Using food rewards in training

Using food as rewards or reinforcers in dog training to keep our dogs motivated and wanting to work with us.

Just like people, puppies and dogs have varying likes and dislikes. When it comes to teaching them new things we need to use rewards that they really want so that they are motivated to work with us.

There are lots of things we can use in training as rewards… games, play, toys, or environmental rewards like letting our dog have a sniff or a dig.

It’s important to take the time to have fun with our dogs trying out different treats, games, toys and activities to find out what our dogs love the most.

Food is a really popular reward, or reinforcer in training. Food is something our dogs need every day, so we could choose to use a portion of their daily food allowance to train with.

If we have a very foodie dog they might work for their everyday food, but often we need higher value rewards for teaching our dogs new skills and for times when there are more distractions, like training outdoors for example.

The ideal training treats are small, think little finger nail sized.

They are soft and smelly.

They are quick and easy to deliver and quick and easy to consume.

We want to be giving the dog a yummy taste of something that they want more of to keep them motivated.

Some examples are cheese, chicken, hot dog sausage, liver cake and pilchard cake.

Remember this will depend on the dog… it’s whatever the dog LOVES that’s important!

Cut the treats up into tiny pieces and always have them prepared before you start a training session.

Here's a link to my liver cake recipe for making your own home made training treats.

Go on, treat your dog. They'll love you for it!

Have Fun Training!

Trudi at Completely Mutz Dog Training