How to praise your dog

Modern dog training is reward based, and it is highly successful. The normal reward used in training is food. However, there are times when you might want to reward your dog for something and you don’t have any food on you.

Maybe you want to start fading out treats – my 18-month-old dog doesn’t get a treat every time he sits or takes two steps in heel position – but you still want to let your dog know he’s done a good job. Maybe your dog just isn’t that into food (some dogs aren’t). What do you do?

There’s something that you have with you all the time, it’s free, and your dog will value it highly. In this video, I talk about using praise and affection in training.