Environmental enrichment for dogs
September 10, 2026
Knowing how to train a puppy using positive reinforcement will help them learn new skills while protecting their confidence and strengthening the bond you share.
Positive reinforcement means rewarding a behaviour you would like your puppy to repeat. When your puppy performs the desired action and immediately receives something they value, that behaviour becomes more likely to happen again.
It is also important to understand how often to reward your puppy during the different stages of learning. This is known as a “schedule of reinforcement” and should change as your puppy progresses from learning a new behaviour to reliably performing it around distractions.
When training a puppy, you need to identify what motivates them to perform the behaviour you want.
Rewards can include:
Food is highly motivating for many puppies, but it will not necessarily be the best reward in every situation.
The type and value of the reward can affect your puppy’s concentration, enthusiasm and performance. A reward that is too low in value may not hold their attention, while something overly exciting can make it difficult for them to concentrate.
What motivates your puppy may change from day to day, or even from one moment to the next.
Food may work well during a quiet training session at home but struggle to compete with other puppies, people or interesting smells outside. In a different situation, your puppy may be more motivated by a toy, praise or the opportunity to explore.
If food is your puppy’s primary motivation, try training before their usual mealtime when they are naturally interested in food. However, you should never deliberately deprive your puppy of food to make them perform.
For my dog Darcy, treats work extremely well, but he is also highly motivated by the chance to chase his squeaky chicken toy, “Chick Chick”.
If I want Darcy’s immediate attention, or ask him to perform a familiar trick such as a high five, the toy can be an excellent reward. However, if I tried to use it to teach him a calm sit-and-stay, he would probably become too excited to concentrate or sit still.
Understanding your puppy’s individual preferences will help you select the right reward for the behaviour, environment and stage of learning. Varying the reward can also help from having them get too focused on the food, and becoming distracted from the training.
Puppies are not born understanding the rules of our human world. They need us to teach them clearly and consistently what we would like them to do.
During during the early stages of learning, when they still don’t yet understand the what it is you want them to do, you should be rewarding every small step towards the end goal.
See further below for how often you should be rewarding your puppy at every stage of their learning.
However, it is important to remember that even once they know what is expected of them, and even for adult dogs, it is important we keep them motivated. Learn more about training a dog, and why continuing to reward them throughout their life for desired behaviours is so important HERE.
Focusing on reinforcement:
If you need to interrupt an unwanted behaviour, keep your response calm, clear and minimal. Then show your puppy what you would like them to do instead and reward that behaviour.
For example:
Your puppy jumps up → you remove your attention → your puppy sits or keeps four paws on the floor → you immediately reward them.
Removing attention makes jumping less rewarding, while reinforcing the sit or calm greeting teaches your puppy what works instead. For more tips on ‘jumping’ click HERE.
The most useful learning comes from rewarding the appropriate alternative, not simply correcting the unwanted behaviour.
If you find yourself constantly telling your puppy “no”, it may mean:
That is usually a training or communication problem – not a “bad puppy” problem.
Ask yourself:
Puppies repeat behaviours that work for them – even when we find those behaviours frustrating.
Giving your puppy attention when they jump, bark, whine or mouth your hands can inadvertently reinforce the behaviour. Even looking at, speaking to or touching them may provide the attention they were seeking.
Common examples include:
Rather than simply correcting your puppy, identify what they are trying to achieve and teach them a more appropriate way to access it.
You can also read more about how owners may accidentally reward unwanted dog behaviour.
There are three broad stages involved in teaching and strengthening a behaviour:
Your schedule of reinforcement – how and when you reward your puppy – should change as they progress through these stages.
The Teaching Phase
When you begin teaching a new behaviour, your puppy has no understanding of what you expect or which action will earn the reward.
Reward every successful response during this stage. This is known as a continuous schedule of reinforcement and helps your puppy make a clear association between their behaviour and its positive consequence.
You can also reward small steps towards the final behaviour. This process is known as shaping or reinforcing successive approximations.
For example, when teaching your puppy place training, such as ‘on you bed’ you might initially reward them for:
Gradually raise your criteria as your puppy begins to understand the exercise.
Training sessions should be short, clear and enjoyable. Finish while your puppy is still engaged rather than continuing until they become tired, distracted or frustrated.
Transitioning from teaching to training
A puppy does not suddenly progress from having no association with a cue to performing the behaviour perfectly in every situation.
During this transition, continue to be clear, consistent and patient. If your puppy makes a mistake, calmly help them try again rather than becoming frustrated or quickly telling them off.
Only reduce the frequency of food rewards once your puppy clearly understands the cue and performs the behaviour reliably in that particular environment.
