Increasing Motivation

By Chris Valdes 

"...Learning does not occur without motivation. Once a behavior has been learned, it may not be performed if the animal is not motivated to respond” 

 -Pam J. Reid Ph.D. author of “Excel-Erated Learning” and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist

What is motivation? 

To motivate is to provide with an incentive or motive.   

It is well known that without motivation there would be no way to influence our dogs' behavior.  We are all motivated in two very basic ways, we avoid discomfort and we move towards reward. It’s that simple.  It's how you and I make everyday decisions and the very same way we train our dogs. 

 Paraphrased, Thorndike's Law of Effect states that behaviors that are rewarded tend to increase in frequency and behaviors that are corrected tend to decrease in frequency.  

What does this mean?  

We should reward each and every behavior that we like in our dogs so that they continue to do them.  Do you like your dog's sit?  If so, reward it with a tidbit of something he likes and he'll keep doing it.  The sit will get stronger and happen more often.  Follow this principle and your dog will try his best to please you all day long.  

If your dog isn’t motivated to earn your reward or doesn’t like your reward, then it won’t serve to reinforce behavior.  You have to find what the dog LOVES. 

Good motivation promotes faster learning, but extremely high or very low motivation can hinder the learning process. All motivations are not equal. Like people, some dogs are more motivated than others.  Some things that may motivate some dogs might not motivate others.   

In order to enhance motivation in the unmotivated dog we must make resources that are available to the dog more appealing. One way to do this is making resources a scarcity.  This will enhance the demand of the resource in our dog's mind. If my dog is only allowed to eat a piece of tasty treat when I call him to come, he will have much more incentive to come when called. 

Motivation is subject to what the dog wants at the moment.  If I am outside and rewarding my dog with a piece of hot dog and a squirrel suddenly distracts him, than my dog has just shifted his motivation from hot dog to SQUIRREL. :>) If I'm about to go outside and my dog is really anxious to get out the door, his motivation at the moment is to get outside. 

Since some dogs are unmotivated, I have included some tips to get the most out of your dog in the motivation department. The focus of this article is geared toward food rewards.  If we make the most out of our food rewards our potential for influence over our dog’s behaviors greatly increases.

 1.  A hungry dog is a motivated one.  If your dog is not motivated to take food rewards than skip a meal or decrease the amount of food you give for each meal.  Another alternative is to go out and buy the new type of dog food rolls.  It's actual dog food with all the proper nutrition needed.  You can cut the roll up into small pieces and feed your dog his meal throughout the day for good behavior. 

 2.  Use a different type of treat.  For the finicky Fido you may want to try hot dogs, cold cuts, cheese, liver treats, or just anything your dog shows a lot of interest in.  Individual dogs have different tastes.  Experiment a little and see what lights up your dog's eyes. 

3.  Dogs are motivated by large rewards.  A square quarter inch size should be enough.  You don't want to use too big of a reward because the dog will become full too quick.  As he becomes full his motivation for training will decline.

 4.  Dogs prefer many pieces of food over one large piece.  If I cut up a hot dog in many pieces instead of giving my dog an entire link he will be more appreciative.

 5.  Avoid contrast effects.  Dogs enjoy variety with their treats but I highly recommend you use one type of treat per session.  If you were to use two types of treats, the better of the two will seem much better and the other may even sometimes seem disappointing. 

6.  Rate your treats and use them according to distraction level.  If my dog is motivated for kibble than I might use his kibble when I train inside the house where nothing else is stimulating, but when I go outside I might step it up and use hot dogs.  If I were to go to a public place where the distraction level is slightly higher than around the house, I might decide to use liver, and so on.  Your reward must compete with whatever other stimuli is present. 

* Before a training session, isolate your dog for 20 minutes or more.  This will stimulate your dog's social needs.  He will be much more willing to engage with you for training.

 **Your dog may not be accepting food rewards because the distraction level is way too high for the level of training at the time.   

These are some of the many ways to enhance the motivation in your dog.  Without motivation our dogs would have no reason to do what we ask.  Please become as familiar as you can with the tips posted in this article.  I hope you have found them enlightening and use them to your advantage.  The better the motivation, the faster you will create and reinforce habits that will improve you and your dog's life. 

Take some time out this week and experiment a little with your dog.  Test his motivation in a few different locations and find out what really excites him.

 Food rewards are important in the beginning stages of training but are by no means the only things that will motivate your dog’s behavior.  There are life rewards such as petting, playing, access to the outside, and many other motivations that will keep your dog’s behavior intact. 

 This article and all contents are copyright 2009, Be Free Dogs, Chris Valdes. This article may be reposted and redistributed in any format provided all content and all links are left intact and proper authorship credit is given.