How to Manage Reward Schedules in Dog Training

When we move our dog to a variable reward schedule and we do it at the right time, it should produce more drive in our dog to perform. If we have introduced the dog to the "NOPE" marker enough times (hundreds of times - see our online course on Marker Training) the dog will think "Hey I deserve a reward but I didn't get one, I must have done something wrong so I'll try harder next time".
Then the following behaviors it gets rewarded 3 or 4 times, then no reward again. The goal of a variable reward system is to develop a training module where the dog never knows when or how many rewards it's going to get for offering a behavior.
Finding the right balance is your challenge. Being ready to back up your training for a while will help you figure this out. Every dog is different, that's why no one can tell you exactly how to do it for your dog.
LINKS:
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Training Dogs with Food Rewards: university.lee...
The Power of Training Dogs with Markers (2024 Version): university.lee...
NEW COURSES with Ed Frawley:
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Training Your Dog to Come When Called: university.lee...
Dealing with Dominant & Aggressive Dogs: university.lee...
K9 Detector Dog Training with Kevin Sheldahl: university.lee...
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[@mikaelastewart]

Great that you are discussing this - it's so important, but I've seen very little discussion on it. I've just been working through moving my puppy to variable rewards. I found moving to variable challenging when going for duration. Praise really helped maintain duration with my pup. Thanks for the great video!

[@quelnariemrah5624]

This was right on time.

[@jeremyoshea7941]

I just got the DVD. The perfect dog I’m not giving them a shout out. I’m just wondering what your opinion is on Dan’s way of training a dog as if you’re part of the pack.

[@efrawley55]

Never heard of him sorry. But I am not part og any pack, other than my family. I did look it up, the video is 14 years old and focuses on discipline not reward schedules. Dont get me wrong, I have been training dogs for over 60 years and came out of the Yank and Crank period. That is OLD SCHOOL DOG TRAINING.

[@jeremyoshea7941]

I guess a better example would be if you’re across the road and your dog is on the other side and you ask him to stay or they gonna stay because they respect you or they gonna stay because they have a treat coming?……………

[@efrawley55]

My opinion: first I would not allow my dog to be off leash and near a road. That happened one time to me when I was 15 (I am 76 now) and my dog got killed by a car right in front of me. Thats how I learned to keep a dog on leash 100% of the time. Eveb my trained dog. This has nothing to do with reward based training - it has to do with you not understanding correct dog training and good management.

[@kayleigho5561]

Do you still mark when you start moving into a variable reward schedule? Or do we only mark when we plan on also rewarding? Am I supposed to simply stay silent when the dog complies, but I want to not reward the rep so as to move into variable reward? Or should I maybe use verbal praise? I think I have definitely stayed in continuous reinforcement too long, and now I am tryin to move into variable, without my dog flattening/becoming confused when not rewarded. I also plan on purchasing some of your courses soon, hopefully those bring me more clarity. I hope this makes sense. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@efrawley55]

This year I produced a 4 hour online course on Marker training it replaced one I did back in 2005. I woud recommend you get it. Every time you mark you reward the dog - every time. The goal in good dog training it to work towards not using food rewards, This system. builds that - so you ask for your dog to sit, he sits and you break him out of the sit with a different work i.e OK and move on to something eles.

[@jeremyoshea7941]

Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your time………….. may I ask a question if you have the time? Is it OK to be giving dogs food or a treat instead of praise? I know that’s the one thing dogs will fight for is for food, and typically an alpha dog give their food away.. If you’re in a situation where the dog is being distracted and you give a command, they have a choice to make right that they get a treat they might not stay for exam if a car is coming down the road and your dog is off the leash

[@LeerburgDogTraining]

When people have specific training questions we recommend that they go to our website and post those questions in the ASK CINDY on the front page of leerburg.com . Cindy has been training dogs since she was a teenager and has competed in several dog sports at a regional and national level. She was also a vet tech and owned a boarding/training and grooming business for many years as well as breeding working Dobermans and Belgian Malinois under the kennel name Kaiserhaus. Questions posted to ASK CINDY are answered almost every day. They are also recorded in our systems if a dog owner has additional questions Cindy will review the previous Q&As and this helps her give better feedback and assistance. leerburg.com/qa/contact-cindy.php

[@efrawley55]

The way this works is we start small puppies with food rewards, after the dog is done teething we will transition to to toy rewards (if the dog like toysd) - less than 1% of all dogs of every breed will work just for. handler praise. In other words they dont really ever need food rewards or to rewards. I have never had one, my wife had one back in the 1990s - she raised a doberman pup from 8 weeks and took it to the National in Schutzhund 3 - she never needed toy rewards or food rewards for that dog.