That's Treats, Right? -- Defining "Rewards"

Rewards are what drive any repeated behavior, whether it is "good" or "bad". Any behavior a dog repeats is because it works for him. He is getting something out of it that he likes, wants, or needs. Rewards are technically referred to as "reinforcers".

Treats, yes, are rewards, but there is so much more that you can deliberately use to reward your dog's good behavior AND that may be accidentally rewarding your dog's bad behavior. Not all rewards are equal in value. In different scenarios, the dog wants different things -- he will be working toward specific outcomes that vary by circumstance. Different dogs also assign different relative values to potential rewards.

There are two kinds of rewards. Rewards can be getting something good you like. The act of giving/receiving a reward is called "positive reinforcement". The thing which you give is called the "positive reinforcer". The other kind of reward is called a "negative reinforcer". This is the reward from avoiding something you don't like. The word "positive" refers to dog's perspective of giving/getting something, something approaching or going to the dog that he didn't have before.

The word "negative" refers to the idea of something stopping or going away or being taken from the dog, something bad that he doesn't like which stops. But in both cases, the dog likes, wants, or needs the result.

Positive reinforcer: GETTING anything edible, possession of toy,
Negative reinforcer: REMOVING a thorn from a paw, STOPPING an annoying dog from bothering you, ENDING time-out, RELEASE from a command

Using rewards successfully depends on understanding that despite your intention to reward, your dog's perspective and interpretation may vary. What your dog considers a reward can vary according to your individual dog's preferences. Also, your dog has a (likely unique) priority list of what I call his "values". (Someday I hope to research how values correlate to canine personality type.) Identifying rewards is as simple as asking "What does my dog like? What does he want?"

Your dog will have his own "list" of what reward is most salient (Best. Thing. Ever.) to least salient (Eh, better than nothing). "Salient" means "stimulating, delicious, or desirable". Over the course of a day, various rewards can change position in that list. A dog who has just eaten may be significantly less motivated by food rewards than he would have been before the meal. (However, there are those dogs who just LURVE eating, regardless. Distention of the belly, diarrhea, or other "undesirable" (only according to us foolish humans) results are inconsequential!)

Sometimes what a dog wants is not necessarily something particularly delicious. Sometimes it is more survivalist in nature. Fearful dogs are primarily motivated by flight. They want to get away from the scary thing. Because they believe the thing is scary. And they don't want to be scared. Emotional rewards like respect from other dogs, stress relief, and the "calming" repetitive nature of obsessive behaviors are also very real rewards. Problem behaviors are complicated because they can be motivated by both intellectual AND emotional rewards.
Rewards can be deliberately given by owners to dogs, but they can also come from the environment.

Rewards owner can provide:

• food
• access to anything the dog likes: play, walks, backyard, indoors, meeting new people, sniffing dog's butts
• freedom = dog makes own decisions
• attention
• touch & massage
• praise
• conflict-free interaction
• intellectual stimulation
• ongoing exposure to novelty (stuff that's new and different, out of the ordinary, & feeds curiosity)
• nasal stimulation
• "FUN": opportunities for appropriate barking, digging, tugging, chewing, shredding, biting & holding (bulldogs), keeping order (shepherds & collies), RUNNING (huskies), figuring out what a human wants (Dobes, Malis, "trained" dogs)

• SO MANY MORE!
  

Rewards from the environment (some are ones we want to prevent dogs from accessing)

• safety
• shelter
• physical comfort
• visual access to good view
• seeing, hearing, scenting, and running after prey
• freedom (in the case of the non-secured fence) to explore
  
• self-rewarding activities "FUN": digging, tugging, chewing, shredding, biting & holding (bulldogs), keeping order (shepherds & collies), RUNNING (huskies), -- YES, some dogs will do it if you don't provide it!
  
• sex (or at least attention from the opposite sex)
  
• respect from other critters
• keeping living area tidy (rewards both pottying outside AND coprophagia (poo-eating))
• SO MANY MORE

For a specific example, most dogs want to greet other dogs. Greeting is a reward for dogs who want to greet other dogs. Getting to take one step towards greeting another dog is a reward for whatever behavior came before it. Getting to sniff another dog is a reward. Getting to interact & romp a bit is a reward. So, if your dog sees another dog, drags you over, and sniffs & interacts with the other dog, dragging you, acting excited, and charging over is rewarded by getting to sniff. "Works every time. This human sure is heavy, but it's totally worth it. Chicks dig me."

On the other hand, some dogs want to avoid other dogs. Getting to avoid the other dog is rewarding. Any step you take with your dog AWAY from the other dog is a reward. (This is known as a "distance reward.") So, if your dog barks like a fool, and then runs away, his escape pattern is rewarded by not having to encounter another dog. "I don't know what that dog is going to do, and I've always been safe by doing this, so..."

So greeting, avoiding greeting, going forward, going back, not being eaten, being dug by chicks... these are all desirable things, depending on who you are.

Often, problems result when people don't realize that all rewards are not created equal. A dog who values the chance to greet another dog MORE than he values your cookies or your praise and petting will go for the other dog, given the choice. Not ALL dogs, however, share this viewpoint. Some dogs do NOT value the chance to greet more than your praise or petting or food or play. I would describe these dogs as "easy", since training with praise, petting, food, and play is MUCH easier than manipulating social rewards, which rely on your ability to precisely & accurately read your and the other dog's body language. I would also call such dogs less dog-social, and more canine-social.

Another problem I often see is that , in a social scenario (or "context"), every action in the entire behavior of the approach, greeting, and ensuing interaction can be a reward. For some dogs, the excitement of reaction from another dog is rewarding.


What are some rewards driving your dog's behavior, good or bad?