Latest / The Puppy Training Podcast / Episode #289 Reinforcement Beyond Treats

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Episode #289 Reinforcement Beyond Treats · The Puppy Training Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered how to stop carrying food everywhere you go without stopping your puppy's training?
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Today, we're talking about how to use life rewards.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: That means toys, sniffing, freedom, and praise to keep your dog learning and making good choices, even if your treat pouch stays home.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the puppy training podcast, the show designed to help you raise a confident, well-behaved puppy using positive practical training methods.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll explore real-life training strategies, break down common puppy challenges, and give you clear, step-by-step guidance you can start using right away.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you're dealing with potty training, biting, jumping, or just want to build a stronger bond with your pup as their handler, you're in the right place.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Hi you guys, welcome back to the podcast.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: We're always looking for ways to help you guys figure out better ways to train, ways to make it easier, more um practical for your everyday living.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: And today's topic is just about that.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Will I have to carry food forever, right?
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: The answer is no.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: When you have a brand new puppy, we do carry it a lot, but we'll phase them out of it.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: So today I want to teach you how exactly we do that.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do we move beyond using food all of the time?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: The answer is not to stop rewarding your dog, the answer is to expand what reinforcement means.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: If we stop paying our dog, they stop doing behavior that we like.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want that.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: We just want to reward them in other ways.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: So because food is only one way to make a behavior worth repeating, there's lots of different options.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's the good news.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to talk about the life rewards, toys, sniffing, freedom, praise, and how to use all of them to keep your dog learning without feeling like you have to carry a treat pouch everywhere you go.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when we use positive reinforcement in dog training, we reward behavior we want to see again.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Food is one of the most effective rewards because most dogs find it motivating.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's easy to deliver, and it helps us teach them new skills pretty quickly.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: But positive reinforcement does not mean every behavior must always be followed by a treat.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: It means we want to ask, what does my dog want right now?
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: And how can I use that to reinforce the behavior I'm looking for?
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Now, sometimes the answer is food.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's a toy, sometimes it's getting to go outside, sometimes it's being released from a stay.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's getting to sniff an interesting spot.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it's simply getting to continue doing something your dog already enjoys.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now, our goal is to teach your dog that good choices make good things happen.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, food is a wonderful way to teach that lesson, but again, it's not the only way to keep that lesson going.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the biggest mistakes I see is trying to use the same reward system for every stage of training.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: When your puppy is learning something brand new, food is incredibly helpful.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine you're teaching your puppy to sit and you say sit, your puppy sits, and you immediately deliver a small food reward.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: That helps your puppy understand, oh, that behavior made something good happen.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And we practice it.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Your puppy starts offering the sit more quickly and you practice in different rooms and you practice with different distractions.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And once your puppy understands the behavior, you can start asking, well, what else could make this behavior worthwhile?
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now we're looking at things like maybe your puppy sits before you open the back door.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: The reward is getting to go outside.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your puppy sits before you throw their toy.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: The reward is them getting to chase that toy.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your puppy sits before you release them to go sniff a favorite bush.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: The reward is getting to explore and sniff.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, maybe your puppy sits before you put their dinner bowl down.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: The reward is their mill.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: The behavior is still being reinforced.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: We're still paying them for doing that sitting behavior.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: We've just changed the reward.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: So we're not removing reinforcement.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Reinforcement is important.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: We're just making it more flexible.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about one of my favorite categories: life rewards.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Life rewards are the things your dog naturally wants to do throughout the day.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Going outside, going for a walk, uh, saying hi to somebody, getting on the couch, playing, getting out of the crate, getting their dinner, going through a doorway, getting to investigate something interesting.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: These are all opportunities to reinforce behavior.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: And the best part, you don't have to carry a treat pouch to use them.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: So let's say that your puppy is standing at the back door, they're ready to go outside.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of opening the door while your puppy is jumping, barking, or pushing through, we're just going to pause.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Our puppy sits.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: We mark yes, we open the door and let them out.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's the reinforcement.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Your puppy just learned, oh, sitting makes the door open.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe your puppy's excited because you're about to put their food bowl down.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: You ask for a sit, your puppy sits, you put the bowl down, that's reinforcement.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Your puppy learns, oh, sitting makes dinner happen.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe your puppy wants to get on the couch.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: You ask for a sit, your puppy sits, you invite them up, that is reinforcement.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this does not mean your dog must perform a behavior every single time they want something.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want every interaction to become a constant demand for them obeying or doing some obedience thing, right?
