How are you rewarding your dog? 2015 has been a big year at our house for training for our tracking and nose work sports. Rewarding your dog seems so simple, most people don’t think much about it, but when you have a dog like Bailie who totally loses her motivation for sports, Mom decided to reevaluate our training and rewarding system. She is not a professional trainer, but the past few months she has gotten some good tips from trainers that have paid off and I wanted to share them with you.
The main thing with training, be it obedience, sports, whatever, is to make it a fun game for your dog. You can reward all you want, but if the dog isn’t seeing what you are doing as a fun game, it isn’t going to work very well. People tend to get into the same old rut, with the same rewards, and higher and higher expectations which often leads to a dog losing interest. Mom knew Bailie could track, so she expected her to track more and longer tracks for the same reward. It was boring, no fun for Bailie, so Bailie quit being the tracking dog she could be. With the tips below, Bailie got back to work in tracking and nose work and is working like a pro!
7 Tips To Successfully Rewarding Your Dog
1 – Different Types of Rewards
Rewards don’t have to be just food. You have to know your dog. For some dogs, a toy is a great reward, for some, they want affection.
2– High Value vs. Low Value Rewards
Don’t save all your high value rewards for the hardest work. Give your dog high value rewards randomly for easy as well as hard training. If your dog does “sit” like a pro, give him the high value reward for “sit” now and then. There is nothing wrong with rewarding big for easy or basic behavior. Never just expect your dog will do something because they know how. Keep that game aspect going, make “sit” fun, even when it is easy.
3– Use A Reward Mix
If your dog likes chicken, that’s great, but don’t give your dog chicken as a reward every time. Vary the rewards with high value, bigger rewards, smaller ones, keep your dog guessing as to what he is working for. Even chicken lovers like something different now and then.
4– Count The Rewards
Dogs can count, sort of. When you are rewarding your dog, give them one piece of food at a time. Many people give their dog a handful of treats mistakenly thinking the dog sees it as a big, huge reward. Wrong, the dog sees it as one reward. You are better off giving him three or four pieces of a reward, one at a time.
5– Keep The Dog Guessing
No matter what the level of training, keep your dog guessing. Sometimes give him one reward, sometimes four, sometimes just some praise. The unknown helps keep the fun in the game for the dog. Mom used this tactic a lot with Bailie and tracking. She started putting extra articles on the tracks. Sometimes there was a reward with the article, sometimes Bailie got a reward after finding the article, and sometimes she got praise and was told to move on.
6– Don’t Forget The Easy Day
Do you enjoy being pushed and pushed to do better without a break? Dogs do not. Dogs are not machines and just because they can do something doesn’t mean you should push them to keep doing more and especially not for the same reward. Every now and then, throw in a super easy basic day of training and reward your dog big! Show your dog everything they do is worth a reward. After an easy day with big rewards, they will work harder for you the next time.
7– The 30 Second Reward
Do a simple training exercise, and then reward your dog for thirty seconds. Yes, thirty seconds! It doesn’t mean stuffing them with food the entire time, use some food, praise, snuggling, maybe a toy, but reward your dog for an entire thirty seconds. This is something to do maybe once a month if you are training. Your dog will love it and it will help motivate them.
I work hard for nothing, but Bailie really needs the game aspect or she will not work at all. By putting the fun back into her training, adding more easy days, and including the guess work, she has gotten back to her top form. I know for a fact when Bailie passed her tracking test, she was dying to know what the reward was going to be that day when she found the article. The last training she did before her test was a simple straight 70 yard track with a bowl of food at the end. Now that leaves a good impression in a dog’s mind! I too am enjoying my training more than before. I love to work, but I also love to find out what Mom has for a reward each time I find what I am supposed to find, and I always wonder how many pieces I will get.
My canine words of wisdom to humans are: Don’t be cheap on the rewards! Make it a fun game! Reward your dog!
I’m co hosting the FitDog Friday Blog Hop with SlimDoggy, and To Dog With Love! Please join us on Fridays to share your fitness stories with others, find new ways to have fun, and new fitness ideas too! Tell your friends to stop by as well – fit dogs are healthier, happier dogs!
Good advice as always, Emma. But what can I do with Bruin, who doesn’t care about food, or toys, or affection when he has something better to do? I carry hot dogs all the time (his favorite) just hoping he’ll care at all. Usually he doesn’t. Between you and me, Emma, I don’t think Bruin really wants to learn things.
