Motivating Your Dog Through Play, Reward and Enrichment

Training works best when your dog genuinely wants to take part. In one of our training videos, trainer Ross Henderson demonstrates using a toy and a marker word to reward exactly the behaviour he wants to see more of, part of the wider approach covered in our puppy training programme.

Every dog is motivated differently

Food is the most valuable reward for some dogs, while others respond far more strongly to a favourite toy, a game of tug, praise or movement. At Royvon we look at what motivates each individual dog rather than assuming a single approach fits everyone, some dogs are food-focused, some are toy-focused, some need movement before they can settle, others need calm, structured handling before they're ready to learn at all. Understanding this makes training clearer, kinder and truly more effective, and it's a theme that runs right through our cognitive enrichment approach.

Matching the toy to the dog

Not every toy works the same way. A dog with a strong chase drive often responds best to something that moves, a flirt pole or a ball thrown a short distance, while a dog who likes to grip and pull tends to engage more with a tug toy used as a two-way game rather than a solo chew. Food-dispensing toys suit a dog who needs a slower, more thoughtful outlet, useful for settling energy rather than raising it. Watching which toys your dog actually seeks out, rather than which ones you assume they'll like, tells you far more than guesswork.

Using toys as a training reward

A toy keeps a dog engaged, especially one who enjoys chasing, carrying or tugging, and used well it becomes a genuine way to communicate, not just play. Changing direction, adjusting movement, and placing the reward carefully all help a dog stay focused and understand exactly what they did right, if a dog moves into the correct position, the reward appearing right there makes the lesson unmistakably clear. Once a behaviour is reliable, moving from rewarding every single repetition to rewarding it every second or third time actually strengthens it further, a dog who isn't sure exactly when the toy is coming tends to stay more engaged than one on a fixed schedule.

Why marker words matter

Ross also uses a marker word, a clicker or simply "good", to mark the exact instant a dog makes the right choice. Think of it as a snapshot: "that's what earned the reward." Since timing matters so much in training, a reward arriving even a moment too late can confuse which behaviour is actually being rewarded, a clear marker bridges that gap, something covered in more depth in our guide to your first clicker training session.

How this connects to enrichment

Motivation isn't just about getting a command performed, it's about understanding what a dog enjoys and how they naturally like to engage with the world. Play-based training supports physical movement, problem-solving, bonding, confidence, impulse control and focus around distractions, all at once, rather than any one of these in isolation. For many dogs, a toy isn't just a reward, it's a genuine outlet for natural behaviour, done well, it helps a dog think, move and work with their handler in a positive way, the same bonding-focused thinking behind our guide to teaching peekaboo.

Getting the right support

Get in touch to find out more about our play-based training approach.