Dog-Currency

Imagine that instead of money, you were paid in a variety of currencies. As an example, think of a variety of things such as theater tickets, concerts, vacations, music and so on. Keep in mind  that all these categories have a variety of values. So while you might say that you would definitely work for theater tickets, the question to ask yourself is what’s the production, who’s in it, and how many times would I see it before it is no longer valuable?

And I suspect you’re wondering what the heck this has to do with dogs, because some dogs don’t appreciate the theater, but I digress…

I can’t think of a time when this topic hasn’t cropped up in one of my professional trainers’ groups, where the client says that their dog isn’t food motivated, or that they offer food when out for a walk, but the dog ignores them. Other scenarios  that play out with regards to food is when the human shows the dog some food and then asks the dog to please do a behavior. In some circles this is called a bribe. But the worst part of all these examples is that the only thing the pet parent learns is that food doesn’t work for training, so they turn to  aversive methods, which by they way is the other side of the coin because animals will work for something pleasant or work to avoid something unpleasant, however, the most important take away is that it is the animal that decides what it considers pleasant or unpleasant. This is why some food works in a particular setting and sometimes it doesn’t.

Just like the human example of deciding whether or not you’d work for theater tickets, or other currencies, it depends, and so it does to your dog.

The best place to begin is by looking at the dog’s environment and setting it up properly.

Find food that your dog really likes. I know this sounds overly simplistic, but I can’t tell you how often a pet-parent will say that her dog ignores his food or picks at it all day.

Next serve up the food in an enriching, problem-solving Kong or puzzle toy. That’s right, put the food in something that gives the dog a mental workout. There is no big problem to be solved when the food is in a bowl. And please do NOT purchase a slow-feeder, which is more frustrating than it is stimulating; this is kind of like using chopsticks to drink soup!

Purchase a treat pouch that is used to dispense “currency”; in this way, just like having money in your wallet, you’ll be prepared to spend when you see a good behavior from Fido!

Now for the more difficult part, and that is to find a variety of delicious food that you can audition for your dog. As an example, dice some chicken breast, some lean hotdogs, stinky cheese, and perhaps freeze-dried liver. Offer a piece of food and note how fast Fido takes it. So let’s say that he gobbled up the cheese; next take the hotdog and compare it with the cheese by holding cheese in one hand and hotdog in the other. This is only a suggestion; the point is to see if you can create a hierarchy of food, rated from good to best, and then see which environment Fido will pay attention such that he will respond to a cue that he knows. Of course if Fido is just learning a particular behavior, you should begin in a quiet environment that is conducive to learning, but once he knows the behavior, see which food works best in a particular environment.

While some dogs may be very enthusiastic to work for delicious kibble indoors, once they are in a highly distracting environment with squirrels, other dogs, and exquisite scents calling to them, it’s going to take a lot more than kibble to walk away from these environmental distractions, and sometimes, even stinky cheese isn’t enough. It is at those times when you can actually use the environmental distractions as reinforcers by asking, as an example, for your dog’s attention, and then giving him access to “p-mail” and other exciting messages he smells! Yes, besides food, you can also use sniffing activities and of course his favorite toys as reinforcers.

The last step is putting it all together by making sure that food is an enriching experience served up from a puzzle for meals, and from your “wallet” during training; additionally, be sure to toss in some environmental reinforcers and toys.

Remember, just like you, your dog has a variety of things that he values as much as you value things. To expect him to work for something of little or no value is like trying to use money to buy things on Gilligan’s Island :)

The next time someone asks, “What’s in your wallet?” I hope you answer that it’s the best dog-currency, according to my dog!

HAPPY TRAINING & ENRICHMENT

© Fran Berry CPDT-KA, UW-AAB all rights reserved 2022