Types of Rewards (Chapter from the upcoming book)
Picture of Ollie that the owner took and gave to me. Isn’t he the sweetest?
“How long had she been trying that same strategy without reaping any benefits?”
Back when I was just starting out as a trainer, like many of you I thought that treats were the only way to go. Actually, that’s a lie– I thought that dogs either behaved well or they behaved poorly. Good dog or bad dog. I didn’t understand at the time that dogs need to be motivated to do the correct behavior and that we need to guide them towards it. All of that was foreign to me because all I ever saw growing up was people coming up with reasons why their dogs didn’t listen, most of the time chalking it up to “He’s just stubborn, he never listens to me. He’s just a bad dog. She has no respect. She’s ungrateful”. I could go for days but it probably would start to get muddled up with things that were said about the children (myself included).
There was this strange notion before the days of positive reinforcement that physical punishment was the way to go, and I certainly witnessed my fair share within the household. I saw my own dogs get hit constantly through hard smacks, be picked up to have their faces rubbed in their accidents, have brooms and shoes thrown at them, whatever inspired scolding tactic currently inhabited my parental figures’ minds. I even took part in this although I knew it to be wrong in my heart– I chalk it up to childhood ignorance and “learned behavior” but it doesn’t do much to alleviate the shame.
My dogs and I underwent many traumas together, attempting and failing to be each other’s advocates. I remember a time when I had worked up the nerve to confront my grandmother, telling her “Si vas a pegar a ellos vas a tener que pegarme primero!” which translates to “If you are going to hit them, you’ll have to hit me first!”. An argument ensued, for how dare I have the audacity to say such a thing? From that moment on I just shot disapproving glances at her, to no avail of course. The abuse continued and my resentment towards this treatment grew. How long had she been trying that same strategy without reaping any benefits? Isn’t that the very definition of insanity? The scientific method and its pleas were silenced too it seemed.
There was also the time when my brother was getting beaten by my uncle; dogs are such compassionate and intuitive creatures– whenever he saw this, my dog Crispy would bark relentlessly. In his mind, I believe he was thoroughly convinced that his barks could penetrate past the sovereign emotions that held them enslaved and reach their reasoning. It had no such effect. Truly, hearing his impassioned cries was like hearing the very words my soul wanted to cry out. Motivated by this, I, a ten year old boy, tried to push my father figure off of him. I was met with a push back and eyes full of an anger that spoke to the lack of patience reserved for even me, “the good child”.
Even against this earlier intuition and experience, I ended up becoming one of those trainers who would teach you that the way to achieve better walking behavior is by doing sharp but controlled yanks at their leash so they’d experience discomfort. Much like the “throwing brooms” method, it didn’t actually teach anything. Instead it continued this notion that physical force must be used against the dog and while patience should be advisably exercised, there were many times I choose to justify my impatience instead. Maybe “Learned Behavior” was the correct choice of words after all.
I tell you all this not for sympathy, but for you to know where I come from and why I’m able to speak with such conviction on the side of being a guide for your dog. They are incredibly competent creatures with such capacity for learning that can be used for their betterment and the betterment of our relationship with them.
The reason I even fell in love with dog training was because of this. I remember during my second lesson ever, I had a mini australian shepherd client named Ollie. He was so expressive and I swear in his eyes I saw exactly what he was thinking, I could see him processing what I was telling him. I wasn’t using words, I was using treats and the technique of “luring”, and through this body language he could understand me. From that moment on I knew that I had to get better at this. It was cathartic. As though I was somehow redeeming the dogs I had grown up with by teaching this eight week old puppy how to behave well through motivation and guidance. The owner was there too and was amazed that her puppy could understand so well. I had this hope grow intensely aflame, this hope that maybe by seeing this positive reinforcement method as legitimate, she would never resort to any of the punishments my dogs had been exposed to.
Now don’t get it twisted, Positive Reinforcement does involve punishment– just not in the classical sense you’re used to. Let’s say the reward is a treat. Well, for the dog, the goal is to acquire it, while for us, our goal is the same but differs in that we expect for them to do something in order to earn the treat. When our dog essentially “guesses” the wrong behavior, they are not rewarded, in fact, the prospect of the treat becomes fainter. We may retreat it back to our chest or sides and this results in another frustrated guess, bark, sneeze, yawn, or (my personal favorite) a demanding paw gesture. That is a form of punishment, although it is not physical, moreso slightly emotional, resulting in them being slightly emotional, as I’m sure you’ve all witnessed.
