21/11/2018
Motivation in trailing or what is rewarding for a dog on trail and how to use it wisely.
We all know that the reward is a key to any type of dog work. Appropriate rewards guarantee maintaining high motivation, crucial for making the training fun and keeping the learning on the right track. Mantrailing is a very specific activity as the reward is always delayed – the longer and harder the trail is, the longer the delay. There are many challenges on the trail and the dog has to make a lot of hard decisions, therefore how the trail ends has a major impact on the future performance. Many dogs find the trailing itself very exciting and self-rewarding but when planning the training session, we still need to remember that the right motivation is an inherent element of the trail work. As owners, we have the best understanding of our dogs, their needs and motivation – we should seriously consider how to reward our dogs so they indeed feel rewarded.
Beginners may think that the only reward for a dog is a runner offering food or a toy at the end of the trail. Yet there are far more factors that affect the dog's motivation. The way we behave … what we think in this particular moment … whether we support our dog's decision or are we absent-minded … it all truly matters! The dog never works alone – it is always the two of us, we are a team. While on trail, we are one and decisions made by us and our dogs are equally important.
That does not change the fact that the hardest task lies upon dogs as they are the owners of noses and their incredible abilities. This is why correct rewarding is CRUCIAL for a successul work on trail.
Another key factor are handler's emotions. We tend to think that we can hide our negative emotions caused by unpleasant events at work, in school … we are in distress so in order to vent, we take our dog out for trailing. But if something goes wrong, even though we do not blame our dogs and we know it is not their fault, deep inside we still feel disappointed. Our dogs know that perfectly well.
Mantrailing is a team work which requires maximum engagement on both sides – not only from the dog's nose but from us too. We support our dogs, analyse their behaviour, support – or not - their actions. If the dog looses our support because at that point we need it too, they may be getting mixed messages. Going on a training session? Do so with a positive attitude. Demand from yourself before demanding from your dog. Smile, relax, go for a walk before starting the session. Put no pressure but tune in with your dog. Regardless of what caused it, our frustration will punish our dogs. The more sensitive our dogs are the stronger will they respond to our emotional state. Lets not do that to them. Bad mood? Distressed? Let go off the session. In mantrailing especially our emotions have massive impact on our dog's performance. Lets make sure that these emotions are not only positive but also on the right level.
Last but not least, we need to make sure that we choose the right runner who will organise a real „party” at the end of the trail. Are we sure that they know how to reward our dog? Do they know how to fully engage in tug-of-war so it is the biggest fun for our dog? When we run a „double blind”, do they know how to plan the trail in a way that we can learn from it?
The runner has a massive role to play. Dog's experiences on trail – positive or negative – depend on the runner. Each dog has a different preference – some enjoy quiet praises and a chance to calmly lick the treat off the container – others will favor our high pitch voice, running around and playing wildely with their favourite toy. The reward should always be selected for each dog individually! There is nothing worse that a runner who discourages the dog at the end of a difficult trail. Think upfront HOW our dogs like being rewarded and let the runner know in advance. If we are advanced in mantrailing but our dog is very sensitive, be careful when chosing new runners – very often they do not know how to work with dogs and they unintentionally may ruin the months-worth work. Stories about dogs discouraged by runners (when an owner - frustrated with not having a runner - asks some random guy to help with training) are not rare.
An average person believes that all dogs enjoy energetic padding on their head or ribs while to some dogs that is almost a punishment. Not all dogs enjoy being touched. Not all of them want to engage in an interaction. To some, mantrailing is a form of therapy; we need to be especially careful around those dogs.
We also need to remember about variations in rewarding. In mantrailing - unless we are in a real action - we always have to reward the dog after they completed the trail. They worked really hard to earn it. Remember about keeping rewards valuable and varied, and to offer them as a surprise. When you raise the bar, raise the value of the reward as well. Be creative, surprise your dog!
Finally, be PROUD of your dog! Show them that you appreciate their effort. Let them know that you are happy with their performance. Do something that your dog likes, give them your attention. Let them know that they have done well. Everyone likes to be praised, everyone deserves it. Once you understand this, you may be sure that you are a responsible dog owner. Congratulations, you deserve a treat! I am sure that your dog will reward you at your next training session.
&city
