Lets talk about reinforcers!

A reinforcer can be anything that your dog enjoys but also motivates him to perform and repeat a behavior! The key here is he enjoys it so no negatives. Most people use food however Atlas is a good example of a dog that enjoys a little bit of food but he will not continue to work for food in an entire session. He does like the game of tug, like to scent and he loves to fetch sticks! We use all of these in one session.So as we want to bring value to something like a bike rider, as he looks at the rider from a distance he is comfortable with we deliver a treat, he may play a game of tug, he may get to sniff a tree or he gets a stick tossed for him for a game of fetch. What is the trigger for one or all of these enjoyable things...a bike rider! After a while the bike rider becomes valuable to him instead of something that would make him uncomfortable. He will now look at the rider and then look at us for the reinforcer. I teach this game to many clients whose dogs get worried with things like skaters, joggers, strollers.... Remember always train respectfully and your dog will learn and bond with you at the same time!