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: But we can absolutely use everyday moments to reinforce their good choices.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the puppy who learns to sit before going outside is learning more than just sit.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: They're actually learning.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: My behavior influences what happens next.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a really good lesson for them to learn.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, next let's talk about toys.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Some dogs are very food motivated.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Some dogs are actually more motivated by play.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Play is super powerful.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And some dogs are motivated by both, depending on the situation.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: A toy can be incredibly valuable, especially for behaviors that involve movement or engagement, or if your dog's really excited.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: So let's say you're practicing recall in the yard.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Your puppy comes running toward you.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: You can reward with food, but you could also reward with a quick game of tug.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you're practicing drop it.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Your puppy drops the toy, you immediately restart the game.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: The game itself becomes the reward.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that teaches your puppy that releasing the toy does not mean the fun is over or stopping.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, releasing the toy can make the fun continue.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: You can also use toys to reinforce attention.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe my puppy looks at me, I say yes, and then I toss the toy and let them chase it.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Puppies love chase.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Or your puppy comes to you when called and I reward with a short game.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Or my puppy sits before I throw the ball and the sit makes the ball being thrown happen.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that reward is not necessarily food, it's access to something my puppy already loves.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: In addition, we can use sniffing as a reward.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: This one is especially important for puppies.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Sniffing is not a distraction from training.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Sniffing can be part of the reward system.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, dogs experience the world through their noses.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Sniffing provides them with information.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: It helps them explore and learn.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: And for many dogs, it's really rewarding.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of thinking, my puppy keeps stopping to sniff, how do I get them to stop?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: Try thinking, how can I use sniffing to reinforce the behavior I want?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's say you're walking and your puppy wants to investigate a patch of grass.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: You can pause, ask for a sit, your puppy sits, you say, go sniff, and you allow your puppy to sniff and explore.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: That is reinforcement.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: Your puppy learns sitting makes sniffing happen.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you're practicing walking nicely on leash.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Your puppy walks with you for a few steps, you say, go sniff, and you give them access to the environment.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: That is reinforcement.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: You are teaching your puppy that walking with you does not mean they have to ignore the world.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: It means that walking with you is how they get access to the world.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a really good lesson.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's talk about freedom next.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Freedom is one of the most powerful rewards we can give our dogs.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And it is also one of the easiest to overlook.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: So think about a puppy who has been resting in a crate, you open the door.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of immediately letting them race out, you pause.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you ask for a sit, maybe you wait for a calm moment, and then you release them.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: The release is reinforcement.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: That then getting out of that crate or getting out of the exercise pen or you opening the door to the backyard, that's reinforcement.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: And our puppy is learning that calm behavior makes freedom happen.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe your puppy's on a leash and wants to go explore the yard.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: You ask for a sit, your puppy sits, you take them off the leash and allow them to go sniff.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: That freedom is the reward.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe your puppy's on a mat while you're cooking.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: They've been resting quietly, you finish what you're doing and you release them to go play.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: That release is reinforcement.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now, freedom does not mean your puppy gets to do whatever they want, whenever they want.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Freedom is something we teach our dogs to enjoy responsibly.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: We can teach them that calm behavior, good choices, and responding to cues are what make freedom possible.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: And that is a really important part of raising a dog who can function well in everyday life.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: The next one is praise.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: I love praise.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Praise can be another powerful reward, but we need to be thoughtful about how we use it.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, some dogs love verbal praise.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: This is where you have to really get to know your dog.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Some dogs love physical affection.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Some dogs love a happy voice.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: And some dogs are not particularly interested in praise at all.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: So if you say good dog and your puppy looks at you like, okay, where's the food?
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's not a failure.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: It just means praise may not be a strong reinforcer for your particular dog in that particular moment.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that's okay.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: We can still use praise, but we want to make sure that praise is actually meaningful to our dog.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we try to reward our dog with something and they don't view it as a reward.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now, for some dogs, a happy voice is enough.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: If I, my dogs can tell the difference in my tones.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: If I sound kind of stern, they look a little cautious, right?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: If I sound upbeat and happy, they're upbeat and happy.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: So they can tell the tone of your voice.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that happy voice is a reward to them.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, for others, praise might be paired with something else.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: For example, uh, if your puppy comes when called and you say, Yes, good job, then you give them a quick game, or you say, good job, and then you release them to sniff, or you say, good job, and then you invite them to go outside, the praise becomes part of that reinforcement experience.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: And over time, your puppy may begin to understand that your voice actually predicts good things.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a wonderful thing to build.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: But again, we don't want to assume that praise alone is always enough.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: We want to know what our dog actually enjoys.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the biggest questions people ask me is if I stop giving treats, won't my dog stop listening?
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, not necessarily, but we do need to understand how reinforcement works.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: When our dog is learning something new, we often want to reinforce frequently.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, really often, that helps build the behavior.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: But once the behavior is established and my dog's good at it, we can begin to vary the rewards.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, again, that's sometimes food or praise, a toy or sniffing, freedom, access to something your dog wants.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: You get to decide what rewards your dog.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is called variable reinforcement.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: It means the reward is not always the same.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that can help keep behavior strong.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to make something really clear: variable reinforcement does not mean random reinforcement.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: We are not just withholding rewards and hoping our dog keeps doing the behavior.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: We are still reinforcing good choices.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: We are simply becoming more flexible about how we do it.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: And we are making sure our dog understands that good behavior continues to pay off.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're ready to move beyond food, here's a simple way to start.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to pick one behavior your puppy already knows well.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's sit.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now look for opportunities to reinforce that behavior with something other than food.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: For example, sit before the door opens, sit before the leash comes off, sit before we throw the toy, sit before going outside.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: You get the idea.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need to do all of these at once.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Just start noticing the opportunities.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, we're not trying to turn every moment into a training session.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: We're simply using the moments that are already happening.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what makes it very practical.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day, the goal is not to create a dog who only works for food.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Our goal is to create a dog who understands how to live successfully in our human world.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: So a dog who can sit before going outside, a dog who can walk nicely because walking with you is rewarding, a dog who can come when called because coming to you leads to good things.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: So the next time you find yourself asking, How do I stop carrying treats?
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to remember this.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to stop rewarding your dog.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, that reinforcement is important.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: You just have to get creative about what the reward can be and you can mix it up.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't always have to be the same thing.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks you guys for listening today.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you learned something new, or you can take a little bit of this and add it into your daily routine to make living life with your dog a little bit better.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: Happy training.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: Have a great week.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for tuning in today.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe so you never miss a training tip.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're enjoying the show, leaving a quick review really helps other handlers find us.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: For more training resources, tips, and support, visit me, Amy Jensen, at baxterembella.com.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, happy training.