Remember that their level of understanding may differ between exercises. Your puppy might have a reliable sit but still be learning to stay, come when called or walk on a loose lead.
Adjust your expectations and rewards for each individual skill.
The Training Phase
Once your puppy understands the behaviour and can perform it reliably, you can gradually introduce an intermittent schedule of reinforcement.
This means food or another high-value reward is no longer provided after every correct response. You might sometimes use praise, sometimes provide a treat and occasionally offer a particularly valuable reward.
Avoid removing food rewards too quickly or following a rigid pattern, such as rewarding every third response. If the pattern becomes predictable, your puppy may learn that some responses are unlikely to earn anything.
Instead, vary the timing while continuing to acknowledge correct behaviour.
You can also use a jackpot reward when your puppy responds especially well or achieves an important breakthrough.
A jackpot could be:
The Proofing Phase
Proofing involves helping your puppy perform a familiar behaviour reliably in different places and around increasing levels of distraction.
Dogs do not automatically generalise their learning. A puppy that sits reliably in your lounge room may not understand that the same cue applies in the garden, at puppy school or near another dog.
Introduce only one new challenge at a time, such as:
When you introduce a new environment or increase the difficulty, temporarily return to frequent rewards. This helps your puppy understand that the familiar behaviour still applies under the new conditions.
Once they are responding reliably again, you can gradually return to a more varied reinforcement schedule.
If your puppy struggles, reduce the difficulty or move farther away from the distraction. This is more effective than repeatedly giving a cue they are currently unable to follow.
Treats are useful because they are easy to deliver quickly, but keep the pieces very small so you can reward frequently without overfeeding your puppy.
Treats and other foods provided outside your puppy’s complete and balanced diet should generally account for no more than 10% of their total daily calorie intake.
You can also measure out part of your puppy’s regular daily food allowance and use it during training.
Remember to take all training food into account when calculating how much your puppy eats throughout the day.
One of the most common training mistakes is to stop rewarding a puppy once they appear to understand a behaviour.
We often notice unwanted behaviour immediately but take calm, appropriate behaviour for granted. If your puppy is lying quietly, greeting someone politely, walking nicely or entertaining themselves with an appropriate toy, acknowledge it.
You will see more of the behaviours you regularly reinforce.
As your puppy matures, food does not need to follow every familiar behaviour. However, continuing to use praise, play, occasional treats and everyday rewards will help maintain their good habits.
The ultimate goal is not simply to stop unwanted behaviour. It is to teach your puppy the skills they need to become a confident and well-behaved adult dog.
How often should I reward my puppy during training?
When teaching a completely new behaviour, reward every correct response and every useful step towards the final behaviour. Once your puppy understands the exercise and performs it reliably, you can gradually vary the type and frequency of rewards.
Should I use treats every time I train my puppy?
Treats are helpful, particularly during early learning, but they are not the only possible reward. You can also use their daily food allowance, praise, toys, play, affection and access to activities your puppy enjoys.
When should I stop giving my puppy treats?
Do not suddenly stop rewarding a behaviour. Once it is reliably learned, gradually replace some food rewards with praise, play or everyday rewards while occasionally continuing to provide food.
If you increase the difficulty or introduce a distracting environment, return to more frequent rewards until your puppy succeeds reliably again.
What should I do when my puppy ignores a cue?
Avoid repeating the cue or becoming frustrated. Consider whether your puppy understands the behaviour, whether the environment is too distracting and whether your reward is motivating enough.
Make the exercise easier, move away from the distraction or return to an earlier stage of training.
How long should puppy-training sessions last?
Keep sessions short and enjoyable. Several brief sessions throughout the day are generally more effective than one long session. Your puppy’s age, energy and ability to concentrate will determine when they need a break.
Is it okay to tell my puppy “no”?
A calm interruption may sometimes be necessary for safety or to stop an unwanted behaviour, but “no” does not tell your puppy what they should do instead.
Redirect them towards an appropriate behaviour and reinforce it. If you are saying “no” frequently, look at how you can adjust the environment, prevent the behaviour or make the desired alternative clearer.
If you have just brought a new puppy home, check out more articles to help with that here.
About the Author: Lara Shannon is a certified dog behaviourist and trainer, pet food nutrition specialist, Executive Producer and Host of Pooches at Play on Channel 10 and editor of Poochesatplay.com. Lara also runs her own dog training business in Melbourne’s Bayside area and is the Author of World of Dogs and Eat, Play, Love Your Dog
Environmental enrichment for dogs
Crate training your dog or puppy
Positive reinforcement dog training
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