Treats and toys are great rewards for most dogs but that doesn't mean they are the only rewards that can be used... Sometimes treats or toys just aren't rewarding enough, or maybe you just want to try something new. Here are five unusual rewards I've used!
Sticky weed
Sticky weed is a natural anti inflammatory which some dogs just LOVE. My molly is one of those, and I’d ran out of treats, but we happened to be nearby a load of sticky weed. I thought ‘why not?!’ And it worked just as well as normal treats.
Sprayed water
Water in a spray bottle is usually used as a punishment technique, but one dog I worked with just loved the hose SO MUCH that we thought we’d give it a go. Treats and toys weren’t good enough of a reward, but water in a spray bottle was the PERFECT reward for this dog!
Grooming
Some dogs just love the feel of getting groomed and spending some time with their mum or dad. So why not use grooming to your advantage and train your dog with it!
Training
Yes I’ve used TRAINING as a reward for TRAINING! How does that make any sense? You see, if you’re doing training right, your dog should love it! This means it can be used as a reward. For example, if I ask Molly to clear up her toys (a behaviour she knows and enjoys but doesn’t love), her reward for that can be to do some agility games (a behaviour she really does love!)
A boop on the nose!
Primary reinforcements are rewards that your dog naturally loves, such as food, but secondary reinforcements are rewards that we teach our dog to enjoy, such as cuddles. Read more about that here: https://www.muckypups-dogtraining.com/post/the-secret-behind-rewards
One behaviour my dog Molly has always enjoyed practising is a hand target behaviour which we call “boop!” When I noticed just how much she enjoyed it, I decided to turn it into a reward in itself. So now, instead of rewarding her for doing a boop, she sometimes gets rewarded WITH a boop!
So, what do you think?
The point of this post is to remind you that all dogs are different, and though treats or toys work for most dogs, there is absolutely no harm in getting creative. In fact, you might just find that your dog becomes much better trained by using other rewards!!
ANYTHING your dog enjoys can be used as a reward. Here’s some more ideas:
Water games
Treat catching games
A trip out in the car
A walk to a favourite place
A training session
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