[NAGDU] Which Do Dogs Prefer - Treats or Praise?

Tue Apr 25 19:27:41 UTC 2023

I was also curious about the breeds of the dogs. I have only worked
labradors, and as different as both my dogs were, they both went nuts
if I tried to reward them with treats. So once we got home, I did not
use treats with either because they knew the treats were there and
couldn't focus. My second dog in particular loved being praised. He
would do anything for ear scratches and some love. But dogs aren't all
the same. I have to admit though that I like the dogs who work better
with praise. Carrying around treats is a pain.

But I agree that this study seems to consider all breeds the same. I'm
just not sure I really trust the conclusions if the study is unclear
about how the dogs were raised, trained, etc. It seems like they all
have different backgrounds, and that will affect the outcomes. Very
interesting discussion though.

Julie

On 4/25/23, Danielle Sykora via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Personally, I don't love the interpretations of articles like this. It
> typically ends up as a food vs. petting vs. praise vs. toy discussion.
> In reality, multiple different rewards can be used; it does not have
> to be a one or the other scenario.
>
> Also, it is so much more complicated than does a dog prefer food or
> praise. What breed is the dog? A Lab is much more likely to have a
> high food drive than a GSD? What is the dog's individual preference?
> Like humans, every dog is unique. Some dogs think food is nice, while
> other dogs think food is the best thing that ever happened. Some dogs
> enjoy making their human happy, while other dogs live to give their
> human whatever the human wants. Some dogs like playing with certain
> toys on occasion; other dogs absolutely live to play. What kind of
> relationship does the individual dog have with the individual person?
>
> This study is also assuming every dog is a blank slate, but we don't
> actually know the dog's history. We don't know if the dog has been
> rewarded for ignoring food in the past. We don't know how long each
> dog has been with their handler. We don't know if each individual dog
> actually likes the food being offered or not. We don't know if the dog
> was exposed to body handling as a puppy, which will influence their
> reaction to physical touch. We don't know if the dogs have previously
> been rewarded with food or toys for coming to their handler, which
> would mean they are anticipating a food/toy reward is possible rather
> than solely wanting attention from the handler.
>
> This is an interesting small study, but we need to be careful with
> conclusions.
>
> I also disagree that using food rewards creates scavenging. Letting a
> dog scavenge and a dog genetically predisposed to have a high food
> drive creates scavenging. If you never gave your dog a treat in it's
> life but you let it pick up food off the floor when working, the dog
> will scavenge. If you drop food rewards on the floor and let the dog
> pick them up, especially without giving them permission to do so in
> some way, the dog will likely scavenge. If you bring the food to the
> dog and let them take it out of your hand, there is no connection with
> picking up food on the ground. Also, a dog that doesn't really care
> about food will have a much easier time ignoring food and won't be
> excited about it should they scavenge successfully. A highly food
> motivated dog will be very tempted by food on the ground, and will be
> extremely motivated to try again if they successfully pick something
> up.
>
> Danielle
>
> On 4/25/23, Joy Relton via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi, I am now working my seventh guide. I believe the proper question is
>> "what motivate that particular guide?" I have had dogs who didn't care
>> about
>> treats, but, if you gave them a warm praise they simply blossomed. I have
>> had trainers work with dogs who weren't responding to something I wanted
>> them to do and they asked me "what motivates him/her?" Having said that, I
>> have found that you can over do treats. The treat needs to be a motivate
>> and
>> a reward but should be tapered off once you get the response you needed.
>> This is especially true if it becomes a distraction. I have had dogs who
>> grew to expect the treat and would negotiate to receive the treat first,
>> then, they'd show me what I wanted. I always give the praise first, then
>> the
>> treat, and then begin to make the treats less frequent.
>>
>> My first trainer used to say "it has to be a balance between affection,
>> correction and praise" I agree with that. I also agree that praise is
>> their
>> pay check. Think about that, if you don't get paid or rewarded in some
>> way,
>> how long will you be doing whatever it is that you are doing?
>>
>> Extra, scratches, pats and hugs to all of your four-legged partners.