Younger dogs aren’t always into rewards, but you have to start with small simple things and not expect too much. If we are tested with the choice between come for a nice treat or chase a squirrel, the squirrel will win which is why we are never off leash, but in our sports, we really love to work and the rewards make it all the more fun.
Hi Y’all!
I’m almost 10 and my Human still gives me random rewards…for a sit, get my eyes cleaned, nail trim, coming back to check on her without being called back when we’re out hiking…now that she’s found those little Fruitables that are only 3 calories I get even more! Sometimes 2 or 3! And I never know what flavor!
Y’all come on by,
Hawk aka BrownDog
Every dog is different, you retriever types like to please your humans, so rewarding is easier than a breed like mine who could care less about the human if something fun is going on. It’s great you get rewarded randomly for even the mundane things! Fruitables are real yummy!
I’m like Bailie and need rewards to help keep me focused! Great post and I love your sweatshirt! Good idea since it is getting darker and darker out!
I love bright! Many dogs really need the rewards. I sure love them, but I will search for the fun of searching and a hug too.
Those are some great ideas Emma – especially like the keep ’em guessing – that works for humans too!
Mom says the guess work is what drives sales people. They never know if they will get commission or not, but they work just as hard because they might!
I do nothing without a reward and sometimes I ruin my mommas training plans. After I’ve got a treat for “sit” I do it again and again, even in the middle of a street to get another treat :o)
You might need more randomness. A treat for sit, then a good boy for the next sit, maybe a snuggle for the third, and a reward again for the fourth. You have your mom trained, but she might need to train you now.
WE think that the TIME fur Rewarding should be Increased from 30 seconds to …… 87 Seconds..
87 second would mean Mom would need to carry a bucket full of rewards, but I don’t have a problem with that!
We asked mom to cut this post out and post it on our refrigerator so that she will remember all of the seven tips. We especially liked the 30 second reward. Thanks for the information Emma, your doodle friend Dash
It’s all simple basic stuff but our routines let humans forget. They start expecting more and paying less, and that is when a lot of us put our paws down and stop doing what we are supposed to be doing.
I really like this post, Emma! These are all things I need to keep in mind. One thing I notice is that people like to shower their dogs with hugs and pats on the head when really what a lot of dogs want is the food or the toy or play or even just verbal praise. Every dog is different though.
You have to know your dog. Bailie and I are real snugglers. Especially in competitions, we get the treats, but we also get a huge snuggle. The guess work is really a big motivational key for us too, the when and what keep us going.
I love the 30 second one especially! These are great tips, thanks guys!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Humans love when the all of the sudden get a ton of praise for something they just did, much more praise than normal, and we dogs feel the same way.
Great tips! I also find short/sweet training sessions often provide better results than trying to hunker down for longer sessions.
Too much causes the fun to end. You have to know when your pup is starting to tire out.
Great post! Sounds like you went down the same path we did regarding lost motivation and a new reward system. And the best news is, we both seem to be back on track! I had to remember to put more play back into our day! And we mix up the timing and type of rewards, too! Happy FitDog Friday!
Mom was really baffled, but once the light went on in her brain about fun and reward techniques, Bailie bounced back better than before, just like Rocco. I’ve improved too, but Bailie needed help the most.
I’m never tight on the rewards! My dogs love their training sessions. Brilliant post.
Most humans start to assume a dog can do something, so they don’t need as much reward which is wrong. They expect more and more, and pay the same or less. Glad you have it down, it sure explains all the ribbons.
I have to reevaluate Barley’s reward system every single week in agility class. It all depends on her mood and how interested she is in distractions. Sometimes she is ready to work and do a whole course without any rewards until the end. Other times, she’s struggling with just one aspect of the course and I reward her for doing something tough. Then there are the days when she wants to run around like a crazy animal and do anything but what I ask her to do and she gets a treat after every other obstacle. Glad your mom found something that works for Bailie!
The tips are real general and have to be tapered to your specific situation. Bailie totally lost her focus, but now she is spot on.
Rewarding with a tiny treat works very well with us. Great tips Emma
Lily & Edward
The size is important for the human brain, we dogs call a treat a treat. Enjoy.
Rewards work darn good for us cats too!
