Best Dog Answers

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Rewards (food, ball, toy) are typically used in training to teach a dog a new exercise. A command is given to a dog and then the reward is used to lure the dog into the desired position. Once the dog knows the exercise, rewards can then be used periodically to let the dog know they executed the exercise properly. Not everybody will be carrying food, a ball or a toy with them everywhere they go so you need to put your dog on a reward variable. This is when a dog may only receive a reward once out of every two, three, four or even more times they execute a command correctly. This is something that takes a little bit of time in the beginning of training for your dog to get used to, but once they do, it will just be another part of training to them.

You want to ensure that when your dog executes a command properly and you do not plan on giving them a reward, you need to, at a minimum praise them for doing the exercise properly. You never want to completely remove rewards from training all together because your dog can then become unreliable as far as the proper execution of commands. It would be like you working for a paycheck and never getting one. Eventually you would probably become frustrated for working hard to accomplish a task and never getting paid for it. Sooner or later you would probably not want to work any more or at least not put all your efforts into the job. A dog looks at their reward much in the same way. They will work harder and faster to accomplish the command in hopes that this time a reward will be given.

You can also combine commands into a series of exercises that your dog must do correctly before they get a reward. You can have them do the SIT command, and then into the DOWN position and maybe even back into the SIT position before they get their treat. Remember if you are going to train like this you must gradually build them up to this point. Don’t expect your dog to just be able to do these things without teaching them how first. This takes me back to the first line of this article; use your rewards to teach your dog new exercises (combination commands and exercises).

If you use your dog’s rewards as described in this article to teach your dog exercises and then place them on a variable reward schedule, you will find that your dog will respond quicker and with more precision in anticipation of receiving a reward.

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