We reward ourselves. Vacations, new outfits, new shoes, dinner out, a glass of wine. We might have a cookie or handful of potato chips. French fries instead of salad as a side. A day at the spa, or a hair cut. What about getting nails done? A round of golf or a beer with friends. 

If school is intended to teach us the mechanics of our job, then we should only get rewards when we are in the learning phase? But no paycheque once we understand our job? Is that right? That's one of the hurdles I encounter when I do a training session. People being resistant to continuing with rewarding the dogs with treats. The same people want their paycheque on time, or they quit performing what they have trained to do. Huh. 

There's more to a treat than meets the eye though. Initially you're building a routine, which is the backbone of becoming predictable, which in return builds confidence and trust! All for a piece of kibble? If your kibble isn't doing that, maybe is should?

All we need to do is start understanding why dogs like the morning walk or breakfast at exactly _____ time. We've all heard it, my dog knows when bedtime is, when supper is, when Dad gets home.  All of it is linked back to repetition. Dogs learn while repeating the same thing at the same time.  It creates a connection in their brain they are familiar with and feel confident while doing or listening. (when a negative emotion is built you can see things like separation anxiety build when you pick up your keys)

You get up, have coffee, pack lunches, brush teeth, leave for work... or some such routine. It builds confidence that all the things are done. Mammals are creatures of habit, we crate stability and similarity every day. Routines run our lives. Routines build stability and optimism. 

Remember how happy your puppy was to "sit"? Eager little bum plop. Alligator teeth taking a treat because they didn't know how to do so gently? That little happy, easy going, not a care in the world puppy? Yeah, that was all you! Your excitement, your predictability on treat delivery. Your body placement, tone of voice, joy. Then slowly we take away the rewards. Our voice changes from excitement to expectation.The rewards stop coming. We try it everywhere, with varying success.

Hexi, my partner's dog, quickly learned his pager tone, and that he would leap up and run out the door. She is so used to this routine (it goes off daily) that she barely even acknowledges it anymore. She knows he's leaving quickly, she knows he will be back, and yes he gives her treats. 

Turns out there is more to a treat than a treat. People get addicted to slot machines, not because they pay out every time, but because the pay out activated the brain's reward system. Dopamine reinforces sensations of pleasure and connects those sensations to certain behaviors or actions. So, yes! There is bigger value in varying the rate of reward once a behavior is known. 

This is why we don't have to reward for every "sit". Initially reward heavily, we want the behavior to be fun and build happy compliance. Then we can start to vary the rate of reward (or slow the rate). The expectation of reward gets replaced with the dopamine of "maybe this time". 

Let's talk about the different rewards for a moment. There's words, touch, play, food. Using a mixture is the best way to reward anyone/thing. Bert is now 7 years old, if I see him peeing outside, I still tell him "good job buddy!" Why? Because I want him to continue to pee outside. Simple as that. It keeps his optimism high and increases the odds of him peeing outside. He migrated from heavy parties and food to a verbal reward system. To a varied verbal reinforcer. 

Now when it comes to food, it's not all the same. A potato chip, a french fry and mashed potatoes do not hit my brain the same way. High value rewards when we are teaching a new behavior (cheese, hotdogs, chicken) Mid range (store bought treats) Low value (kibble, cheerios). Once you are down to the kibble stage, you can easily stay in the "once in a while" toss a kibble. Or reinforce that "sit" at the vets or a pet store when distractions are high. 

I like to keep a handful of the kibble out of the feeding. I use this through the day to reinforce the things I like. Things like staying out of the kitchen when I'm cooking. Things like staying of the sofa instead of following me from room to room. Being inside while I'm outside. Being cute. Giving kisses. Not barking at the Amazon delivery guy, or the NSP meter reader. For Squish, it's the expansion joints on bridges, they worry him, now we have a routine where I say "bump" (the bump becomes predictable) then I used to give him french fry (scary things predicts good thing). Now he gets a lower value reward after a few "bumps" or not at all. He no longer crawls to the back of the car onto the floor. He waits and looks to me. In this way, we build positive emotional feelings instead of dread. I'll take it. Particularly when we are picking up a litter of pups in New Brunswick and cross that bridge with a thousand bumps. 

Don't be afraid of food. Don't feel like you'll spoil your dog. Drop the bribing to get them to do things. (that is manipulating instead of rewarding). 

Go Play (and pay) with your dogs.