Doggy Pay Scales

The use of food in dog training

I was chopping up food for my Puppy School and Happy Hounds training classes and the types of food I was preparing got me thinking (and playing about with the halftone photo app)...

Personally, I don't like using the word 'treat' in dog training.  In my opinion we're not 'treating' our dogs; we're paying them for a job and different jobs require different pay scales.

These thoughts resulted in the following photo and a post on my Happy Hounds Facebook page.  The post has proven to be so popular (and as Facebook doesn't share information with Google) I thought I'd share it via my blog!

Paying our dogs a decent wage:

At my training classes and consultations, I sometimes come across people who are reluctant to use food when training their dogs; they feel that their dogs 'should just do what they are asked' or that they are 'spoiling' their dog by giving them food treats. I don't like to think of the food as a 'treat' - to me, the word 'treat' is synonymous with being spoiled or indulgent (thanks, mainly, to chocolate and luxury goods adverts) - whereas, in reality, food is a dog's pay for doing a job we ask them to do.

I always try to avoid using the word 'treat' in my Happy Hounds Dog Training classes and explain how the food we use in training should be thought of as the dog's pay and I use the concept of 'doggy pay scales' to explain it.

Basic Salary:

Routine jobs may only merit a basic salary - represented by kibble in the photo. A routine 'job' can be a behaviour the dog knows well, or is still learning, but knows well in a certain context - such as practising loose lead walking in your garden, where there are minimum distractions; or waiting politely for you to put the food bowl down before eating.

Enhanced Salary:

When we start increasing the difficulty of the 'job in hand', we need to start paying an 'enhanced salary' (represented by meat and cheese in the photo) - especially if we want to guarantee that our dog learns how to do the job well.

Once you start adding in distractions, distance or duration to a 'job' - you need to increase your dog's salary. Just as different jobs in the human world require different salaries and attract different candidates, the same is true for our canine companions. You need to find the right salary level that works for your dog - to help them succeed. (For some dogs, a tennis ball, or special toy/game may trump cheese/meat - you need to find the right salary for your dog!)

Bonus Pay:

Once your dog knows their 'job' and can reliably perform it on a regular basis, you can then switch to 'bonus pay' (represented by liver cake in the photo). The idea of the bonus pay is that it keeps your dog motivated and ready to perform their 'job' - they may not know when the bonus is coming but it certainly gives a reason to continue doing a job.  (I've a great recipe for liver cake on the blog - here)

Bribes versus Pay:

As for food being a bribe... well, it 'could' be viewed as a bribe when used in luring behaviours  where the food is used as an inducement (the lure) for the dog to perform the cued/desired behaviour.  However, in most cases, the food is delivered after a behaviour/job is completed successfully.  For this, the delivery of the food is contingent on the dog performing the cued/desired behaviour and, to me, this is the equivalent of pay - pure & simple.

I don't think many humans would view their daily/weekly/monthly pay packet as a bribe - do you?!?

How to find a well run puppy class

Honey & her owner's bond is evident to see

... using the W O W factor!

As you’d expect, being a Puppy School tutor, I’m passionate about providing puppies and their families with the best training and behaviour advice.  Whilst a puppy is often likened to a blank sheet and thought of as being easy to train, it’s important to remember that a mistake with a puppy’s training can be like an indelible ink blot on the blank sheet - it leaves its mark.

Puppy training classes should provide you with the tools to bond with your puppy and help educate them (and you) to grow into a well mannered and sociable adult dog.


I’ve experienced at first hand the behaviour problems that can result from lack of appropriate training and positive experiences as a puppy.  All three of my dogs are rescues.  Mina was found as a stray puppy and as such, probably didn’t have the best start in life. As a result, I believe a lot of Mina’s behaviour problems (now conquered) stemmed from a lack of positive experiences and training as a pup.

And for the majority of racing greyhounds, socialisation isn’t particularly high up on the agenda for most kennels.  This means that many of the day to day activities and experiences that pet puppies become accustomed to, and most pet dogs take in their stride, can be daunting experiences for some retired greyhounds.

