This page is part of the Auxiliary section of the Beginner's Course of the
D.S. Dog Training Workshop - an element of the Dog Science Network
Using Food as a Reinforcer
When it comes to reinforcing behavior, there is nothing as potent as a primary reinforcer, and for a canine, within that domain of primary rewards, there is nothing quite as sure to get the job done as food.
Whether you are teaching your dog to do something new, or you are rewarding him for a response that has already been largely established, there is no more sure fire way to get results than to present your dog with food immediately after he emits the target response.
For example, if your dog passes up the chance to chase after a nearby cat, you should immediately give him a treat. Or, if he properly executes a new command he is just learning, you should give him a little taste of a snack.
Research tells us that your dog will learn a new response more quickly if every instance of the target behavior is reinforced.
In practical terms, that means that when you are teaching your dog to respond to a new command, you can get the job done a lot faster, with a lot less hassle, if you give him a little taste of food, every time, immediately after he obeys the command.
When you reinforce every instance of the target response, like that, it is called continuous reinforcement.
Unfortunately, you can't just give your dog food every time he does something right, without him packing in more calories than his waistline, health, and heart can stand.
You can get around that, however, by alternating edible reinforcers with praise and petting. For example, it could be that, on average, you are only giving your dog one treat for every ten times that he does what he should. The other nine times, you can reinforce any acts of compliance by massaging or praising your dog.
And of course, any time you pet, praise, or feed your dog, you should also always make it a point to say the ultimate words of praise to him in your best gladdening voice.
Keep the Portions Small
You need always to remember that dogs can gain too much weight and develop health problems as a result. Just like people. With that in mind, when reinforcing your dog with food, you should give him the smallest portions you can and still get results. Most people find that a single pellet of dry dog food is enough to keep the dog interested and eager to participate.
You can also fight the problem of weight gain by feeding your dog some significant portion of his daily allotment of dry food in the form of rewards that you give out throughout the course of the day. However, if he appears to develop any digestive difficulties as a result, be sure to check with your veterinarian concerning the wisdom of continuing that practice.
The Advantage of Keeping Something Tasty on Hand
Dogs have a sense of smell that far exceeds what we humans are capable of. As a result, if you are carrying edible reinforcers in your pocket, your dog will know, even if the food is not in visual evidence. As a result, you will find that even if you only occasionally give him a taste treat, just having the food in your pocket where he can smell it will do much to assure the attentiveness of the animal.
Shifting Your Edible Reinforcers
As your dog gets better and better at performing any given, new command, you should begin to gradually replace your edible reinforcers with praise and massage. So that, eventually, your dog will no longer be receiving any food in exchange for compliance with established commands.
As you do that, you should begin, instead, reinforcing your dog with food for properly executing some new command that you are teaching him. Hence, food will always be generated by compliance with the latest thing that you are teaching him, while established behavior will be intermittently rewarded by way of tactile and social reinforcers.