By Claudia Bensimoun

First Published: The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA)

What’s the best way to reward your dog – petting or praising?

Petting or praise—which motivates your dog more? This USDAA feature by Claudia Bensimoun on Barkuptoday.com compares petting versus verbal praise as training rewards, revealing that dogs prefer petting for social bonding and praise for task focus, according to a study.

Agility handlers can use both strategies: petting to strengthen relationships and praise to reinforce commands. From oxytocin release to motivation, it offers practical tips for effective training. Below are key highlights from the article, including how rewards shape behavior. Read the full feature on USDAA.com here.

Agility requires a great deal of teamwork between the dog and handler, and we all understand the importance of effective communication with our furry best friends. If you’re wondering how best to connect with your dog, consider this research by two canine cognition and behavior experts who examined what dogs prefer most: petting or verbal praise.

Dr. Erica N. Feuerbacher from the University of Florida and Dr. Clive Wynne from Arizona State University collaborated at ASU’s Canine Science Collaboratory with 42 dogs of various breeds and mixes, including rescue and pet dogs, to compare their reactions to petting versus praise. They also examined whether dogs had a preference for being petted by their owner over being petted by strangers.

In the first part of the testing, researchers observed how individual dogs interacted with two people in a room. The dog was petted by one person, while another person verbally praised the dog. Both researchers then compared the amount of time the dog spent with each person.

In the second part of the study, 72 rescue and pet dogs were used to examine responses to petting and verbal praise. In this case, one dog was walked into a room with one person inside. The rescue dogs were accompanied by a stranger, while the pet dogs were with their owners. Interactions between the dog and person were studied and recorded. This took place during three-minute increments, over eight times.

Results

The study demonstrated that dogs clearly enjoy being petted far more than being showered with verbal praise. Furthermore, they enjoy being petted, regardless of who is doing the petting —whether it’s their owner or a stranger. 

Dr. Wynne, well-known for his work on canine cognition, added that the dogs seem to show more interest in the person who was touching them than in whoever was doing the verbal praising or talking, even if it was their owner. Dr. Feuerbacher also mentioned that dogs have a lower heart rate and lower blood pressure when petted, similar to humans.

Nonetheless, research from a previous study does show that there is one thing that dogs do prefer above all else – eating. So next time you’re thinking of rewarding your dog, try petting and a treat instead of just a “good dog.”

Claudia Bensimoun, Petting vs Praise, Dog Reward Preferences, Canine Training Motivation, USDAA Agility Rewards, Dog Behavior Science, Petting for Bonding, Praise for Training, Dog Social Rewards, Vet Training Insights, Dog Agility Wellness, Canine Cognition, Pet Training Tips, Holistic Dog Training, Dog Oxytocin Release

Resources

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635714001879

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25173617