Giving to charity. Volunteering. Donating to Good Will. Tithing at church. We all offer a certain amount of service in our lives however most will agree we cannot consistently work for free all the time.
Fido is no different.
The trick is to figure out where your dog’s value system rests. Is it food? Toys? Livestock? While the diverse ACD may hold value in all three, rest assured they will be ranked differently from one dog to the next.
It is undisputed the there is further value within each reward. For example a tennis ball versus a hairy-hide-tug or a squeaker will evoke different amounts of eagerness from your dog. Similarly ducks, sheep and cattle will also create different levels of excitement due to size, quality of movement, sound and energy of the grouping.
The interesting part of the food reward is that while dogs can live without toys and livestock (albeit less happily), they cannot live without food. We need to thoughtfully consider our dog’s preferences to maximize the food drive they have OR build the food drive you need to accomplish the task at hand efficiently.
I’ve been making my own whole food dog treats for 20+ years. This was driven by the quality and ingredients used in retail dog treats and the cost associated with them. I do a lot of training so I was noticing digestive upset after my dogs consumed a lot of commercial treats that were kept soft with additives like glycerin among others.
I have often been solicited by other handlers at training events for what I’m using when their dogs quit them while sniffing out my pockets. This became so frequent that in 2022 I actually started selling small batches of my meaty concoctions to fellow competitors at trials and dog shows. It has since turned into a nice side hustle that supplements my trial entry fees!
One friend was stunned to see her Bernese Mountain Dog spin around at Border-Collie-speed during an exercise for a cookie I shared with her dog. “He’s NEVER moved that fast before!” She was a bit confused as she showed me the roast chicken in her hand which no longer interested him. Don’t get me wrong, roast chicken is an awesome option but when you feed it all the time it becomes about as interesting as a baloney on white bread sandwich!
If I offered you $1,000 to rake the leaves in my modest back yard I’d likely see you keenly focused, driven and super keen to rake like you have never raked before! “Damn! This is a good gig for 2 hours of work! I hope to get this job again next year,” you might think.
Fido is no different.
I cannot take credit for this value reward theory in dog training as I learned it from one of Romeo’s very talented movie handlers. When they take him to the film set for the day, HE EATS WELL! Why? Each minute that happens on set costs thousands of dollars and they cannot risk a Fussy Fido saying no to freeze dried liver and holding up the shot! Time is money. They need Fido to be reliable every time. Additionally, they know that they have a limited number of film takes before Fido fails. The trick is to guess correctly and avoid Fido failing because once he fails, Fido’s confidence is bruised and moving forward to the next scene may become tricky.
An example of this is a story about Romeo’s big break in 2017 while shooting S11:E11 of CBC’s Heartland where he played an adolescent ACD named “Jasper” who was staying with an ill-equipped dog-sitter. Left to his own devices, “Jasper” destroyed a couch cushion and then later ate a box of chocolates that landed him at the vet.
No, this was not such a dramatic stretch for the young Romeo actor as he too had been a self-entertainer in this way.
When his movie handler returned him to me after ten days of shooting she expressed delight in his skills and stamina. “We did 17 takes of this one scene today!” she shared excitedly like it was something to be proud of.
I. Was. Appalled.
OMG! Did he not do it right?? Will he even be invited back?! “No, no,” she said, “he did great. It was the rest of the actors that needed all the retakes!” She went on to describe the director and her chatting after Take-16 about whether or not Romeo had the stamina for one more. Shaking her head with discouragement to the idea she turned to look at Romeo. There he was with his paws still set up in the coffee table for the shot and the empty chocolate box in front of him, drooling excessively as he waited for his 17th refill! So yes, he had one more take in him and let’s just say that he was NOT waiting for freeze-dried liver!!
So the next time you’re treading water, struggling on a training concept, consider what you’re paying Fido. Mixing up your rewards in terms of different treats or toys can go a long way in achieving your best results and pushing that clever ACD to give you his all!
While I can’t share all of the trade secrets, here’s a valuable recipe worth sharing though it’s not a treat I actually sell: