We all find value in our daily lives. Maybe its a simple pat on the back for a job well done or the accomplished feeling you get after cutting and trimming your overgrown lawn. If it makes you feel good, there is a good chance you will want to repeat the task more often.

Dogs can find value in everything that they come across each day. We may walk past a stop sign and not even give it a second thought, while your dog is bursting with interest at the same sign. In fact, your dog may not want to leave that spot for a long while! When we are training our dog there are plenty of things that can make or break your dogs concentration.

When I begin training a new behavior I want to make sure that the rewards I am using are irresistible to the dog. I will break out the cheese, turkey, liver or even fish skin which all get the attention of my dog. Each dog you live and train with is different so there’s no guarantee  whatever you are using is going to work, so try new items that offers the highest value. 

Here is a list of rewards and their value from low to high that will help when training:

Kibble= $1

Milkbone= $5

Freeze dried liver= $10

Cheese= $25

Leftover steak/chicken= $50

I’m sure that you can add more to this list while experimenting with your own dog. Remember lower value rewards are for easier behaviors like sit or down. Higher value rewards are for harder to train behaviors like stay or recalls, especially around distractions.

Keep practicing and you will find getting your dog’s attention will be easier if you bump up the value!