Something we talk a lot about on our courses is reward expectation and reward placement. Used properly, they are great training tools, but they can also counteract the training if we’re not aware of them. I simply use reward placement to create the reward expectation where I want it and to reinforce the behavior I want a little extra. For example, I can reward the dog for sitting by placing the treat far back, above its head, so I reinforce it for sitting heavily on its butt and not stand to take the treat.
Today’s exercise
- Think about how you are rewarding. What does your dog’s reward expectation look like?
- Train heelwork at least once. (Note how many sessions and minutes of heelwork you do. Train what you and your dog need – it doesn’t have to be the training in the blog post of the day.)
- Feel free to tell us and others about your training by commenting on the posts on our website and/or Facebook page.
- If you haven’t participated in the challenge from the start, read here to find out how it works: Day 1: Heelwork challenge.
- Subscribe to our blog to receive emails when new training tips are available.
