The Best Rewards for Dog Training

“Pay that!” Modern Trainers encourage their clients with this phrase when coaching them to train their dog. It means, “give that dog a paycheck for what they just did.” We humans tend to miss the many times our dogs are behaving and reward them for good behaviors. Instead, we focus on the inappropriate behaviors and struggle to stop them. But when we diligently observe our dogs, we will find that they are behaving wonderfully throughout each day. These are huge opportunities to reinforce those good behaviors which leads to them wanting to offer more of the same.

Why Food is the First Choice

Food is the most efficient way to give a dog a paycheck and quickly repeat an exercise for continued learning. It’s motivating, enjoyed quickly and leaves your dog happy and ready for the next training repetition. Food is the easiest, hands off way to lure a dog into a position. It allows your dog to freely move their body, build muscle memory for a body movement and feel a positive association to doing the movement. It is not bribing. Luring is quickly turned into a reward that appears after a job well done and increases good behavior.

If you choose, food rewards can also be fazed out over time as your pup learns the skill proficiently. To keep good behaviors coming, don't forget to still praise your dog when they are being good. 

MYTH BUST

Feeding your dog “human food” will not cause begging. Begging is caused by lack of training and feeding your dog at inappropriate moments from inappropriate locations. Avoiding unhealthy or dangerous items (onion, grapes/raisins, fat, grease, etc), it is alright to feed your dog food that’s not manufactured for them specifically.

Food Reward Values

Not all Rewards hold the same value to your dog. Their kibble is yummy, but freeze dried liver will make most dog’s mouths water.

Just as not all food is as temptingly tasty to individual people; some of us go crazy for chocolate and others prefer hard candy. The same is true for each individual dog' your pup might prefer cheese over meat, carrots are a sweet treat for some.

Get to Know Your Dog's Taste

In the range of all the food items your dog does enjoy, take time to discover which items your dog ranks lowest to highest in value. To do this, place two types of food rewards a few feet apart on the floor and see which one your dog chooses first. Continue this process with different food types until you know how your dog ranks the many choices available.

Start each training session with the lowest value food. This may even include your dog’s kibble that you regularly feed them for meals.

Doing this gives you the advantage of being able to move to higher value food rewards in the order of their ranking (according to your dog's preferences) when needed. This switch might be needed when working around distractions or on a difficult skill. Higher value food rewards can help motivate, focus and more strongly reward your dog for difficult behaviors.

When to Use Lower Value Rewards

• When little to no distractions are present
• When working on easier skills
• In familiar environments

When to Use Higher Value Rewards

• When increased to high distractions are present
• When working on a more difficult skill
• A big learning milestone occurs
  
  

Food Reward Size and Consistency

Even for larger dogs, cut or break treats into tiny pea-sized pieces. For very small dogs, half a pea-size is best. We don't want the little ones to fill up fast.

It’s wise to not use anything too crumbly. Your dog may become distracted trying to clean up extra crumbs between training repetitions. Soft food is best.

To prevent weight gain, decrease your dog's regular meal quantity on training days to allow for the extra calorie intake in training sessions.

PRO TIPS

If you find your dog has a sensitive stomach when eating a larger amount of food outside of regular meals, give them a bit of plain pumpkin or sweet potato puree based on their size. The high fiber content will help soothe digestion.

Within each level of food reward value, be sure to rotate through  various treat types within each value level. For instance, if you use  pre-packed soft treats to train basic skills, vary the brand and flavor occasionally or your dog will get bored. I love sushi, but having it every day would get old fast.

There are times when your dog may not be interested in any value food at all. We usually see this happen when your dog...

• is more interested in their environment than food
• is too stressed or overstimulated to eat food
• is being “free fed.” Meals are left out all the time.
  Read our 7 Reasons to Not Free-Feed Your Dog

Other Types of Rewards

Items other than food, such as play, access to something, verbal praise or even soft petting are welcome rewards. They can also be offered at different levels of value and even paired together for a huge impact.

A slight downside to using these, however, is that they can take longer to deliver, delaying time in starting the next training repetition, and repetition is one of the key factors in solidifying a behavior.

