So far, we have used our heaviest hitting motivators for every single recall. This is helping our dogs to learn fast, and care a lot about getting to us when we call, so it's good. But it's not sustainable. If your dog gets these rewards every time they recall, we risk this extraordinary treat becoming routine, and we also risk some long term health impacts, especially for our smaller dogs. This lesson will cover our strategic way to reward so we keep the impact high and maximize our dog's motivation.

Simply put, we are going to pay for effort. If our dog recalls 20 feet, in a pretty boring environment, we aren't asking them to give a huge effort. The world around them is pretty easy to turn away from, and physically, they don't have to move that much toward us. But, if we ask them to turn away from a flock of geese that they are chasing into the air, 50 meters from us? That is a HUGE effort. They're turning away from something incredibly exciting with so much variety and probably novelty and run back to us for a long time, with lots of time to think about whether or not they should just go back to the geese. For situation 1, my dog with an excellent recall would probably get a small, medium value treat, and some praise and a game. He would love it, and for him, that's more than he needs. However, in situation 2, my dog would get at least half a cheese stick, some extended tug time, and a game of chase me, his absolute favorite. With that second recall, he gave me a huge effort, and I want to do my best to match that.

Now, is the cheese stick and games as good as catching an entire flock of geese? Probably not. I will never be able to match the pure bliss of rolling in something that's been dead for 3 weeks, or provide the thrill of nearly catching a squirrel. But, because I moderately overpaid for his easier efforts, and I increase my payment for more challenging efforts, my dog has stopped questioning whether a recall is worth it. He knows that if he has to work harder, he'll be getting the best deal I've got, and he trusts that that is enough. This is the reason we pay for effort. We want our dog to trust that hard decisions pay out big, every time.

What are factors that make for harder effort from our dog? It depends on the dog. Consider things like chasing, sniffing, and digging, or specific distractors like frisbees, dogs, and water. Distance makes things harder for most dogs, as do environmental conditions like the weather or the terrain. During this unit, you won't have to fully decide, and it'll change over time. I'll guide you through how to reward for effort, but this concept will guide your training through this program and for a lifetime.