What works for your dog?

When training a dog you have to tailor your rewards towards each individual dog and what works for them. What reward catches your pups attention? What reward would your pup do anything for?

I actually have one of every type of rewards food, attention and affection and toys.

Kash will do anything for kisses possibly even sell her sister's favorite toy!

Koko will do anything for pretty much any toy but usually whatever happens to be her favorite that week.

Kotton will do anything, including selling ME , for cheese or chicken of any sort

My dog will do almost any trick in the book for any type of food. It could be a small dog treat, a steak bone, or even a chip. If she smells that there is food in my hand, she is more apt to doing the trick for me. If I do not have any type of treat to offer her, she definitely will not do the tougher tricks. She may sit or shake. She might even lay down, but that is about it.

My dog will do anything for food- even do balancing tricks and impossible stunts (when it's on the table). Seriously, it even feels that I've been depriving them of treats or something else. And treats are given once in two days or daily, so I'm pretty sure it's not the treats deprivation.

But they will do tricks for treats. I used Jerhigh Treats because the old one I gave them was fresh from being boiled (pork liver or lung) and they tend to be smelly when held.

So far the tricks I've taught them are Sit, Down, Up, Dance, Paw, and High Five.

For my beagle, it was scratching her back. She looked like she was in total bliss every time I did that, and had weird quirk where she would start kicking one of her back legs up and down every time I did it. Eventually she discovered that she could go under our day bed and scratch her own back on the box springs. Sometimes she be under there for like an hour or so scratching her back amusing herself.

My rewards are praise, food, and affection/play time. She is 3 now, so praise usually works most of the time as a reward.

I sometimes use her favorite trick for praise. She has learned "high five" (she jumps up and hits your hands with her front paws). I've taught her that high five is for joyful times. So, if she does something good, I'll ask her for a high five as a sort of "that a girl!"

Sometimes I need her to do something quickly so I use food. For instance, her "come" command isn't the best yet. She always wants to go potty when I'm making lunch. She has to be watched outside because of her obsession with eating tan bark. So, in order to get her out and back quickly, I offer a baby carrot as a reward. You should see how fast she can do her business when a baby carrot is on the line. LOL

Hi,

I don't have a dog but the last dog I had was half Husky, half Labrador and I swear that nothig never worked to make that stubborn creature. We loved him a lot so that was Ok . But we tried everything. We actually have been excluded from the dog's class. What a shame..

(07-26-2012 07:56 PM)Laura Wrote:  Hi,

I don't have a dog but the last dog I had was half Husky, half Labrador and I swear that nothig never worked to make that stubborn creature. We loved him a lot so that was Ok . But we tried everything. We actually have been excluded from the dog's class. What a shame..

LOL That is hilarious!! I keep telling everyone that Koko would be the only dog kicked out of puppy kindergarten that's why I don't send her. Did you see Marley and Me? I loved it when Marley got kicked out!