The Puppy Training Podcast

Episode #133 Life Rewards

February 27, 2023 Baxter & Bella Puppy Training Season 6 Episode 133
The Puppy Training Podcast
Episode #133 Life Rewards
Show Notes Transcript

Will you have to carry food around with you for the life of your dog? Today we discuss  life rewards, what they are, why we use them and how they help teach our dog good behavior. 

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Life Rewards


Hello everyone! Welcome to the podcast today and thank you for listening. We talk about all things puppy and offer you tips and tricks to train your own dog from home. 


Today I want to talk about life rewards, what they are, why we use them and how they help teach our dog good behavior. But first, 


We received an email a few days ago about creating a podcast guide, listing in order  episodes to listen to when getting started training a new dog. I like this idea and will begin working on it. While there is not a right order, I believe I can be helpful in getting you started if you are new. 


Off the top of my head, I recommend starting with topics like building a bond, puppy biting, crate training, Housetraining, the ABCs of dog training and socialization. These are the main topics we get asked about as people start their training journey with a new dog. While we use the term puppy, the concepts apply to any age dog. If you have a handle on these six topics, we find people are more likely to enjoy the experience. 


For episode numbers, see


6 Your Brand New Puppy 

15 & 97 Building A Bond

13 Crates

5 & 52 Puppy Biting Zones 

56 ABCs of training 

70 ABCs and Puppy Biting 


I’ll work on the comprehensive list and post it on our site soon. So watch for that.


Today let’s talk about life rewards. First, what are they? Typically when we start training a new dog we use food to lure them into position, we mark yes and reward them with the food. Dogs like food so this method works fairly well! This method is often chosen also because it is a fast way to teach a new behavior. We show the dog exactly what to do, we reward them for doing it and then we insert a cue and remove the lure moving forward. 


It is important to lose the lure quickly, moving to using a cue as soon as possible so the dog doesn’t become dependent on following the food to do something. We start to think about other ways to reward or pay our dog for doing something we like. Enter life rewards. 


Life rewards are things that we use in our everyday environment that our dog finds rewarding or beneficial to them. Some examples are opening a door for my dog to go outside, giving them a belly rub, scratching their ears or chin, praise, my attention, movement when walking - if they keep the leash loose we move! Throwing the ball for them if they love to chase toys. Being greeted by someone my dog wants to see! And many others. 


The key to life rewards is being sure what you are rewarding your dog with is in fact considered a reward to them! It is from their point of view. For example, some people pat their dogs on the head and say good dog! Well, your dog may like this, but I know many who will shrink away as they don’t love someone reaching over their head and patting it. Their body language may tell you that in fact, they do not view being patted on the head as a good thing. With life rewards, be sure your dog likes the reward you are offering if you are wanting that reward to pay for good behavior you would like to see repeated. 


Now that we have talked about what life rewards are, why do we use them? Using life rewards opens up our opportunities to reward our dogs. We are not dependent on bringing a pack of string cheese with us on a walk, or wearing a fanny pack of dog food around the house. We get asked by clients when they first begin our program, will we always have to carry food around with us? The answer is no. We transition to life rewards with every cue we teach. 


Does that mean I will never reward with food again? Nope! Food can stay a great motivator and we can keep using it - intermittently - to keep behaviors strong. There is no right or wrong here. The goal is to motivate our dogs to behave appropriately according to our beliefs (remember they are dogs and doing normal dog things like barking, jumping, biting and digging are not on their radar as things they should not do - unless taught!) 


If we would like our dog to sit to be greeted rather than charging a person and jumping, we can motivate them to do so. We set them up for success by first showing them exactly what we want them to do. Rewarding them for it (again using food is a great place to start!) then transitioning to the reward being the person they want to see! 


Dogs do what works for them. If a behavior gets rewarded, it often gets repeated. By rewarding our dogs for behaviors we like, they choose those behaviors again. It is important to pay your dog for good behavior, whether you pay with food or life rewards, rewards or payment are important. If we stop paying, they may choose other behaviors. 


Consider this scenario. My dog has learned to get my attention, they can run over to me and sit. If I reward this behavior by acknowledging my dog with praise or play for example, they will likely continue coming over to me and patiently sitting for my attention. If however, I ignore them when they come over a sit (which may be easy to accidentally do considering sitting quietly is less noticeable than jumping and biting me) they most likely will choose not to sit patiently next time, but try jumping and biting because those behaviors elicit a more immediate response from me! Something to think about. A good life reward in this case would be to give my dog attention. Look at them when they come to me and sit. Praise them. Toss a toy for them or engage in a game of tug for a few minutes. Rewarding them in these natural ways is reassurance they will continue to be polite when they come to me.

All good things to contemplate. Remember, our dogs are not robots. They are not perfect. We are not perfect. We are all doing the best we know how to get along in the best way possible. Try incorporating life rewards into your dog’s daily routine. Remember to pay throughout their life for their choices you like. We don’t have to pay every time, but often enough to keep the behaviors strong. You’ll know if you are skimping on the payments because your dog’s behavior will likely regress. In our online puppy school, we not only teach you more about life rewards but intermittent rewarding and how to phase out paying for every little thing while still keeping behavior strong. We are happy to coach you through the process! 


What life rewards can you celebrate your dog with this week? Capture video of it and tag us on instagram @baxterandbella so we can see your examples! You guys are awesome. Your dogs are lucky to have you! Enjoy your week and Happy training!