Say, you're using play with a toy as a reward. The play takes a bit of time to complete even if brief. A rapid rate of reinforcement is most effective when training a new skill so learning is focused and fluid. The more time between repetitions, the weaker the connection your dog may make in establishing a behavior pattern. Don't discount non-food rewards, though. They can be powerfully rewarding to many dogs in a range of situations.

Play as a Reward

For many dogs, Play Rewards are at the top of the bliss list. Play can be with a toy, their favorite people or another dog. For instance, a game of tug that you play with your dog any old time just for fun can also be used as very motivating and rewarding Play when training.

In practicing your dog's Recall to you, you can use a toy as a motivator. Start by calling your dog then waving a favorite toy excitedly. When they arrive, enjoy a game of tug for a few moments. Work up to bringing the toy out after they run all the way to you and present the toy for play as a Play Reward. Using a ball for fetch is especially fun for Retrievers, but any dog that enjoys this type of play will find this rewarding too. Use the same method as the tug toy idea and your dog will arrive like a rocket!

Access as a Reward

Certain skills can be taught using Access to something as the reward. Access simply means your dog is allowed to get closer to and enjoy something they want. Ask yourself, what is your dog's motivation in any given situation? What do they want? The answer unlocks how we can use Access Rewards.

Let's say, you really need your dog to have better door manners when you let them into the backyard. Right now, they charge through, knocking your young children over. Your dog is super excited for yard time (there's your hint). What would you like them to do instead? Maybe a calm Wait at the doorway until you release them to walk through would be helpful. There we have it! Your dog wants Access to the outdoors. Going outside will be the Access Reward for a calm Wait.

Referencing our knowledge of Low Value vs High Value Rewards, the great outdoors is likely High Value for your dog. Teaching a Wait in this scenario might be more difficult for your dog than using a Lower Value Access Reward. So, what could we use that's a lower value? A plain bowl of kibble, my friend!

Each time you place your dog's food for them to eat, they are getting Access to their food. This is a great opportunity to teach that Wait skill when the stakes aren't as high. To keep the value as low as possible but still motivating, practice at a time outside of their regular meal time. Add a half cup of their kibble to a bowl. Practice teaching Wait now with this Lower Value Reward.

Another quick example: after a period of polite Loose Leash Walking, you could cue your dog to, “Go Sniff,” as an Access Reward to sniff bushes. Utter doggy joy!

Access Rewards are everywhere in your dog's daily life. Look for ways to use them.

Verbal Praise as a Reward

Everybody loves encouragement! Softly praise your dog when they’re getting something right or to encourage them as they are figuring something out. For example, a “good job, buddy, that’s right” used as you lure your dog into a “Roll Over” can let them know they’re doing great and on their way to success.

When I see a dog struggling to learn a new skill, even if I am luring them with food, I’m not shy about using a little subtle verbal encouragement. Even simple skills can take time for some dogs to master. Dogs whose people have taught them a beautiful and reliable Sit skill can find it bewildering when we then try to teach them the Down skill. I hear them thinking, “Um, why? People love my Sit. Why are you trying to get me to do this move? My butt’s supposed to stay planted.” So, once I can show them that this "Down" thing is awesome too, I get excited and use my voice to have a little Verbal Reward party, “You did it, buddy! Woohoo! Great  job.” They light up and wiggle around with such pride and joy.  

Don’t discount this type of reward. Your dog may be distracted, unsure of what you want them to do or concerned about items in the environment. Verbal Praise Rewards can be very supportive. 

Be selective when using your voice. Too much talking can be distracting or exciting to dogs when they’re trying to concentrate. Use a soft voice to encourage and incite action. By contrast a loud, happy voice is a huge help when calling your dog to you. Those not shy about calling their dog in an excited, happy voice with animated body language get a dog that’s happy to quickly come to them.

Get creative. Explore with your dog what gets them motivated and feels rewarding to them. Do your detective work to find out the value of those rewards so you can use them strategically. Notice when your dog is being good, work in all of the types of rewards and use them often. Your dog's behavior will soar.