This punishment is very useful to understand because it brings into perspective 1. That positive reinforcement is not just praise and unlimited treats, and 2. That you can utilize it as a teaching strategy. So rather than continuing to give your dog access to a treat, find those moments when you can remove your treat bearing hand from the equation and establish that inaccessibility. Then, go right back into it again.
As for the types of rewards that you can use to motivate your dog, there are five total that exist:
Treats
Simple enough to understand, it’s the physical currency of the dog world. Any food item that your dog likes, whether a little or a lot, is a treat. You want to use different treats for different environments, for example, use “high value” treats outdoors or for new/difficult behaviors you’re teaching inside and use “low value” treats when you’re indoors or repeating a behavior that still needs to be rewarded but has become expected/routine from/for your dog. Use tiny pieces, about half a dime, and give plentifully. The treats you give are like investments and your investments into a specific behavior will come back tenfold if you deposit freely.
2. Praise
What dog doesn’t want to feel they embody the archetypal “Good boy/girl!”? A study found that 13/15 dogs actually respond the same neurochemically to praise as they would a treat. You can read all about it here ( insert study ). Praise is an incredible reward when utilized effectively. It can be used in conjunction with a treat so that its value is immediately boosted or it can be used alone as a treat alternative for behaviors that are commonplace. Keep in mind, the more ridiculous you look and sound when praising your dog, the better. Memory is associated with strong emotions and if you exhibit a strong emotional response, especially a happy one) to something your dog does, it will more than likely stick and result in them performing it again and again. Remember that dogs evolved with us, so they’re very sensitive and in tune with our emotions.
3. Toys
I strongly recommend for my clients to utilize play as a means of advancing their dogs training because it not only diversifies the reward and overall experience, it makes it fun and boosts memory. Physical activity helps us to remember things, which is why some schools have started involving more exercise as part of their student’s academia, resulting in higher test scores ( insert study here ), this is of course no different for dogs. So either end every training session with a few minutes of play or use their toys as motivators for the behaviors you want to see more of. I would be careful doing this outside however, as too much stimulation from play can just further excite them and lead to worse behavior. Remember, every dog is individual and you’ll need to find what works best for yours.
4. Affection
Everyone’s favorite. Remember when I brought up dogs evolving with us? Well it turns out that this kinship is so strong it has led us to both release large amounts of oxytocin (the bonding chemical) when we even just look into each other’s eyes (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-17/dogs-owners-share-similar-bond-to-mothers-babies-research-finds/6402168). With that in mind, try to use affection paired with praise or treats to see some furious tail wagging happen or use affection for simpler behaviors that they already have on lock.
5. Environmental
This is one I’m sure many of you haven’t heard of or considered, but it’s crucial in order to get good walking habits established. It is inspired by a phrase I used to hate hearing on dog training videos, which is “Let a dog be a dog”. I thought, these people surely can’t even get a basic sit from theirs, but they bring up a good point. During the walk, you should allow your dog to use and explore with their senses by allowing them a small break in an area that you deem appropriate. During this time, you can let them reach the full length of the leash, allow them to sniff around and investigate. Dogs really come to comprehend the world around them through their nose, which is incredibly powerful (around 220 million smell receptors compared to our 5 million) so by giving them that short liberty to sniff things out, you will be both rewarding them and also comforting them by allowing them to comfort themselves through increased knowledge. You can associate your “Break Word” with this, which I would strongly advise. This should be a great new way to diversify the way you reward your dog and to give them an extremely “high value” alternative. Just make sure you only allow for this type of reward after a series of good behaviors or a couple of wonderful walking strides alongside your heel.
With these variety of rewards at your disposal, I’m sure that the quality of your dog training will greatly improve. Keep all of these rewards fresh by making them anew, such as petting your dog in a different area they love, switching out for a new treat, or going out and buying a new toy you know they won’t be able to get enough of. Note that a dog trainer is only as good as their reward, so don’t skimp out on your dog unless you’re looking to make absolutely no progress.