>>
>> Joy and Vicky
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sherry Gomes via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 9:28 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Sherry Gomes <sherry.gomes at outlook.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Which Do Dogs Prefer - Treats or Praise?
>>
>> I disagree with the idea that food rewards make for scrounging dogs. My
>> most
>> recent four dogs, including my current guide Shani, have all been trained
>> with food, and none of them have been scroungers. I got my first dog in
>> 1975, and for nearly thirty years, I was a never, not ever give treats
>> sort
>> of handler. After all, nobody was doing food rewards then. When I argued
>> with my instructor, the first time they started talking about using food,
>> he
>> told me that if I thought the trainers had never used food while training
>> dogs, I could think again. I trusted him, as he'd trained two of my dogs
>> before, so I tried it, and I would never want to go back. I won't rave
>> about
>> all the benefits I find with food rewards, but as to scrounging, I'll say
>> this. For twenty years now, I've been using food rewards, combined with
>> physical and verbal praise, and none of those dogs have scrounged. I can
>> take them anywhere, and have, grocery stores, restaurants/coffee shops, my
>> home, other people's homes, inside or outside parties, picnics, anything.
>> I've been to parties, even in this past year, at my sister's where my dog
>> is
>> loose, people are walking or sitting around with food, even kids, and my
>> dog
>> doesn't beg or scavenge. I had Christmas dinner here, last year, and my
>> house was full, and my dog did not scrounge. I thought the same thing,
>> that
>> food rewards would lead to scavenging behavior, but it just didn't turn
>> out
>> that way.
>>
>>
>> Sherry
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jody ianuzzi via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 9:00 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Jody ianuzzi <thunderwalker321 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Which Do Dogs Prefer - Treats or Praise?
>>
>> Hello Tracy,
>>
>> I agree completely! Of course my dog is a German Shepherd and they respond
>> highly to accomplishing tasks and praise. My dog could care less about
>> treats and food
>>
>> I actually think that emphasizing treats and training has a far negative
>> affect and that the dog is always scrounging for food.
>>
>> JODY
>>
>> To Boldly Go  🖖🏻
>>
>>
>> thunderwalker321 at gmail.com
>>
>> "What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS
>> Erik
>> Weihenmayer
>>
>>> On Apr 25, 2023, at 11:36 AM, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I finally got around to reading this article.  Very interesting.  Kinda
>>> calls into question some schools big emphasis on treats.  Also
>>> interesting
>>> that verbal praise didn't score much higher than nothing.  Maybe it's the
>>> quality of the praise, squeaky-happy vs the more calm good boy.
>>> I do give my boy a pat when he's done something great.  He got some pats
>>> yesterday, leading me carefully around recycle barrels in the middle of
>>> the sidewalk.  Now I know petting is the best, maybe I'll give him more
>>> when we're out working.
>>> Thanks Jodi.
>>> Tracy
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jody ianuzzi via
>>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Friday, February 10, 2023 8:26 AM
>>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Jody ianuzzi <thunderwalker321 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [NAGDU] Which Do Dogs Prefer - Treats or Praise?
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/treats-or-praise/?ui=6e6bee1e2d761aaca7a4627c47115e633f57c6fbfb8a9d6ce7dae81cba93e03a&sd=20221226&utm_source=petsnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1ReadMore&utm_campaign=20230210Z1
>>>
>>> Which Do Dogs Prefer — Treats or Praise?
>>> Ever wonder what can motivate and reward your pet the most? This study,
>>> which looked at the brains of 15 dogs as their owners either praised them
>>> or offered a food treat, sheds fascinating light on the question. How
>>> would your dog respond?
>>>
>>> Analysis by Dr. Karen Shaw Becker
>>> Feb 10, 2023
>>>
>>>
>>> STORY AT-A-GLANCE
>>>
>>> A 2016 study attempted to answer the question of whether dogs prefer
>>> treats over praise, or vice versa Emory University researchers used fMRI
>>> scanners to observe the neural activity of 15 dogs presented with the
>>> opportunity for praise from their owners, or tasty treats Most of the
>>> dogs
>>> (13 of 15) showed the same or more brain activity when they were praised;
>>> only two dogs showed a consistent preference for food An earlier study to
>>> determine whether dogs prefer petting to praise concluded that petting is
>>> the clear and consistent winner
>>>
>>> Advertisement
>>> Many dogs are so food-focused their humans are pretty sure they’d sell
>>> them out for a tasty treat. And it’s no wonder, since most dogs seem more
>>> motivated by food than anything else in the world. This food obsession is
>>> why training treats exist. It’s why dog trainers almost always advise
>>> using treats to help shape a pet’s behavior.
>>>
>>> So, if you’ve ever asked yourself, "Does little Buddy (or Belle) love me,
>>> or just the food I provide?" you’re certainly not alone. But there’s
>>> reason to take heart given the results of a small study that evaluated
>>> which thing dogs prefer more — food rewards, or praise from their human.
>>>
>>> Some Dogs Value Praise at Least as Highly as Food Treats
>>>
>>> For the study, a team of Emory University researchers used fMRI scanners
>>> to look at the brains of 15 dogs as their owners either praised them or
>>> offered a food treat.
>>>
>>> The dogs were first trained to associate three different objects with
>>> three different outcomes. A pink toy truck meant a food reward; a blue
>>> toy
>>> knight meant verbal praise from the dog’s owner; and a hairbrush meant no
>>> reward. The dogs completed 32 trials for each object while the fMRI
>>> machine recorded their brain activity.
>>>
>>> Unsurprisingly, all 15 dogs reacted more strongly to the truck and the
>>> toy
>>> knight than the hairbrush. Also:
>>>
>>> Nine of the 15 showed similar neural activity in response to both the
>>> truck and the toy knight, indicating they found both treats and praise
>>> equally motivating Four dogs showed an especially strong reaction to the
>>> blue toy knight, suggesting they were apt to be more motivated by praise
>>> than food The remaining 2 dogs showed a consistently stronger reaction to
>>> the pink toy truck, indicating a preference for treats over praise
>>> Result: For most of the dogs (13 of the 15), the areas of the brain
>>> responsible for reward and decision-making showed the same or more
>>> activity when they were praised than when they received a treat.
>>>
>>> Most Dogs Seek Human Interaction for Its Own Sake
>>>
>>> In the second phase of the study, the dogs were put in a simple maze
>>> constructed with baby gates. There was a bowl of food at the end of one
>>> path in the maze, and their humans sat with their backs to them at the
>>> end
>>> of a second path. Most of the dogs took the path that led to their owners
>>> and received praise.
>>>
>>> The dogs who headed for the food bowl were the same ones who showed a
>>> preference for treats over praise during the fMRI scan. Emory
>>> neuroscientist and lead study author Gregory Berns summed it up this way:
>>>
>>> "We are trying to understand the basis of the dog-human bond and whether
>>> it’s mainly about food, or about the relationship itself. Out of the 13
>>> dogs that completed the study, we found that most of them either
>>> preferred
>>> praise from their owners over food, or they appeared to like both
>>> equally.
>>> Only two of the dogs were real chowhounds, showing a strong preference
>>> for
>>> the food."
>>> One of the chowhounds was a shorthaired terrier mix named Ozzie. Ozzie
>>> chose food over his owner’s praise 100% of the time. (Fortunately, his
>>> owner understands that Ozzie’s a foodie and loves him anyway!)
>>>
>>> Conventional wisdom holds that dogs are primarily "Pavlovian machines"
>>> says Berns. In other words, their only motivation is food, and the humans
>>> in their lives are simply a means to an end. However, a more current view
>>> is that dogs also seek human contact for its own sake.
>>>
>>> "Dogs are individuals and their neurological profiles fit the behavioral
>>> choices they make," says Berns. "Most of the dogs alternated between food
>>> and owner, but the dogs with the strongest neural response to praise
>>> chose
>>> to go to their owners 80 to 90% of the time.
>>> It shows the importance of social reward and praise to dogs. It may be
>>> analogous to how we humans feel when someone praises us."
