So going anywhere is a process of 4ft stops with treats all the way. I was told I can't over treat a dog however I'm wondering what I should do here. Wait till he comes and refuse the treat? Stop calling and wait for him to come on his own? Or just keep doing what I'm doing? My worry is I'm teaching him a pattern of what a walk should be like that I really don't want.
I think you're very astute to realize that you are actually teaching him a process that you don't want! He won't understand that all of the elements are not what earns him the treat!
But, it's hard to picture exactly how you're going about this without a little more info. Are you doing this stuff in your house or yard? Is it out in the neighborhood?
Personally I teach everything, including recall, at home off leash. I also teach loose leash walking at home, inside first then out in the yard.
But, back to recall. Puppies follow you naturally, if you add some treats and play into that, they really follow you eagerly. At 13 wks it should all be about play and adventures, with an occassional que teaching recall, which you should always reward with praise and treats and play. The idea is you want the puppy to fully understand that it's in his best interest to come check you out whenever you say come or here or whatever cue you use for recall. And you practice that over and over and over so it becomes an automatic response!
Myself, I only very occassionally bring any treats with me on a neighborhood walk, because the adventure and smells and sights are the reward. To me it's proofing the training you've done repeatedly at home.
The scenario you described also sounds like your timing or delivery of the treats might be working against you somewhat. Treats are a reward for good compliance to a known que, or to teach a cue, or can be helpful as a lure to elicit a new behavior or position. Not as a bribe to gain compliance.
The sequence looks something like this, lure or otherwise elicit a position/behavior, mark and treat. When he gets that down well, use a cue, otherwise same sequence as before. The puppy should not see or need to see the treat in order to get the behavior, or it's bribery and that will come back to haunt you later and be difficult to retrain correctly!
Once a puppy gets a cue and is doing it reliably, up the requirements to ear a treat, and begging to treat less frequently, on an intermittent timetable. Make the puppy work for that treat! It needs to be frequently enough for the puppy to maintain interest, but infrequently enough to keep him guessing!
And be upbeat and animated with your puppy, keep him excited and interested in being with and following you! Play and be the most interesting thing in his environment. Trust me, it's alot easier to lay that foundation now than it will be to teach him later on!
