and watch what happens when he gets rewarded for this behavior in this video by the late Dr. Sophia Yin.  This is a must see for anyone who is counter-conditioning.

Training Aggression? Counter-conditioning a Dog to Blowing in Face

Training Aggression? Counter-conditioning a Dog to Blowing in Face

It’s important to understand that using “rewards” don’t automatically reinforce just any behavior. Dogs do not want to be aggressive. Just the same as we don’t like to lose our tempers, or be afraid. The important thing to understand is that dogs and people and other animals so what “works” given the context.