Why I use rewards

I am a rewards based trainer for many reasons. But none more than how it feels to the dog i’m training.

Rewards come in many forms treats, toys etc but really it’s anything your dog actually wants.

It has to be something your dog views as rewarding. 

Why do I choose rewards over punishment?

Most people have had experience of a sh*t boss right?. The kind of boss that tells you only when you get things wrong.

How does that make you feel about not only your job?  But working WITH them? Does it affect your confidence?

Then how about a Nice Boss, who’s your cheerleader? Who tells you when you’ve done an excellent job, clearly explains tasks and pays fairly for the work you do. How do they make you feel? How does this affect your confidence and your general mood?

Now, let’s say you’re given a new task by both Sh*t Boss and Nice Boss.

How do you feel about trying this new task? 

My guess would be with Nice Boss you’d have been given clear instructions and motivation to do the task.  So you’d give it a bash, try hard and probably enjoy trying something new, because if you do get it wrong, you wouldn’t get shouted at or punished in some way. You may even volunteer to do it again!

For Sh*t boss you’d likely be told “do this!”, and you’d probably sit there, worry about getting it wrong. Then you’d give it a go. But it would be wrong because the instructions were so vague. Then you’d be told “NO!” 

You’d maybe try again and worst case you’d give up for fear of getting it wrong, with your confidence knocked. You’d also probably dread been given anymore new tasks and try to avoid it.

My point is, how I feel about working with Sh*t boss is not how I would want my dog to feel when working with me. 

I want the dog that’s wiling to try stuff! 

When I’m there he gets excited “what we doing?!?” because there’s are no wrong answers, only rewards for right answers. 

The dog that knows, It’s ok to keep trying until you get the right answer. Nothing bad will happen to you.

This builds a confident dog with his own character.  

My part of the bargain is that I will help him by setting up the environment so it’s easy for him to get it right, I won’t leave him floundering. Right answers are always rewarded ( in Jacks case with snacks!)

It’s simple, you reward more of what you want to see…. you get more of that behaviour.