If you can relate to this: “my dog is perfect when I have the treats out, but blows me off any other time,” chances are you, you’ve been bribing your dog, not rewarding her. So what’s the difference? If you are getting food first and then asking your dog to do something, vs asking your dog to do something and then getting food, it’s a bribe. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. And now that it’s been identified, it can be fixed.

First, start rewarding your dog outside of training! If you see your dog doing something you like, let her know. Is she sitting calmly while you are working on your computer? Mark it and go get her a reward, or play with her as a reward. By rewarding her randomly throughout the day for behavior you like, you are encouraging her to do that behavior more often and she knows that she’ll get a reward even if you aren’t wearing your bait bag.

If you aren’t already, make sure you are using clear and consistent marker words for your dog when he has done something you asked so he knows when and how his reward is coming. If you need a refresher on markers, take a few minutes to watch this video all about markers:

And lastly, don’t forget the importance of variety. Dogs are the stereotypical gamblers. What do I mean by that and what does that have to do with variety? Keep reading and it will make sense. There was this one time, ONE time, I was making cookies and wasn’t paying attention and put a frozen stick of butter into the mixer and turned it on. Chunks of butter went flying around the kitchen any my dog got some. Fast forward 9 years, he will sprint to the kitchen if he so much as hears a butter wrapper open, hoping, gambling that butter will once again fly this time. What does this have to do with rewards? Mix it up to keep your dog hoping this time the reward will be his most favorite thing. Please note we do not recommend giving your dog butter as a reward. Use a variety of treats, sometimes kibble, sometimes a doggie treat, maybe a piece of chicken, his favorite toy, his most favorite treat and maybe just praise. No matter what he gets some sort of payout, he’s not bored because it’s not the same thing every time and every once in a while, let him hit the jackpot, just don’t show him your cards before asking for the behavior.

If you need more tricks, tips or help getting your dog to respond and behave without a bribe, let us know. We're here for you and your chowhound.

Canine Sports Dog Training