One of the things that I love best about training dogs (and there are many, many things to love about training dogs) is that they respond well to so many different types of positive reinforcement. We have a wide variety of “fun stuff” from which to choose that communicates “Yes!!! That is it!! You are SO very, very smart and good!!”. We can use food treats, petting, verbal praise, an opportunity to play tug, a retrieving game, or even a chance to play with a best dog buddy.

YES! I am good AND I am smart!

Food is generally considered to be one of the most, if not the most, powerful and universal primary reinforcer that we use in dog training. This is true simply because most dogs love to eat, (and as far as I can tell anyway, all dogs gotta eat). Social interactions such as verbal praise, petting, and…