Better rewards for better behavior

What food rewards does your dog prefer?

Little Lupita gets hot dogs when she is learning a new behavior and something less exciting (but still special) when practicing something she knows well.

I recently asked the Internet where the expression “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” comes from. The AI generated answer says no one knows for sure, and that both Oscar Wilde and Will Rogers may have made it famous.

As a child of the 80s, of course I remember it from a commercial for dandruff shampoo. 😂

Regardless of its origin, the saying has a particular relevance to training with food rewards. When it comes to learning new behaviors, research shows that dogs learn better and faster when you make a big impression by rewarding them with their favorite foods. (You can read the study’s summary by my colleague Dr. Zazie Todd at Companion Animal Psychology, here.)

In the 2019 study, the authors note: “Dogs are sensitive to reward quality and will adjust their operant behaviour accordingly.”

Translation: Your dog is likely to give you a faster and snappier training response when you use her favorite food items.

Additionally, the researchers found that over time, the dogs preferred to get a variety of rewards, even when offered their favorite repeatedly.

For a few dogs, that may mean cut up veggies but for most dogs, preferred rewards will mean The Good Stuff — very aromatic people-food.

Vary your rewards and load up your pouch

That’s one reason a big training pouch is so useful when working with your dog. If you have more than one pocket in the pouch you can have room for extra special training rewards as well as still-special-but-second-tier rewards. If you are continually digging into your trouser pockets for your rewards, training slows down and you run the risk of losing your dog’s interest.

Use a variety of high-value food rewards during training. These can be people food or very special ready-made dog training rewards, not everyday biscuits.

For fast and efficient training, wear a large treat pouch that can fit several types of rewards.

Super-special rewards include:

• Diced aromatic cheese (my current training favorite is Asiago from Aldi)

• Diced cooked hot dogs

• Warm turkey meatballs

• Diced ham

• Diced boiled white meat chicken

• Chicken & apple dog sausage from Costco

• Freeze-dried minnows

• Homemade tuna “fudge”

• All of these can be pinched into very small pieces for calorie control and can be stored in small zipper bags in your treat pouch.

Still special but second-tier rewards include:

• Tripe-coated or raw-coated kibble

• Stella & Chewy Meal Mixers

• Blue Buffalo Jerky Bites

Most of my clients say to me, at one point or another, “Of course she does it for you! You have the good treats.” Often, this is a training lightbulb moment — folks quickly realize they can have a similar snappy training session when they, too, have the good treats. Give it a try and you’ll see how your dog’s interest remains high and how your training sessions improve.

ABOUT JANICE

Janice Zazinski (she/her) is a Certified Trainer & Counselor, a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer, and a Family Paws Graduate. Based in Townshend, VT, Janice Z Dog Training serves Southern Vermont in person, works with clients everywhere online, and is a referral trainer for veterinarians in several states as well as the Springfield and Windham County Humane Societies (VT) and the Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton (MA). Janice Z writes about dog behavior and training for the Brattleboro Reformer and numerous town newsletters.

Janice Z's training methods are rewards-based and effective. You and your dog will love how it feels to train together! Find out more at janicezdogtraining.com.