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Understanding Desires and Rewards in Dog Training

Identifying your gun dog's motivators to train for your desired actions.

Understanding Desires and Rewards in Dog Training

Using the motivation of a dog's greatest desires is the best way to shape behaviors you want. (GUN DOG photo)

I recently had a conversation with a young man that has been doing summertime sales. He shared with me some stories of unkind things that people had said or done to him while selling. These stories caused me to wonder why he would continue with the sales. Exploring that question led to him revealing how much money he could make in a relatively short period of time. So he took the good with the bad, knowing that the reward was going to be worth the trouble. He actually considered it a perfect summertime job for a college student. I know another young man who tried doing summertime sales and soon quit, because in his mind the reward just wasn’t worth it.

I’ve determined that the difference between these two young men comes down to two questions. First, what is the perceived value of the reward? Second, do they believe that the reward is truly attainable? If the desire for the reward is high enough and if the individual truly believes the reward is attainable, amazing amounts of effort will be spent in an attempt to get the reward.

Rewards for Actions

I recently read a study done by Harvard University in 1950 where rats were tested as to how long they would tread water. The first time, the rats swam for 15 minutes before they began to sink. Then, they were all saved and dried off and rested. The next time the test was conducted the rats swam for as long as 60 hours! Based on their first experience, they believed that the desired reward would come. Consequently, the rats greatly increased their efforts. Of course, not all situations are as dramatic as life and death. However, it does seem quite evident that the perceived value and the perceived attainability of the reward had a direct effect on the effort expended. When these principles are understood and applied to our interactions with our dogs, they greatly affect our success, as well as our outlook on training.

dog trainer with yellow labrador and training bumper
Although most dog owners naturally default to food-based rewards, there are other rewards such as retrieving a bumper. (GUN DOG photo)

I find that generally, when we talk about dogs and rewards, people's minds immediately go to those rewards of the food variety. I am a big fan of using food rewards to teach behaviors and actions to dogs. However, the world of rewards is so much bigger than food. In fact, when working with bird dogs it doesn’t take long to realize that the food rewards quickly lose their power once the dog realizes that there is game to pursue. I remember the day that I realized that by utilizing positive markers I could turn the thing my dog currently wanted most into a reward. I was working a dog in a doorway and I was trying to use food to reward the dog for sitting before I opened the door. The dog wanted to go outside in the worst way and it had very little concern for the food I offered. Suddenly I thought, “Instead of positive marking the ‘sit’ and then offering a treat, why don’t I just mark the ‘sit’ with a ‘yes’ and then reward by opening the door?” The second I did that, pure magic happened! The lesson was learned. If the dog didn’t immediately sit, I simply paused and waited. Quickly, the dog realized it needed to sit before I would open the door. After that the lesson was learned: If you want to go outside, sit by the door.

dog trainer with yellow labrador crate training
Different dogs will have different motivators as they mature through life and training. (GUN DOG photo)

I quickly began applying this technique to all kinds of situations. When the dog was presenting a behavior I didn't like in an effort to get something it desired, I simply took that desire and made it the reward. Then, I guided the dog to the behavior I wanted. When the dog performed the behavior, I marked the behavior with a verbal ‘yes’ and then gave the dog its desire as the reward. By considering the dog’s greatest desires and utilizing those desires as rewards for good obedience, we can create dependable, happy citizens. Let's consider a few scenarios.

Using Desires as Rewards in Dog Training

Scenario One: A young dog jumps up on people in an effort to receive affection. In an attempt to stop the jumping, the owner asks the dog to sit. Then they offer a food reward. After some repetition, the owner realizes that though the dog will sit when asked, it doesn’t seem to have lessened the jumping. In this case, the dog's greatest desire is affection. If the dog is persuaded to sit, and then, while the dog is sitting, it is given the affection that it desires, it will soon learn that sitting is the way to ask for affection.

Scenario Two: A hunter becomes frustrated with his dog’s recall in the field. The dog has a clear understanding of recall and it has been well collar conditioned to the e-collar. His owner can make the dog come to him; however, the dog is reluctant to come in the last 50 feet. The dog would rather just turn and go hunting. The owner has repetitively required the dog to come all the way into him. When the dog arrives, he gives it lots of affection, but the problem persists. In this scenario, the dog's greatest desire is to go hunting and ultimately find a bird. As an alternative approach, the owner could require the dog to come all the way in. When the dog was at the owner’s feet with its attention focused on the owner, a positive marker could be given to help the dog identify the action wanted. The owner could then release the dog to go hunt as the reward.


Scenario Three: A dog leaves for the retrieve before its owner has given the release command. In this case, the dog's greatest desire is the retrieve. To handle this situation, the owner should recall the dog off of the retrieve and ask it to sit again, then wait for the dog to sit focused. When the dog is focused and patient, the owner should positively mark that moment, and then release the dog for the retrieve. This will help the dog learn that the way to get its desire is to sit focused until released.


By using the dog's own desires as rewards, we increase their perceived value of the reward. That specific reward is what they truly want! By showing the dog the behaviors that will lead to that reward, and helping the dog be successful in achieving it, we increase the perceived attainability of the rewards.

The key is to identify the rewards that hold the greatest value in the dog’s mind for each particular instance, then guide the dog to the actions that you want. Positively mark that action so the dog knows what the reward is for, and then make your dog’s dreams come true by rewarding it with its greatest desire.

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