Rewards – What, When & Where
We talk a lot about rewards in dog training. But have you ever stopped to ask: 👉 What does your dog actually find rewarding?
During my recent Calm & Confident workshop, we explored how rewards aren’t just about treats—they’re about communication, connection, and timing. When used intentionally, rewards can completely shift how your dog feels in stressful moments.
This post dives into how to use rewards more effectively—what they are, when to use them, and where reward placement can make all the difference.
What Counts as a Reward?
Spoiler alert: it’s not just food!
Rewards are anything your dog values in that moment. That might be:
- Food (cheese, kibble, liver, etc.)
- A toy or game (tug, fetch)
- Praise or scritches
- Access to something (a sniffy patch, the outdoors, greeting a dog or human)
Some dogs would do cartwheels for a tug toy. Others just want to flop in the shade.
The key? Notice what lights your dog up—and let them tell you what’s reinforcing.
When Should We Reward?
Reinforcement works best when it happens immediately after the behavior you want to see again. Even a few seconds of delay can confuse your dog—or accidentally reward something else entirely.
Long pauses also create gaps in communication. If your dog isn’t sure what you want, they may fall back on behaviors that worked in the past (even if they drive you nuts now!).
✅ Don’t wait for perfection. Start rewarding small steps toward your goal:
- A tiny pause before barking
- A moment of stillness when you're working on calm
- A simple stand instead of jumping (a polite “waiting” behavior many of us overlook!)
Especially for dogs struggling with reactivity, rewarding these “in between” moments can be more impactful than any formal cue.
Where Are You Rewarding?
This one’s a game-changer—and often overlooked.
Where you deliver the reward affects your dog’s movement, stress, and clarity:
- Tossing the treat behind them → helps create distance from a trigger
- Feeding at your side → reinforces proximity and staying with you
- Dropping a treat on the ground → encourages disengagement and foraging (which is naturally calming)
📍 Strategic reward placement = less stress + more clarity.
How We Play with Toys Matters Too
Play is powerful—but how we do it matters.
Tug and fetch can be enriching or overwhelming, depending on your dog’s needs and the way you play.
- Holding the toy up high? → Might encourage jumping or mouthing
- Playing low to the ground? → Helps keep paws down and reduces overstimulation
- If your dog mouths too close to your hands during tug, drop the toy. Let them run off—it’s not tug without you! Repeating this teaches that mouthing ends the game.
- Start each game with a cue your dog loves (like “touch” or “spin”) to reinforce manners. Their reward? You start the game.
I highly recommend Chirag Patel’s approach:
👉 Teaching Your Dog to Drop objects from their mouth
- Am I helping my dog calm down or ramp up—or both?
- What was their energy like before, during, and after?
- What time, place, and person played the game?
This info helps you choose games intentionally, based on what your dog needs and prefers. And no offense taken if your dog prefers tug with your partner—just like us, they have different favorites for different activities!
Used well, toy play can build responsiveness, trust, and joy. But it’s not one-size-fits-all.
Final Thoughts
Rewards are more than just tools—they’re conversations.
When we get curious about what, when, and where we reward, everyday moments become opportunities for:
- 🧠 Emotional regulation
- 🐾 Connection
- 💛 Mutual understanding
And when we see play as communication, we stop trying to “fix” our dogs—and start learning with them.
Want help discovering what truly motivates your dog—and how to use it to support behavior change?