Dogs Would Rather Work For Food

If I asked you whether you think your dog would be happier if they had to earn their treats or if they were given treats for free, what would you say?

A group of scientists in Sweden ran a series of experiments to answer just that question, and what they found was that “dogs may experience positive affective states in response to their own achievements”. In other words, dogs were happier when they earned a reward by performing a task, rather than just being freely handed a treat.

The Study

The study had 12 beagles paired off in 6 matched pairs. Each pair was trained to use 3 different tools each, including playing a sound on a special dog piano & ringing a bell.

After a week of training, it was time to test their skills! The dogs were brought into a training arena that had the tools the dogs were trained to use. The rewards they got were: food, being pet by a familiar human, and the opportunity to play with another dog.

When participating as an experimental dog, access to the rewards was granted immediately after the completion of the trained behaviors. When acting as a control, access to the reward was completely independent of the dog’s actions.

As the researchers observed the dogs behavior, they found something quite intriguing! The dogs that performed the skills they had learned to receive a reward looked MUCH MORE excited to return to the arena than the dogs who randomly received rewards without having to do anything in particular to earn them.

“The experimental animals in our study were excited not only by the expectation of a reward, but also about realizing that they themselves could control their access to the reward,” the researchers concluded.

In comparison, the controlled group actually showed signs of frustration (chewed on the equipment) in response to the unpredictability of the situation.

The Conclusions

“These results support the idea that opportunities to solve problems, make decisions, and exercise cognitive skills are important to a dog’s emotional experiences and ultimately, its welfare,” the researchers say.

What This Means For You & Your Dog

I think we can easily take for granted that, as humans, we use our brains all day to solve problems at work and in our lives. Some would say that we use them too much, and we can burn out, as many do. But not using our brains at all can have negative effects as well. We’re built to solve problems, and in many ways, we delight in the eureka moments that serve as recognition that we’ve used our cognitive powers effectively and efficiently to overcome challenges.

And now, it appears as though dogs are exactly the same as us.

So let’s discuss some ways in which we can use your dog’s normal meals as rewards as part of fun enrichment and training activities with them!

Ideas On How To Use Meals As Enrichment Opportunities

• Feed your dog using food dispensing toys, such as Kongs, Wobblers & food puzzles. For our favorite toys in this category, please check out our Toys! Toys! Toys! blog post.

• Feed your dog using a Snuffle Mat.

• Feed your dog by scattering their food in the yard.

• Feed your dog by practicing Nose Work (teach your dog to search for scent and hide his meal portion in a section of your home).

• Reuse delivery boxes and use place different food amounts in boxes, adding “obstructions” that your dog has to move in order to get to the food.

• For more enrichment ideas, please check out the AniEd’s 100 Days of Enrichment website.

Ideas On How To Use Meals As Training Opportunities

• Use your dog’s kibble as a reward for:

  • Practicing basic manners such as Sit, Down, Stay, Watch, Touch, etc.

  • Offering focus/looking at you while out and about.

  • Walking by your side and keeping the leash loose.

  • Sitting when meeting other people while out and about (You can also hand a few pieces to a friendly stranger and have them ask your dog for a Sit and reward them with it).

  • Responding to you even in distracting environments like the local park, coffee shop, etc.

  • Coming over when you call him/her in a variety of different environments.

  • Anything else you are currently working on with your dog.

Have any dog training questions? We are here to help! Send us your questions here.