What’s your dog’s favorite
reward? Have you ever tried to figure it
out by letting the dog choose? It’s
rather fun, and I highly recommend it!
It was raining, windy and too cold kind of a day a few weeks ago......It's a I don’t want to clean the house
kind of game!
Here’s what I did, your
results may vary!!
I started with toys, and I did
the same set up with both Seeker and Nettle, working them individually of
course. I asked the dog to sit, I showed
them each toy and put presented them in a pile about 10’ ahead of them. I just gave them a release word, and let them
do whatever they wanted. I knew they’d
both go to the pile of toys, so that wasn’t a concern. I was just curious to see which one they
would choose.
The toy pile consisted of: a
bumper, a jolly ball on a rope, a rabbit skin, a soft plush squeaky toy,
another soft with crinkle fabric inside.
Then I put them out in a line
in front of the dog, and released.
Did they get the same
toy? Or choose a different one? I gave each dog two attempts at each
pile.
Food was a bit more
challenging as I wasn’t sure how to approach it. I didn’t want to put it in a pile, as I
wouldn’t be able to tell what they ate first.
So, I put them about 3’
apart on a lid, in a row and about 5’
in front of the dog. I also did this
‘test’ right after they ate their evening meal, hoping it would result in them
being a bit more thoughtful, and not such pigs.
I then mixed up the order of
the food placement, to see if they would go to the same plate, or actually
choose a different one.
I did each of these twice, and
yes….I let them eat all the food each time.
Life’s short! (‘;
I used a few pieces of cooked
beef, a small pile of ‘candy’ (dog kibble), a spoon full of raw ground turkey,
and a few chucks of cheese.
Seeker’s Results –
Toys in a circle –
Rabbit skin
Crinkle Toy
Soft Toy
Jolly ball - #1 - He LOVES the Jolly ball stuff!
Food - Couldn't tell, he started in the same place, at plate #2 each time and went left, then back to the other 3. He didn't take the time to look for anything 'special'.
Nettle’s Results –
Toys in a circle –
Rabbit skin - #1 - No doubt!!
Crinkle Toy
Soft Toy
Jolly ball
Food - the same as Seeker, she didn't have a clear preference based on this set up. She did get a 3rd try however, as she ate her treats and ran back to set up on her own. It was too cute not to reward. G
Have fun!!
Posts
