Treats are GREAT! Yet one of the goals of puppy and dog training is to eventually wean off of treats and move towards Real Life Rewards. But how do you reward behaviors without treats? Give your dog a reason to sit, or wait, or stay.
How do we do that?
The way we do that is to teach your puppy to offer a behavior BEFORE they get something they want. This can be anything from running out the door to chasing a toy.
You can begin teaching this concept to a new puppy as young as 6 or 8 weeks old by asking her to sit to get her food put on the floor. The rule is, as long as puppy’s rear in the the floor, the dish goes down, if puppy’s rear moves off the floor, the dish moves back up. Think of an elevator that goes up and down. In other words, the behavior causes the reward to happen (bowl going down) AND the behavior causes the reward to go away (bowl goes up).
Think about other things your dog might want and use these as a reward:
- Pee on a tree
- Chase a squirrel
- Jump in the car
- Go for a walk
- Eat a meal
- Get a toy or chew
- Getting out of crate
Once you have a list of rewards you dog wants, create a list of behaviors YOU want.
- Sit
- Down
- Hold Down
- Come Here
- Touch
- Spin
- Shake
- Stay
The goal is for your puppy to get rewarded by her life. Real Life happens AND we can use a lot of it for rewards! So teach using food and treats and then begin switching over to fun activities or things your puppy wants.
Having a mix of skills on rotation keeps life interesting for puppy and also prevents him from going on autopilot and getting sloppy. For example, if all your dog has to do is SIT before going for walks, you’re going to see the quality of the SITS decline, because SITS aren’t very challenging. But if you can mix it up, sometimes ask for a SIT and sometimes ask for a SHAKE or a DOWN — you’ll keep your dog more engaged and challenged. You’ll also keep life a little more FUN and INTERESTING for your dog or puppy.
My Real Life Rewards List is incomplete on purpose. I’m curious…what would you add to it? Please share with us on my Facebook page.