29/05/2026
💚 POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, we LOVE it! 💚
Yet we often get owners worried that it will mean they will ALWAYS need to have treats on them in order to get their dog to do something, or that it will make their dog fat, or even that their dog is NOT FOOD MOTIVATED so how can they positively reinforce them in the first place ⁉️
However, there are actually many different ways you can positively reinforce your dog, not just via food, so we have made this handy graphic to help you remember the 3 F's of rewarding your pooch.👍
✅ FOOD - Yes food is still at the top of the list, it's handy and easy to use and ALL DOGS are motivated by food to a certain degree as they need it to survive. You can always up your dog's motivation for their food rewards by feeding them their daily allowance of food throughout the day as training rewards, instead of just dumping it in their bowl, so they learn they only get the food if they work for it!
✅ FUN - Some dogs are more motivated by interaction with you than they are by food, so consider rewarding them with their favourite toy or game. Fun is particularly good for recall as it makes coming back to you a game rather than purely the end of their time out adventuring.
✅ FREEDOM - Your dog is bound to love doing something which isn't always acceptable to you but is a totally natural behaviour for them, so instead of denying them the opportunity to ever do it consider using it as a reward in situations where it can be appropriate. For example, you can get them to sit and look at you and reward them with greeting a new dog or reward attentive loose-lead walking by allowing them time to sniff their favourite spot.
Remember any time you choose to POSITIVELY reinforce your dog you are not only upping the likelihood of that behaviour increasing, you are also developing a stronger positive association and bond with you! 😍
