What is a Reward When Training a Pet?

When training your puppy and in the course of reading anything on dog training you will hear of rewarding your dog. However, what exactly is a reward? Must it really be a high calorie treat that is bad for your beloved pet? What else would your pet consider a treat?

Simple, thinking outside the box the answers can actually be really healthy. Treats can range from something to eat, to a new toy, to even just an activity that your dog enjoys a lot. Traditional thinking causes people to think that treats must only be a treat that is edible. However, what else does your dog enjoy?

Many dogs love treats but in the spirit of giving some alternatives and choices, this gets a bit boring and repetitive. Does your dog enjoy a good chew toy? What about a hard bone to chew on? Perhaps a walk? What about a bit of playtime with their favorite person? Some dogs even heavily enjoy grooming. If this sounds like your pet, then you have landed upon a goldmine of treats.

Instead of always offering your dog an edible treat, provide a mix of alternative treats that will allow your dog some variety, as well as continue to spark their interest. If your pet becomes bored with the options given, they are much more likely to become distracted during training sessions, even if they are the ideal short sessions of 5-10 minutes.

Continuing to change up the treats offered is a great way to keep your puppies interest since they will always wonder what is coming next. One good tip to remember, if your dog has one treat in particular that drives him insane to work for, remember to save that treat for the major training sessions of critical skills. This will help your dog master those skills quicker, as well as reward your dog for the good work.

To your dog, a reward can even be as simple as a pat on the back, an ear scratch, or a tummy rub. Those are all simple, cheap, and easy to dispense to your pet in exchange for a job well done. Other dogs are not as fond of an ear scratch so it is up to your to discover what works best for you and your pet. Creativity and planning are the chief factors that determine how successful you will be. Training sessions are now much more fun with some great advanced planning and organization.