Cat bro Bert is all about rewards, but it doesn’t seem to motivate him to behave at all!
These are great tips, Emma. Some of these I already do, but others I haven’t (Easy Day, 30 Second Reward). Luke does have his times when he seems less motivated than others so now I’ll have some ideas of keep it more fun and interesting for him. Thanks!
Fun is the key and the guessing part is very motivational. The big reward for little work now and then is also a nice way to motivate a pup.
Thanks for some wonderful tips, Emma! We are going to have Mama jot some of thee down!!
Smileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
If you can use even one, I’m happy.
Really good reminders, Emma. Especially to mix in the high reward treats at random. I’ve had to up my reward games lately to keep Honey excited to return to the boat after play time on land.
Honey thanks you for the good advice. 🙂
Have you tried laying a treat track to the boat with a nice end reward hidden in the boat? That might motivate her to get back on board. You would have to help her from land to boat, but then leave a short trail to the end “pot of gold” on board. Just a thought.
Great advice, Emma. I’m glad it paid off for you guys! Mr. N is definitely in the do not be cheap camp. He will spit out treats if they don’t meet his standards.
I’m picky myself, so we know, never try new treats at a trial! But always have lots of treats so I never know how many I might get.
Yes, very wise words, Emma – mix up the rewards & keep training interesting! Buzz certainly appreciates a tasty piece of food, but he is equally excited by getting to play with his favorite ball. Missy is a known slave to her stomach (the bowl of food at the end of an exercise is a fabulous idea!), but she is also a lap puppy who LOVES attention & being loved on.
Bailie is motivated by straight food, but she also gets loving. She loves being loved up at home, but when training food is the best for her. I like both, but I simply like to work. Still, even when you enjoy your job, being rewarded is a nice thing.
We think that Mom needs to step up her treat game! I will show her this and make sure she follows your instructions. XXOO Bentley
I certainly hope she is paying you well for your hard work. Nothing worse than a “cheap” parent. Bailie got Mom turned around, thankfully.
Great tips Emma. Harley loves attention, he is fine with a lot of praise and belly rubs. Jax likes to play. I’m learning to train, praise and then play for a few minutes afterwards. Let’s just say, progress is slow but we’re getting there. Jax is a very different soul – strong willed, strong in strength and forever playful. #butIlovehim
Each of us is real different too, but once you find the key, then it gets easier. It took Mom a long time with Bailie, but they seem to have it now.
Really great tips! I like to lift my paw for a high five/shake every time I sit and now mum won’t give me a treat until I put it back down for a regular sit unless she asked for the high five…. now I know where she’s learned that from… BOL Shasta~
Sometimes those humans have silly rules for getting treats, but we do what is needed. It’s what dogs do 😉
I am glad you found something that works for you. The key is to find what best motivates the dog. For our dogs, the reward is the retrieve and they also get verbal praise. We never use food once they are no longer puppies unless it is for obedience type work, but not field training or hunting.
When we were at that training seminar last year, some of the dogs would make a retrieve and then return very slowly to their handler. The pro trainer suggested not praising the dog as it was returning but to save it until the dog dog to the person and then make a huge fuss. You would not believe how quick that one little change worked and the dogs were running back to the people after the retrieve.
You really have to know your dogs and what works for them. There are no treats allowed in tracking competition, just in training, but if you change it up with the treats, it is not an issue either.
Thank you for this!! Cocoa can be a bit on the stubborn side I think and it always helps to learn more about training!!
Fun is the key to motivation. Every dog is a bit different but through trial and error you can find a plan that works well for you.
Some great advice! Thanks for sharing your tips.
Tips are always good. They don’t all apply to everyone, but maybe a few will.
I love these tips Emma, thanks for sharing them. Ever since you left that comment on my blog I’ve been varying the treats. I no longer carry just one treat in my bag so they never know what’s going to pop out of it. 🙂 I also don’t reward them with food every time, varying my rewards with praise. I haven’t done the 30 second reward though, that’s something I’ll add in. This morning I was successful in getting them past a cat on our walk. 🙂 We’re getting there!!
Yay! Not all the tips work for every dog, but every suggestion is worth a try and if some of these are helping you guys out, that is great!
I need to spend more time training my dogs, these are great tips.
Thank you. We train all the time for our sports but thinks like loose leash walking and listening and obey commands doesn’t get much attention here.