finding a dog's motivation

Does she like playing tug-of-war?
 
I found a good ole rag bone and a promise of a game of tug-of-war to be superb motivation for Maddi to come when called [] (she's not very food motivated either). I personally don't see a major issue with the crackers; just break them up into as small a piece as possible.

The Ritz crackers should be fine, although I'd break them up into at least 4 pieces.  What other food have you tried?  In my obedience classes, I've seen dogs respond to Skippy peanut butter in a tube, Easy Cheese in a can, garlic sausage, Natural Balance roll (dog food), hot dogs, pieces of fruit, tuna, rotisserie chicken, Zuke's Naturals Minis, ham, and cheese.

Your dog may be really motivated by movement.  While on a walk, give a cue and wait until the dog performs.  As soon as she does, get excited and walk on for a minute or so.  Then stop and ask again.  It's not a fast way to walk or train, but it may be the most effective.

I had a dog that just would not learn "stay".  Somehow I figured out that he'd stay if I let him run up the stairs afterwards as a reward.  I taught him a cue that meant "run up the stairs" and used that to reward him after I released his stay.  He loved it and developed a beautiful stay.

does she like praise? petting? will she chase you while you run away from her waving a toy around? Best way to get dogs interested in toys is making them act like prey animals-- quick rapid movements AWAY from the dog, to trigger chasing behavior. What sort of toys have you tried? A white rag on a rope, wiggled around on the ground can excite many a dog, and is quite cheap to try.

oh, and I forgot: smelly canned cat food is quite attractive to every dog I've ever met. Put some on your rag-on-a-rope and most dogs will do anything for you.

Have you tried the freeze dried liver treats? Oh man my girl will sure work for her. I dont feed my dog ANY human food so i wouldnt know about the Ritz crackers but some dogs will work for praise too!

i admit that i'm a little apprehensive about tug-of-war. are you supposed to win or let the dog win? is it ok to play even though my dog does not yet know the command "give"? does this game develop dominance or aggression?
 
anyway, she loves meat and chicken (not so much fruits and vegetables), and i'll try the peanut butter, cheese and liver treats (how do you make these by the way?).
 
i'm trying to do the training-while-walking but it's a little difficult! [] she's so excited on walks that her focus is on all the new sights and smells. i haven't found a toy she likes yet, so iin the meantime i'm rewarding her with the cracker bits and some praise/petting.