How to Reward Your Dog

Dogs respond well to positive reinforcement.

Using positive reinforcement as a reward system will help your dog learn desirable behavior. Using command words and consistency when rewarding your dog can help it become familiar with what you expect from it. Once you've established a reward system for your dog, you can establish a satisfying relationship with it.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Dog treats
• Dog clicker

1. Offer a tasty treat as soon as your dog behaves. Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images

   Respond to good behavior by offering your dog a treat immediately after it gives you the desired response. Using a dog clicker can help your dog associate the good behavior with a treat.

2. Offer dog treats that your dog will relish and want more of. Tempting treats will keep your dog's attention on you. Treats that crumble to the floor will divert your dog's attention away from you, according to the Larimer Humane Society. Small bite-sized pieces of food work well for reward treats.

3. Avoid giving your dog the same boring treats. Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images

   Spice up the variety of dog treats you use to reward your dog. This will keep your dog interested in learning what makes you happy.

4. Dogs will understand what you consider good behavior. Photos.com/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

   Use positive reinforcement to teach good manners. If you want to avoid your dog jumping on you, use the command "Sit." Give your dog a treat when it learns that you prefer sitting to jumping.

5. Work up to the desired behavior. Kane Skennar/Photodisc/Getty Images

   Try a technique called shaping. Shaping refers to rewarding your dog when it comes close to achieving a desired behavior, such as shaking your hand. esrGive your dog a reward for lifting its paw from the ground and as it learns to place its paw into your hand.

6. Reward your dog when it's unexpected. Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

   Randomly praise your dog when it's being good. If your dog likes to bark or whine, reward it when its being quiet. Your dog will eventually understand that the braking and whining is an undesired behavior and that being quiet makes you happy.

7. Wean your dog off of the amount of treats you offer once it's established that you'll offer praise for good behavior. When your dog understands that it will get an occasional treat and affection for good behavior, you won't need to constantly supply it with tasty snacks.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid punishing your dog. Unless you can catch your dog in the middle of something undesirable, your dog won't understand why you're upset.

• Dogs who receive punishment may resort to bad behaviors, such as chewing and aggression.

• Don't reward bad behaviors, such as letting your dog outside to bark when it hears a noise. Your dog gains access to the yard and feels that it can bark when it hears any sound.

References

• The Humane Society of the United States: Dogs; Positive Reinforcement Training; October 26, 2009
• Larimer Humane Society: Positive Reinforcement; Training Your Dog with Treats and Praise

Resources

• The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Howling; 2011
• North Carolina Responsible Animal Owners Alliance: Relationship Building