What Motivates Your Dog?

When you begin to train your dog you need to know what motivates him. Every dog is motivated in a different way and figuring out what moves your dog will make your training efforts a success.

You will find your dog to be motivated with food, play and/or praise. Figuring out what makes your puppy pay attention to your commands will make training much easier for the both of you.

My dog responded to play and food, but treats really seemed to grab his attention. I used small, bite size treats when teaching commands such as sit, stay, bark and hi-five. He learned that if  I gave a command and he responded, he was rewarded with food. He loves to play with his favorite toys as a way of being rewarded too. This type of reward must be quick. Grab a toy and tug or have him fetch. If you play too long your pup will forget what initiated the play time.

Try all the motivators mentioned when you begin training your pup and watch how he responds. This will help you to motivate your dog!