Jackpots

(This post is part of the April A to Z blogging challenge.)

Dogs are opportunistic scavengers, one of the gambling addicts of the animal kingdom. They try things, and go with what works. We've bred them to be less afraid of novel objects and situations than wolves, and this leads to some truly awesome things.

But at the base of many behaviors is the idea that they will pay off. A jackpot is the term used because just like someone working a slot machine or a card table, they will put in a lot of effort for a single payout. Variable rewards, where the dog is guessing and hoping for a big payout, are the best reward schedules. It's why, after 3 months of training, when you give in *just once*, you start all over. There was a payout. Maybe it'll happen again. It makes training easier- oops, missed that one, I'll reward double on the next effort- and so much harder- crap, I rewarded what I didn't want.

If I get ten steps of heeling, and I give the same treat on the tenth step every time, my dog is going to start choosing to take that reward, or to start thinking about other things. Maybe a rabbit grazing in the neighbor's yard looks more interesting than doing the same thing for the same reward. But those same treats, on the third, twelfth, fifth, ninth, and twentieth step get more interesting. It's no longer predictable.

Getting behavior (sit, down, stay, stand, come) and perfecting behavior (two feet away is too far, two inches pays off) can be done with many methods, but the idea that sometimes, and unpredictably, A Whole Bunch Of Good Happens can motivate a dog who's otherwise not interested.

The best thing about most jackpots are that it can be one normal sized treat broken into three pieces and feed 1-2-3 with a lot of praise, or a break to play and chase, or a belly rub. The varied nature of the reward, as well as the varied timing of the reward, helps keep handler and dog engaged and willing to put in the work.

Jackpots work for humans as well. Year end bonuses, commissions, the lottery, birthday and holiday gifts. We look forward to things we expect to be good, but just a bit unknown, more than we look forward to our steady paychecks. We like our steady paychecks, but if they're very reliable and inflexible, they become a bit boring.

I find that when a dog gives a much better performance or a much higher level of try into a behavior, that's my jackpot. I want to see them working, but I want them to have fun. I want to see them thinking and my hard work paying off. Just like any other gambling addict, I'll go back and try to make *this time* pay off, and I'll stick through the not so great times looking for that great time, so I can have that jackpot. For me, stopping on that high note instead of chasing the next payoff is the hard part. Especially once my dogs are in the game and looking for their own jackpot.