Mini-Series Week 1: What Does Your Dog Really Need?

Hey friends,

Let’s kick off something new! Over the next few weeks, we’re digging into what your dog actually needs to feel safe, calm, and capable of learning. It’s inspired by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—but reimagined for dogs 🧠🐶.

And this first issue starts with something I hear all the time:

Totally fair. But here’s the truth:

🍖 You might need to use treats forever—and that’s not a bad thing.

Treats aren’t a crutch. They’re communication. They’re currency.
They’re one of the most natural, instinctive, and effective ways to teach your dog how to live in a human world.

And when we use them the right way?
We build better habits, faster.
We get a calmer, more responsive dog.
And we strengthen the trust between you and your pup.

🧠 First Things First: Dogs Need Motivation

Dogs don’t just wake up knowing what “sit,” “stay,” or “leave it” mean.
And they definitely don’t come pre-installed with good manners.

There are only three ways to teach a behavior:

• Capturing – Catching your dog doing something right and rewarding it

• Luring – Guiding them into position with a treat

• Shaping – Building a behavior step-by-step with rewards

Imagine working hard and never getting paid.
That’s what training without rewards feels like to your dog.
Treats are how we say: "Yes! That’s what I wanted—do that again."

📚 The Science: Maslow, But for Dogs

In 2023, researchers Griffin, Arndt, and Vinke adapted Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs to help us better understand what dogs really need.
They built a canine-specific pyramid, backed by 100+ studies and expert consensus.

The five layers of this dog hierarchy of needs look like this:

1. Physiological Needs – Food, water, rest, movement, vet care

2. Safety – Predictability, clean environments, ability to make choices

3. Social Needs – Positive relationships with dogs and people

4. Integrity – Training that builds confidence, not fear

5. Cognition – Mental stimulation, learning, and problem-solving

👉 Here’s the study if you want to dive in.

If your dog still needs a treat to focus, stay calm, or perform a cue, that’s not failure.
That’s biology.

🎯 “But I don’t want to use treats forever…”

You won’t have to. Once your dog knows a behavior and can do it reliably—think 9 out of 10 times with distractions—you can start phasing out treats without losing progress.

Here’s how I fade them:

• I stop wearing a treat pouch (they learn to watch for it)

• I use pockets or stash treats on a stool or surface nearby

• I palm the treat quietly and reward after the behavior

• I become a slot machine, not a Pez dispenser

The goal?
Your dog pays attention because they might win—and when they do, it’s awesome. 🎰

🧱 Bottom Line: Needs Come First

If your dog isn’t listening, it’s probably not because they’re “stubborn.”
It’s because one or more needs aren’t being met.

✅ Food
✅ Sleep
✅ Comfort
✅ Motivation
✅ Mental stimulation

Before we jump into “obedience,” we’ve got to make sure the foundation is strong.
That’s what this whole series is about.

📆 Coming Next Week…

Next week, we’ll dive into Layer 1: Physiological Needs — how gaps in this foundation can show up as stress, reactivity, or "bad behavior"—and what to do about it.

Got a question about treats, rewards, or training motivation?
Hit reply—I’d love to hear what’s working (or what’s not) with your dog.

See you next week,
Steve 🐾
Dog Trainer | Choice-Driven K9 Care

P.S.
Want to see how I use this stuff with my own dogs?
I share casual training clips and everyday life with my pups on Instagram:
@hms7799

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Forward this email to a friend, and they can subscribe here:
https://choicebasedk9care.beehiiv.com