Rewards: Food, Play, Praise and When to Use Each

What makes something a reward

A reward is anything that makes a behaviour more likely to happen again. That's the whole definition, and it means the dog is the judge. A head pat that a nervous dog tolerates is not a reward, no matter how affectionate it feels to deliver.

• Primary rewards: food, water, sleep, play, sniffing, social contact. Hardwired.
• Secondary rewards: a marker word or clicker, a lead coming out, a lid opening — things that predict primaries.
• Life rewards: going through a door, greeting a friend, getting off-leash, being allowed to sniff the lamppost. Free, and vastly underused.

Build your dog's reward ranking

Practical setup

• Measure the day's food in the morning and use a portion of it for training. No extra calories, no guilt.
• Keep a treat pouch by the door with tier-two food; keep tier three in the fridge for planned sessions.
• Cut treats small — pea-sized. Twenty small reps beat three large ones.
• Keep one toy out of circulation. A tug rope that only appears in training stays valuable.
• Never bribe: get the behaviour first, then produce the reward. Food out in front of the nose becomes a lure your dog waits for.

A step-by-step reward plan

Step 1 — Test and rank

1. 1

   Run a preference test

   Two treats in two closed hands, offer both. Whatever your dog picks first is higher value. Work through your options and write the ranking on the fridge.

2. 2

   Test the toys too

   Some dogs will leave chicken for a tennis ball. Knowing that gives you a currency nobody else in the park has.

Step 2 — Mark, then pay

1. 1

   Use a marker

   'Yes' or a clicker at the exact instant the behaviour happens, then deliver. The marker buys you the second it takes to get your hand to the pouch.

2. 2

   Deliver where you want the dog

   Feeding at your left knee builds a dog who hangs out at your left knee. Feeding position is training, not an afterthought.

Step 3 — Vary the payment

1. 1

   Pay every rep while learning

   For the first hundred or so reps of anything new, every correct answer gets paid. Skipping payments early just slows learning down.

2. 2

   Then go unpredictable

   Once it's fluent, mix it: sometimes one treat, sometimes five, sometimes a game, sometimes 'good' and a release to sniff. Unpredictable pay keeps behaviour strong.

3. 3

   Bring in life rewards

   Sit at the kerb → the walk continues. Wait at the door → the door opens. Loose leash → you get to go sniff the interesting patch. Free, powerful, and always available.

Step 4 — Fade the visible food

1. 1

   Get the food off your body first

   Put the pouch on a counter across the room. Ask, mark, then walk together to collect payment. Your dog stops scanning your hands.

2. 2

   Keep paying, just less predictably

   Fading the lure is not the same as ending reinforcement. Behaviour you stop paying for eventually stops.

Exercise and enrichment angle

• Use part of the daily ration for scatter feeds and puzzles — that's enrichment and calorie control in one.
• Sniffing is itself a powerful reward. Ten minutes of free sniffing pays for a lot of loose-leash walking.
• Structured play sessions two or three times a week build the tug reward you'll want later.
• Rest matters: a tired, overstimulated dog stops taking food and it looks like disobedience.
• In hot weather use softer, moisture-rich treats and shorter sessions.

Troubleshooting

• 'Not food motivated' outdoors — raise the value and lower the difficulty. Almost never a real thing at home.
• Takes food hard and snatchy — feed from a flat palm and slow the session down; usually arousal, not rudeness.
• Spits out treats near a trigger — too close. Add distance; the food isn't the problem.
• Only works when the pouch is visible — get the food off your body, pay after the fact.
• Toy play tips into over-arousal — shorter games, clear start and end cues, and rest afterwards.
• Gaining weight — measure the ration, swap in part of the meal, and use more life rewards.

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