>>> The counterpoint to Ozzie was a Labrador-Golden Retriever mix named Kady,
>>> who was quite consistent in her preference for praise. This will make
>>> perfect sense if you’re familiar with these breeds, as they tend to be
>>> exceptionally motivated by a desire to please their humans.
>>>
>>> That’s why there are so many Labs and Goldens involved in therapy work,
>>> whereas dogs who aren’t highly motivated by praise may be better suited
>>> for work requiring a degree of independence, such as search and rescue.
>>>
>>> Earlier Study Measured the Value of Petting vs. Praise
>>>
>>> If you’re surprised most of the dogs in the Emory study seemed to value
>>> praise and treats more or less equally, you’ll probably be much less
>>> surprised at the results of an earlier study that proves your furry
>>> companion loves to be petted.
>>>
>>> Researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Arizona
>>> set out to determine whether dogs favor petting over verbal praise, as
>>> well as whether it mattered to the dogs who did the petting or praising —
>>> their owner or a stranger.
>>>
>>> The researchers worked with three groups of dogs — shelter dogs, family
>>> dogs tested with strangers, and family dogs tested with their humans.
>>> Each
>>> dog was brought into a room on leash to meet two assistants sitting in
>>> chairs.
>>>
>>> For the first two groups of dogs, both assistants were strangers, but for
>>> the third group, one assistant was a stranger and the other was the dog's
>>> owner. One of the two assistants greeted the dog with praise; the other
>>> greeting involved petting.
>>>
>>> The dog was then taken to a point in the room an equal distance from both
>>> assistants, the leash was removed, and the dog's voluntary interaction
>>> with each assistant was measured in 10-minute sessions.
>>>
>>> During each session, the assistants offered either praise only, or
>>> petting
>>> only for five minutes. Then they switched roles for the remaining five
>>> minutes. The dogs were measured according to the physical closeness and
>>> amount of time spent with each assistant.
>>>
>>> Petting Was the Hands-Down Winner
>>>
>>> The results of the experiment left no room for doubt — every single dog
>>> preferred petting to verbal praise. Not only did the dogs spend more time
>>> with the person doing the petting, but they did so even when it was their
>>> owner doing the praising, and a stranger doing the petting.
>>>
>>> And when the assistants switched places halfway through the session, the
>>> dogs continued to hang with the petting person. It's possible that one of
>>> the reasons dogs dig petting so much is because their heart rate and
>>> blood
>>> pressure are lowered by the experience.
>>>
>>> So, whether it's shelter dogs or family dogs, and whether they’re with
>>> their own humans or strangers, they choose petting over praise every
>>> time.
>>> They can't get enough of it. And while verbal praise temporarily
>>> interested the dogs, it didn't rank much higher than no interaction at
>>> all.
>>>
>>> According to the researchers, these results confirm that petting provides
>>> positive reinforcement for canine behavior. Being petted is likely a
>>> naturally occurring reinforcing stimulus for dogs, whereas praise alone
>>> isn't effective and may need to be paired with petting or food.
>>>
>>> Sources & References
>>>
>>> Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience July 7, 2016
>>>
>>> Emory University, August 16, 2016
>>>
>>> Behavioural Processes, Vol. 110, January 2015, pp 47-59
>>>
>>> Conditional Reflex: A Pavlovian Journal of Research & Therapy, 1968, Vol.
>>> 3, Iss. 2, pp 69-80
>>>
>>> Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, May 2014, Vol. 101,
>>> Iss.
>>> 3, pp 385-405
>>>
>>> Today's Pet Video:
>>>
>>> Prairie Dogs Uniquely Equipped to Survive Desert Life
>>>
>>>
>>> Scientists believe prairie dogs have the most sophisticated vocal animal
>>> language ever decoded. They need it as a warning system, given all the
>>> predators they encounter.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> JODY
>>>
>>> To Boldly Go  🖖🏻
>>>
>>>
>>> thunderwalker321 at gmail.com
>>>
>>> "What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS
>>> Erik Weihenmayer _______________________________________________
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-- 
Julie A. McGinnity
MM Vocal Performance, 2015; American University Washington College of
Law, JD Candidate 2023