Dog Training Rewards Don’t Always Have to Be Food

Rewards are a vital part of dog training; they’re basically your dog’s paycheck for a job well done. Dogs must be rewarded whenever they choose to perform a desired behavior. Giving your dog a reward tells your dog he’s on the right track and to keep doing the rewarded behavior.

Dogs must choose their own rewards. Since each dog is different, he will find certain foods, toys and games more rewarding than others. Finding a dog’s ultimate reward isn’t always easy, but once discovered it makes learning new dog behaviors quick and fun. Finding a dog’s ultimate reward is so important that I ask pet owners this question during our first dog training session. So here it goes: what does your dog love more than anything?

Dog Training Rewards

Food Rewards

All dogs love food—even picky ones. It’s our job to experiment and find food rewards that will cause our dogs to drool, dance, offer a sit behavior or climb countertops to get to their favorite food rewards.

Dogs like fresh food. The more moisture a dog training treat contains, the better. High percentages of moisture make the treat smell stronger, and you can never go wrong with meat foods. When looking for your dog’s ultimate reward, don’t limit yourself to certain types of food. Try a variety of moist foods, such as:

Baked chicken (if you’re in a hurry, try store-bought rotisserie chicken)
Canned sausages (Vienna sausages)
Roast beef lunch meat
Cheese chunks
Tuna fish (tuna fish pouches work best)
Hot dogs

Toy Rewards

Many years ago, I remember watching a dog working for food treats during a dog training session, but he was missing that “Oh my gosh, I got it right!” excitement. Hmm, I asked the pet owner what his dog loved most in the world and he said, “Catching a tennis ball.”

I asked him to bring a tennis ball to class next week and keep it in his bait bag. The following week, whenever his dog chose to sit, down, heel, leave it or whatever, he would take out the tennis ball and play a game of “toss and catch the tennis ball” for a few seconds. Wow! A tennis ball was this dog’s ultimate reward and, from that moment on, this darling dog learned quickly.

If your dog enjoys toys more so than food rewards, try using a toy as a reward. Some dogs love to chase a ball, bite a squeaky toy or pull on a tug toy, so experiment with different toys and games. When my Rottweiler was introduced to an underwater treadmill for physical rehabilitation after having his ACL repaired, he worked for food, but still disliked the treadmill.

One day, our physical therapist brought out a yellow tennis ball and Sobek smiled with glee. He totally enjoyed mouthing and holding a tennis ball in his mouth while walking in a tank filled with water. I was left scratching my head, but it didn’t matter. We finally found Sobek’s ultimate reward for this situation. Oh, and it helped tremendously that tennis balls float in water. 🙂

A Bit About Praise

Back in the dark ages (or the ’80s), dogs were only rewarded with praise. It was thought that food was bribery back then. Now that we know better, food rewards are an important part of a dog’s learning process. Eventually, praise fizzled out as a reward.

Honestly, I cringe when someone still says his dog only works for praise. I don’t completely buy it. I’ve worked with dog training clients who swear their dogs work for praise as a reward and it seemed effective in the beginning, but fizzled out when making the decision to perform the desired behavior became harder. If you believe your dog works for only praise, you should try other dog training rewards. You might be shocked at your dog’s decision.

Praise is good as a reward, but it shouldn’t be the only reward. Think of praise as the icing on a cake—it works best when paired with food or toy rewards. We all love praise. It’s nice being verbally recognized by your boss, but you still need your paycheck, right? It’s the same for your dog.

Use praise as a maximizer for food or toy rewards, and use praise during breakthrough or difficult decision-making moments. Oh, and praise shouldn’t be limited to pats and “atta boy.” You need to have a party! Clap, jump, sing, make smoochie sounds, say “puppy, puppy, puppy,” pat your dog quickly and smile! Dogs love high-pitched, rapidly repeating sounds. Make praise count.

Ultimate Rewards Can Change

This is totally true! Your dog may love spoonfuls of peanut butter, but suddenly a floating tennis ball becomes an object of desire during a certain moment. It happens. Don’t assume you’ve chosen the wrong dog training reward. Embrace your dog’s newfound love and use it as a reward.

Reward your dog often, and reward yourself too!

Dog Training Treats

Puppy Training Treats — Fabulous treats! L-R: Dried venison, cheese, blue cheese, salami, peanut butter and hot dogs.

So many times, clients bring their dogs into the training center and their bait bag is filled with dry kibble or biscuits. Their dogs are overwhelmed with others dogs, sights, smells, sounds and ignore their owners as everything else is more exciting. Learn how to train a dog by choosing treats your dog loves!

Treats are your dog’s currency. Be generous, pay well and often.

Think about it: If I were paying you for a job well done, would you work harder for $100 or $1 bill? Now translate to food: If I paid you with donuts or broccoli, which would you choose? Personally, I would work for donuts and a $100 bill. I think you see my point now. 🙂

Now, I’m not saying you must have treats in your pocket for your dog to sit. We use treats and rewards in the learning phase, and then wean him after the dog understands the cue. By “weaning,” I’m not saying remove treats entirely. I’m saying reward behaviors intermediately (like a slot machine). We, as humans, have an obsession with weaning our dogs off treats too fast. Not sure why we do it. When you are thinking of not rewarding a dog for a great job, think of a stingy boss from your past – yuck!

RELATED: Healthy Dog Treats

Stinky, small, easy to chew dog treats — Stinky, small and easy to chew dog treats.

Try these dog training tips when selecting fantastic treats for your pooch. He will thank you with his full attention and polite behavior.

Treats must have a strong aroma. The stinkier, the better, as your dog has a fabulous nose. Meat-based treats, especially fish, smell luscious!
Tiny like the size of a pea. Look for treats that break up easily and don’t crumble. Keeping the treat size tiny keeps your dog hungry, calories down and treat cost low. We ask pet parents to bring 100 tiny treats to each class. 🙂
Easy to chew. Soft treats are easy for your dog to chew and swallow quickly. With hard treats, you are waiting for your dog to crunch, crunch and crunch some more before moving forward.

Some dogs love catching their favorite ball or a game of tug as a reward, but 9 times out of 10, most dogs respond to scrumptious treats in high distraction places (i.e. dog training classes). Praise is awesome too. However, this is the icing on the cake with treats. Again, think of working on a project with a friend: praise is nice for a while. Currency is better because you need to pay your bills and eat. 🙂

How to Tell if Your Dog Loves His Treats

As you cut treats or open the bag, your dog is glued to your side sniffing.
You have his full and undivided attention during class.
Immediate and improved success when teaching behaviors.

What’s in my bait bag? Mozzarella cheese sticks, hot dogs, cooked chicken breast, blue cheese (yes, they love it!), cubed round steak and any fish-based treats.

What treats does your dog love? Please comment below and tell us what is in your bait bag!

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Dog Training Rewards Don’t Always Have to Be Food