What Rewards Should I Use in Dog Training?

30-40 years ago, dog trainers and pet parents (although they definitely would have called themselves “owners” or “masters”) - would rarely consider rewarding their dog for behaviours they liked. To give food, toys, or access to things the dog liked in return for a requested behaviour would have been very rare. These dogs were there to be dogs - whether for a job or companionship, they were often “broken” into doing the behaviours we wanted, instead of nurtured into new patterns of behaviour. 

We now know that positive reinforcement is the most effective way to not only reward our dogs and teach them new skills but also to have happy dogs - dogs who are more optimistic about the world they live in. 

But, have you ever thought about how your dog feels about the specific rewards you provide?

Are all rewards equal?

Rewards can come in many forms. A variety of food options, presenting a toy, playing with your dog, verbal praise, touch, or real-life rewards (for example, access to another dog or water). 

Food-based rewards tend to be our most common go-to. They’re a primal resource, you have many varieties of taste and texture to try, and they’re easy to present during training sessions in quick succession. 

When I’m asked what the best food is to reward our dogs with… my response would be, “it depends”. Not very helpful I know, but it does depend on many factors.

WHERE is your dog training - what environment? What might work at home, may not cut it when you’re outside.

HOW is the food being presented? Is it straight from your hand, are you throwing it, or getting your dog to search for it?

WHAT does your individual dog enjoy? Some love fish, others can’t stand it. Some have allergies and might be put off by a protein source that might upset their tummy. 

A fellow trainer once told me that her response to any clients who said “my dog isn’t food motivated”, was to ask “oh, are they dead”?! Now, that might be a bit extreme but there’s some truth there. A dog that has NO interest in food - that literally won’t eat - wouldn’t be able to survive. If there’s no obvious underlying reason as to why a dog is picky when it comes to food - such as intolerance, a poorly gut, or sore jaw/teeth - then we want to carefully consider the other influences on our dogs.

When our male dog companion was around 6 months old, he’d eat any treat presented to him at home. But step outside that front door and there was very little that would spark his interest. He had too much else going on - secondary fear phase, raging hormones, having been attacked by another dog, or he was just having too much fun! All of these influences meant he was in high arousal when outside. When we’re fuelled with adrenaline or cortisol (stress hormone), our digestion system shuts down. It needs something extremely valuable to think about re-starting. I remember that he’d recall back to me on cue, take the piece of cheese I was offering and immediately spit it out. At home, he could not get enough of cheese! We worked through lots of different treats and found that ultimately, the only food he’d reliably eat on a walk - and find valuable - was cooked turkey. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to find out what will work for your “non-food motivated dog”.

We need to think about food reward on a sliding scale. Just as you may have different pay grades in your workplace, dogs need to have “reward grades” depending on the difficulty of the task at hand. Ask your dog to “sit” or “come in from the garden” at home and they may find a little piece of fruit or veggie rewarding enough. Ask your dog to come back from playing with a group of dogs it loves, then you’re going to have to give them a big bonus. This is where my SMALL, SOFT, and STINKY rule comes into play.

SMALL = you can afford to give your dog a jackpot (multi-treat) reward 

SOFT = no chewing required, they get the “goods” easily

STINKY = super yummy and able to compete with environmental distractions

If you want to use play to reward your dog, you need to be ready to commit. Just letting your dog tug on the toy you’re holding for one second isn’t likely to excite them. But having multiple minutes of fun with you can be highly rewarding!

What toy you use is important too. Is it something your dog would choose to pick up itself? Does it have a texture or smell they’d enjoy? We often choose toys based on what we think looks fun or perhaps has been recommended by another pet parent. Dogs are individuals. One dog may love a squeaky ball, another a tug toy, one might only like playing with you, and it might take a rabbit-skin toy to really excite some of our dogs. 

When we’re thinking about play as a reward, we also need to think about the energy we’re putting into the game. Would over-enthusiasm send your dog too high in arousal to be able to re-focus? Could you overwhelm your more cautious dog if you go in too strong? Does speed, change of direction, anticipation, or the environment they’re playing in affect what your dog enjoys?

What about verbal praise? For some dogs, you only have to speak their name to get their whole body wagging! For others, your voice would do little to cut it in an environment of many other potential reinforcements. A more anxious dog might find a loud, excited human vocalisation quite scary. Studies have shown that how we use our tone AND the consistency of the words we use are both very important in succeeding to create a “happy” response in our dogs. It needs to be a combination of the two to have the best result. Dog-directed speech (baby talk) is the most effective way to reinforce and encourage your dog. Using consistent words or phrases, that your dog becomes accustomed to, allows them to better understand the praise being presented.

Real-life rewards can come in all shapes and sizes. For water-loving dogs, it could be that you reward them with the opportunity to jump in a river! For people-loving dogs, the chance to say hi to a new human friend. 

They’re often discussed in the Premack Principle of dog training, which states that a lower probability behaviour (one your dog doesn’t necessarily want to do) can be reinforced or encouraged by rewarding with a higher probability behaviour. An example of this is as a child we’re told that we must eat the vegetables of our meal to be allowed our desert. We might ask our dog to return to us before they are allowed to go and say “hi” to another dog. Or ask your dog to “sit” before a new human friend can say hello. The value of real-life rewards will depend on the breed of dog you have and their individual motivations. For a working spaniel, being released to chase a bird (when you’re sure that bird is far enough away that it’s safe from harm or stress) could be a reinforcement for sitting calmly next to you.  

Some pet parents worry that giving rewards to their dogs is “bribing” them to do things for them. Many feel that praise should be enough. Or even that our dogs should just WANT to do the things we ask them to, to please us. 

What is the difference between a reward, a bribe, and a lure? A REWARD is given in return for a service provided - our dogs have done the task we requested of them, or they’ve offered us an amazing natural choice of behaviour. A BRIBE is something used to try and influence behaviour. It’s a way to regain control of a situation, without having to teach any new behaviours. A LURE is a way to invite your dog to do something for you. It’s the basis of being able to shape your dog to learn new behaviours - to help them to get an understanding of something more quickly. Whereas a LURE is removed later on, replaced by your dog understanding the behaviour requested to earn a reward - a BRIBE tends to be used long term and is more likely related to behaviours your dog finds aversive, such as getting into the bath. 

Just as we gain motivation in our work from being paid a salary, getting a bonus for excelling, or praise for doing a good job - our dogs gain motivation through the reward system we use with them. While you might not need to reward every sit, wait, or recall for your dog’s life… when your dog doesn’t understand what’s expected easily or is really struggling with learning something new, rewards can help boost learning and instill a lifelong understanding. It’s a way to say we like a behaviour our dog has presented, to thank them for doing a great job.

So, go ahead, use plenty of rewards in training, in life, and to support your dog to embrace the behaviours you desire.