When training and rewarding your dog, it’s easy to assume that dogs only respond to edible treats. Yes, your hound loves treats, but there’s also a host of things that bring them joy besides food.
When it comes to rewards, why should you use alternatives to food?
There’s nothing inherently wrong with using treats as rewards. In the early days of training, treats are the easiest and most effective way to provide positive reinforcement and cement desired behaviours. (You can even use our handy
treat pouch when out for a walk!)
However, treats can pose a problem if you’re not mindful of how many or the quality of the snacks you’re giving your dog. Too many treats can lead to weight gain which can lead to other health issues.
Regular treats can also encourage begging and if your dog becomes reliant on food in exchange for every little thing, it may become difficult to wean them off later. (The idea is that eventually, you won’t have to reward your dog for every good thing they do but can offer a reward at intervals or for really great things)
So what are the alternatives? Here are 5 ways to reward desired behaviours that don’t involve food.
1) Petting and cuddles
Dogs are affectionate creatures and, like human children, they look for affection from their carer in order to form an attachment. When they receive it, studies have shown that oxytocin (the love hormone) is released in their brains.
Showing affection means stroking, petting and cuddling your hound. Of course, all dogs are different, and many dogs will have specific areas they might not like to be touched (commonly, the paws) and places they do (often, the belly or chest). So make sure you check in with your dog first and see what they enjoy.
2) Praise
Your dog understands you more than you might think.
Studies have shown that your dog knows when he's being praised from the tone of your voice. Dogs' brains are able to pick up on the difference between positive and neutral tones and words, meaning that praising your dog with positive language works well as a form of reward. Just like children, dogs will immediately know they have done well and feel positive themselves.
3) Toys
As pups or adults, dogs love to play and what better way to do so than with toys. Some of the best options include: tug or rope toys; fetch toys (e.g. balls or frisbees); soft, stuffed toys; or squeaky toys. Remember it’s in the eye of the beholder - my black Lab, Dave, was quite partial to a Barbie doll in his puppy days so we used that for his recall reward. All of these provide dogs with mental and physical stimulation and help them burn off excess energy (especially useful if you don’t have time for a long walk that day).
Once you’ve found a toy that your dog loves, keep it specifically as a reward toy. Allow your dog to play with it as a result of their actions.
4) Access to an environment
If you’ve discovered your pooch loves a certain place or environment, use it to your advantage. Try to find something that’s easily accessible in the moment. For example, perhaps your dog loves jumping around in long grass, sniffing in a certain spot or jumping in the local stream. If they’ve offered a good behaviour, such as coming back when called, allow them to go and explore and enjoy these places afterwards.
5) Permission to sniff
Scent is extremely important for dogs and getting to have a sniff of a lamppost or tree trunk on a walk is extremely beneficial for them. It’s essentially the dog version of us watching our favourite drama on Netflix or scrolling through Facebook. When your dog sniffs around, they’re gathering information. When we walk our dogs we often hurry them along when they stop to sniff a few too many times.
If your dog displays a desired behaviour - for example, not pulling on the lead for a period of time - reward that by allowing them to sniff in a certain area.
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