Contingency and Rewards

Dogs like to be paid for working, just like people. What each dog finds rewarding will vary; some dogs work for food, some for play, some for toys, some for affection. Some dogs don’t even care about that, and we have to figure out why they are unresponsive to primary rewards and what it is they do want.Initially we start out by teaching the dog that nothing in life is free, we pay for every good repetition, later we change the reward schedule. Once dogs learn to earn rewards for desirable behavior it becomes a game. Remember that rewards are payment -- the reward comes after the behavior is completed. Do not ever bribe your dog.

When a dog understands a socially appropriate application of contingency as the ability to control outcomes through behavior, it tends to make a calmer, stronger, more emotionally stable dog, just like humans.