When to Fade Out Food Rewards
It’s a question we get a lot at HQ and honestly, we generally don’t ever fully fade the rewards. It’s a question that’s coming thick and fast at every session, class and in messages. So we thought, let’s make a little post about it!
Here at HQ we set you up from the start to understand the range of rewards our pups and dogs can have! Yes, we do gradually reduce the repetition of food rewards but we always let the dog know they’ve done the right thing and are working on additional components in their training! There are also more rewards than just food, Auroras favourite is a Tuggie!
As your pup grows, learns and develops, the repition of food rewards can slowly fade. We do this hand in hand with adding elements of other rewards to their training. In all our sessions, we always encourage, and work through how to change the rate of delivery and increase life skills of the Three D’s of Dog Training - Duration, Distance and Distractions! These elements help us to adapt how, what type of reward and when to give them! Also, what rewards look like for breed specific traits and then how to use them in a real world environment.
Different Rewards that we use and teach:
Toys and Play - we always suggest a nice game of Tuggie after a job well done, especially for a recall! You want that energy high, coming back to you is the best damn thing in the world so make it fun! Have a party with your pup.
Praise - if you have a dog that LOVES attention, give them a big pat with lots of happy praise “WHO IS THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD” and love on them extra! Please note, not all dogs find physical touch rewarding… our Fly was like that, snacks > pats.
Life Rewards - these are something all dogs will find enjoyable and rewarding! Has pooch just checked in beautifully on lead, is walking nicely with it loose and you’ve run out of snacks? That’s okay!! Praise them up and encourage them to go sniff! “Omg look what I’ve found, this is delicious” as you direct them to the best power pole covered in pee on the street! Once there, let them soak it up, move on when they are ready!
Food Rewards - these are our foundations for all training here at HQ! All our dogs and programs work on food as a reward. Have a variety from roast chicken and cheese to the much loved Our Patch collection and everything in between! Keep in mind dogs have perception of value, and that perception changes when the environment does!!
The Three D’s of the Dog Training world:
Duration - this element is for things like waits, stays and position hold behaviours. Overall how long the pooch maintains the response.
Distance - this is for how far away the skills can be performed or the distance of distractions.
Distractions - this can be a huge range of elements, depending on the individual. Distractions could be just changing from inside the home, to the front yard!
We love getting our dog nerd on and doing our best to educate, sharing the evidence-based insights that we receive with you. If you’re unsure of what your dog might find enjoyable, or you’re wanting some guidance around increasing elements of your training, reach out and we can have a chat!