Labrador

　　Generally, pet-owning families prepare food or treats as rewards during dog training. From a certain perspective, food can provide motivation for dog training, but on the other hand, it is also a form of bribery for the dog. Using this method excessively may cause some negative effects. Some cunning dogs might train just to get the food.

　　First, considering the original approach of positive training, indeed, food can be interpreted as bribery by the dog. In terms of training terminology like lure, capture, and shaping, it indeed implies temptation. Whether we hold food as a reward or encourage the dog to move in a certain direction or perform a certain action, food certainly carries a bribery connotation here. So would training be much harder without food?

　　At the beginning, holding food in your hand and using its positional changes to lure the dog to achieve certain goals is indeed bribery. But if the timing changes, it can instead become a reward. For example, if you put away the food or don’t have any at the start and only give it when the dog performs the action, this method can be called a reward model or positive reinforcement. Naturally, because of your change in timing, it allows the dog to independently think about how to obtain food, rather than only seeing the world through the lens of bribery. If you hold food and lure the dog while training, that definitely carries a bribery connotation.