Instructors are trained to high standards

A chat and catch-up with Gwen Bailey

When I was at Crufts, I managed to catch up with Gwen Bailey, the founder and director of Puppy School.  I asked Gwen about the importance of puppy training, as well as how to find a good puppy class.  Gwen also shared the reasons why she set up Puppy School.
You can listen to the interview below.

listen to ‘Crufts interview with Gwen Bailey, Founder & Director of Puppy School’ on Audioboo

Not all puppy classes are the same

If you’re looking for a puppy class, how do you know which is a good class?  There are lots of classes out there and some are better than others.

Naturally, I would suggest a Puppy School class, as all tutors are trained to high standards in dog behaviour and training.  However, if there isn’t a Puppy School class near you, here are some tips to help you find the right class for you and your puppy, handily summarised as the WOW (Which? Observe. What?) factor!

1.    Which class?

Do your research.  Ask your vet if they can recommend any classes and ask any friends or colleagues who have had puppies which classes they attended.  Don’t just take their word for it though, if you’ve found some classes you like the sound of, ring and ask if you can go along and watch a class (without your puppy). 

Go along and watch a class

I’m happy for anyone to come along and view my classes – and actively encourage prospective clients to come along and watch.  If a trainer won’t allow you to go and watch their class, ask yourself why? What do they have to hide?  Any trainer, worth their salt, won’t mind you coming along to watch a class.

2.    Observe

When you’re at the class watch what’s going on. It can be tempting just to focus on the cute puppies, but you need to look past this.  

How are the puppies and their families enjoying class?  Are they relaxed and having fun, or are they stressed?  Are the puppies barking lots, or are any of the puppies looking nervous and trying to hide?  How many puppies are there in class? Is it a free for all, or are the classes structured?  Does the instructor engage the class?  How does the instructor deal with any problems?  Is any puppy play monitored and interrupted regularly so that puppies learn appropriate play? 

Charlie learns to relax with the help of a
pizzle stick and a Kong

If you see lots of ‘man-handling’ of puppies, for example: pushing bums down to achieve a ‘sit’, harsh lead jerks to walk on a loose lead or ‘alpha-rolling’ puppies who are deemed as ‘misbehaving’, this is a red flag (if it were me, I’d leave - immediately!)

If there are lots of barking puppies and the instructor uses anything like a rattle can (can or bottle full of stones), water sprays, training discs or a pet corrector to interrupt the barking – this is another red flag.  The use of these techniques may stop the barking, as they startle the puppies, but they can make the puppy afraid of loud noises and are certainly not going to help the puppies relax and enjoy the class.

Teaching any dog should not involve any harsh or aversive methods.  On the surface, these methods may appear to work, but more often than not they leave lasting invisible scars and psychological damage.

3.    What? – ask questions

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! You wouldn’t hire a plumber without making sure they were suitably qualified and experienced.  The same is true for dog training instructors.  Ask about their qualifications and experience.

Monty's owner uses reward based methods

Ask what training methods the instructor uses and recommends (hopefully you should have seen these in action at the ‘observe’ stage).  If the instructor talks about dominance and alpha rolls and poo-poos using reward based methods, this is another red flag.  These training methods are flawed, downright dangerous and outdated (see:  The Dog Welfare Campaign website  for more details).  We know that dogs (and most species) respond to positive reinforcement (also known as reward based training) and learn more quickly this way.

What equipment do they use to train? Choke/check chains, prong collars, shock collars or citronella (anti-bark) collars have no place in dog training.

What is the maximum number of puppies allowed in class? (Both Puppy School and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, UK, recommend no more than 8 puppies per instructor).  A small class means more attention from the instructor and more space for puppies to work in.

Fingal & Rasta enjoy and learn from supervised puppy play

Finally, the biggest question you can ask yourself is: “Would me and my puppy enjoy this class?”  If you’re unsure or the answer’s a no – keep looking or perhaps arrange for some one to one training sessions with a reputable trainer.  It is worth taking the time to find the right class and travel some distance... after all, your puppy’s future is in your hands.

Finding a qualified instructor:

There are a number of organisations that provide details of qualified instructors.  The ones I would recommend are:

• Puppy School – www.puppyschool.co.uk
• Association of Pet Dog Trainers – www.apdt.co.uk

Trainers who are Puppy School tutors and/or members of the APDT have gone through rigorous assessments for both their theoretical knowledge and practical skills for running classes.

Let me know what you think...what have been your experiences of puppy classes?

NB: All photos are copyright of Susan McKeon & Puppy School North Lincolnshire