How to Use Rewards for the Best Trained Dog

How to use rewards when teaching your dog to come–when-called
Think in terms of adrenaline and excitement. Adrenaline is a substance released in the body in response to a strong emotion. When your dog is super excited and carrying on about the human (potential new friend) across the street, there is adrenaline involved in that process. Your dog`s reaction is emotional. His rational brain is dampened down, while the emotion takes over. If you expect to call your dog away from something exciting like that, your training will have to produce a [conditioned emotional response" to [Fido, COME!"

What is a conditioned emotional response? In layman`s terms, it means that when your dog hears you call, his body floods with adrenaline, he stops thinking and automatically turns and comes to you without weighing his options.

Tips for creating high excitement and a conditioned emotional response using rewards:

Whatever you do, infuse it with a ton of energy and praise. Your dog MUST respond with energy and excitement to your reward. Praise your dog during training to the point of feeling like a silly kid. LOTS of praise. Pair the praise with super rewards during training and eventually, your praise will cause your dog to get excited even without the food or toy. Dogs are predators. They are stimulated by fast movement and high pitched, staccato sounds. You can increase the value of your food reward by turning it into prey-moving it fast. Either tossing it, so they have to chase it, or holding it in your hand and running with it.Every dog will be motivated differently. Some dogs are excited by playing with a Dog Chew Bone Shape Toy or engaging in a tug-of-war game with a Dog Chew Toy. Others may be more enticed by food. And most dogs are incredibly enthusiastic about a game of hide and seek, where you hide and they find you, especially when they have Puppy Chew Toys to occupy their mouths. It's important to find a combination of activities and toys that works for your dog.

Whatever you do, infuse it with a ton of energy and praise. Your dog MUST respond with energy and excitement to your reward. Praise your dog during training to the point of feeling like a silly kid. LOTS of praise. Pair the praise with super rewards during training, like a Dog Chew Toy Rubber or a favorite Puppy Chew Toy. Eventually, your praise will cause your dog to get excited even without the food or toy.

Dogs are predators, and they are naturally stimulated by fast movement and high-pitched, staccato sounds. You can increase the value of your food reward by turning it into a prey-like experience by moving it fast. Toss the food so they have to chase it, or hold it in your hand and run with it, while encouraging them to play with their Dog Chew Toy Rubber or other Puppy Chew Toys. This way, you can not only provide them with the necessary stimulation but also redirect their chewing behavior to appropriate toys.