Do You Know What Motivates Your Dog?
29m | Aug 12, 2026Do you actually know what motivates your dog?
A lot of us have a certain way we like to train dogs, but one thing I've learned is that the same approach doesn't necessarily work the same way on every dog.
In this episode of Thoughts of a Dog Man, we're talking about learning the individual dog in front of you. Is that dog motivated by food? Praise? Play? Chase? Does pressure make him work harder, or does it cause him to shut down? And are the things we think are rewards actually rewarding to that particular dog?
We also get into rewarding effort versus only rewarding success, accidentally teaching behaviors we didn't intend to teach, knowing when a training method isn't working, and why sometimes the handler has to adjust before we blame the dog.
Because at the end of the day, dog training isn't only about teaching a dog what you want.
It's also about figuring out what makes that particular dog want to give it to you.
Hopefully this one gives new and experienced handlers alike something to think about the next time you're working with a young dog.
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What have you found motivates YOUR dog the most?
