It’s All About the Money!
-by Will Bruner
Good motivation is the key to having a great time when training your dog. So how do you create good motivation? Reward! Reward! Reward!
Webster’s dictionary defines a reward as:
“: to give money or another kind of payment to (someone or something) for something good that has been done.???
Do you give your dog money? You might say no, but in truth we do “pay??? our dogs for their work so, yes in a way we do give them “money???. People can also use a check, a credit card, Pay Pal as well as good old fashioned cash. Your dogs’ “money??? can also come in lots of different forms. Anything your dog likes can be used as a reward. That can include, but is not limited to; food, toys, petting and praise. Food, such as treats, are the most commonly used reward, because dogs respond well to them. But, in some scientific studies human touch registered higher in the pleasure centers of a dog’s brain than anything else. Does your dog like to ride in the car? What about going for a walk? These are also pleasurable experiences all of which can be used as a reward. So basically, we have many ways to make our dogs happy we just have to find what the dog values at that moment.
The value of a reward can differ between dogs, but just like a report card you reward A+ behavior with the highest value reward. Varying the rewards so your dog never knows what’s coming can also increase motivation and focus. Think of it like this; you wake up one morning and find a $20 bill in your pocket. The next morning you find another $20 bill. The third morning you find one again. On the fourth morning you find a $5 bill. Not as exciting, but it’s still money, right? The next morning there’s $20 again, but on the following day you find a $100 bill! Now we’re talking! The next day $20, the day after that $5, then $20. There’s no set pattern, but pretty soon you’re jumping out of bed because you never know what you’ll find. Will today be the $100 bill? This is called a variable reward pattern and it is proven to motivate.
So what if your dog likes toys, but is kind of blasé about them during training? One technique is called conditioning a reward. Take a toy and present it to your dog. Praise and treat anytime your dog interacts with the toy. Pretty soon your dog will get excited when the toy appears. For some dogs this may start with simply sniffing the toy, then progress to “poking” it and then hopefully, mouthing or fetching it. The dog now sees the toy as valuable and you can start using as a reward.
So are you now wondering how I can use going in the car as a reward? Simple, as you approached the car ask your dog to sit or lie down and wait. Once they do then praise and open the car door. Voilà! Your dog is now learning that waiting gets rewarded.
Hopefully this given you a new approach to rewarding your dog. Now go check those pockets, maybe you’ll get the $100 today!
