Finding your dogs currency

The dog and the human has something incommon; they both want a salary for their work. Difference is that the dog usually wants treats, toys or cuddles. This post will talk about how to find what makes your dog jump through hoops - litterally.

Treats is pretty much foolproof. There is usually always something to eat that is worth working for. Downside is that this can cause obesidy, or you might already have an obese dog. Popular is soft treats so dog crackers is most of the time very boring. And, it takes a long time to eat so training doesnt flow well. I recommend catfood! It has tiny pieces and tastes really yummy. It has a high contence of protein and fat, but one bag lasts a long time. This treat can cause a puppy to refuse to eat it's food since it does not taste as good so use common sense.

Some dogs love to work for toys. Some like balls, some like squeeky toys, some like tug-o-war, some like soft toys, and others like to chase toys such as a frisbee. This reward is stressing so eventhough it makes the dog do things faster, it should be used wisely and not too often or for too long periods of time.

Cuddles is the lowest value unless it is a dog that lives for your attention.

Variation is of course the key and the more you can vary your reward the more christmas it will be. "Oh boy a gift for me, what will it be, what will it be?"

But there are also other things that are rewarding. There is something called "Self-rewarding behavior" and it means that the behavior itself has so much pleasure that it cant be resisted. I can compare this to eating candy eventhough the person is on a diet. The person or the dog may know it's wrong, but it is so self-rewarding and so enjoyable that the temptation is just too big. Some of these behaviors are chasing cats, stealing food, etc. Pulling on the leash to get to the spot the dog wants to sniff works the same way. It succeeded pulling you, so it to sniff the spot it wanted to sniff. You can use this to your advantage. Stop, stand still and wait until you have the dogs attention. Walk the other way if you have to to increase the distance to the temptation. You can now ask something from the dog, such as walking nicely on the leash, and once it does the task you can let the dog sniff the spot as a reward.

If you have a stressed dog you can find treats that has to be licked to get, such as the kong stuff'n can. Licking is soothing and calming.

So which one should you use? Try them and see! Play with toys and find which type makes them tick. Some even enjoy cat toys! Try different treats and see how much the dog wants it. You dont want the dog to become locked, but interested enough that it is worth working for. The massively super-good treats can be used to make boring tasks more fun, such as being brushed, bathed etc. Behave during boring handling = get something extremely valuable!

The good toys is great when working on coming when called. Work in miniature sessions or the toy will lose it's value. Dont just call when you will hook on the leash, but make it a game.

Pets and cuddles can be used during situations you want the dog to be calm.

If your dog loses interest in the training, you either have too high expectation, you worked too long, your environment is too distractive, or your reward isnt good enough. Try them out and see! Your dog might surprise you. :)