Your ultimate goal is to get your dog to respond properly to you without having to reward him every time. Of course, in the pet dog world, you don’t have to phase out the treats, toys, or games entirely, because a lot of people like giving their dog rewards. Continued reinforcement is the best way to maintain reliable behavior. Plus, I love rewarding my dogs; it makes both of us happy. But you do want to know that your dog will comply with your requests even without the presence of food or toys in your hands.
When you can reliably get a behavior using food or toy rewards, it is time to begin using them randomly, varying these two rewards with others, such as the toss of a ball, a walk, or attention.
A dog trained with dog-friendly methods is motivated to play the training game because of the prospect of lots of great rewards (like praise, treats, and toys), but also because the game itself is fun. Part of what makes it fun is randomizing rewards. Much like a gambler who enjoys the prospect of never knowing exactly what a slot machine will produce, keeping your dog guessing by randomizing rewards will get him hooked on playing the training game with you.
- Keep your dog guessing “what” (throw a tennis ball instead of giving a
treat).
2. Keep your dog guessing “where” (rewards come from your pocket, the cup- board, or somebody else).
3. Keep your dog guessing “when” (ask for more behaviors for fewer rewards).
Shout and Treat!
Yell for your dog to come to you, and when he does, lavish him with lots of praise, toys, or kibble and a few treats. He’ll learn that urgency in your voice doesn’t mean that you’re angry; it just means to get there fast and get hugs and treats! In an emergency situation, you will probably yell at your dog, but if you’ve practiced this way in non-emergency situations, your dog is much less likely to be spooked if you panic.