The key distinction every trainer and dog guardian should understand!
When we talk about dog training, we often use phrases such as force-free, positive, reward-based, or science-based. These terms are important, but they are also frequently misunderstood. One of the most common points of confusion revolves around two words that many people assume are interchangeable: reward and reinforcement.
While rewards certainly play a role in training, a reward and a reinforcement consequence are not the same thing. Understanding this difference is essential for anyone who wants to teach, guide, and support dogs effectively, ethically, and compassionately.
This article expands on the key ideas first explored in my 2017 BARKS from the Guild piece, Rewards and Positive Reinforcement Consequences (Stapleton-Frappell, 2017), and incorporates updated applied behavior analysis (ABA) concepts to support trainers and guardians in becoming more precise, more humane, and more effective in their work.
What Reinforcement Really Means
In behavioral science, reinforcement refers to a consequence that strengthens a behavior by increasing the future probability of that behavior under similar conditions (Chance, 2013; Cooper, Heron & Heward, 2020).
For something to qualify as reinforcement, three criteria must be met:
1️⃣ The behavior must have a consequence.
2️⃣ The behavior must increase in frequency, intensity, or duration.
3️⃣ The increase must be because of that consequence – a clear behavioral contingency.
Reinforcement is defined by its effect, not by our intention, and not by the item or event delivered.
In positive reinforcement (+R), a stimulus is added following a behavior (e.g., food, play, access to social interaction). But even when we provide something we think the dog will enjoy, whether reinforcement has occurred can only be determined by looking at what happens to the behavior in the future.
👉 The dog – not the trainer – decides what is reinforcing.
So, What Exactly Is a Reward?
A reward is something the giver offers with the intention of showing appreciation, motivation, or recognition (Oxford University Press, 2017).
This means:
• Rewards are giver-defined, not learner-defined.
• Rewards may be meaningful to us but irrelevant to the dog.
• Rewards do not guarantee behavior change.
A reward only becomes reinforcement if it alters the future probability of the behavior.
I often tell clients to “reward” or “pay” their dogs because this language is warm, accessible, and easy to apply. Professionally, however, it’s essential to know the distinction: a reward is something we offer; a reinforcer is a consequence that changes behavior.
For example:
I once received a trophy for a competition that Jambo and I won. Jambo – my previous and much-loved Staffordshire Bull Terrier, known to many through our training demonstrations and videos – taught me countless lessons about reinforcement, motivation, and clarity long before I ever wrote about these concepts.
In this case, though, the trophy functioned purely as a reward to the organizers, not a reinforcer for me.
✨ It did not increase my likelihood of entering more competitions.
✨ Therefore, it was not a reinforcer.
The same principle applies to dogs. You can offer chicken, cheese, sausage, a tug toy, praise, or affection. But if the behavior does not increase, then regardless of your intention, you offered a reward, not a reinforcer.
Reinforcement Is About Behavior, Not Approval
Rewards often carry social meaning (“good job,” “well done,” “you deserve this”). Reinforcement, however, is deeply objective. It is about:
✔ behavior–environment relationships
✔ consequences that strengthen or maintain behavior
✔ functional outcomes
✔ what the dog learns – not what we intended to teach
This is why behavior analysts emphasize:
• Contingency (behavior → consequence)
• Motivating operations (what increases the value of a reinforcer)
• Functional reinforcers (the behavior’s natural payoff)
• Schedules of reinforcement (fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, variable interval)
A dog doesn’t sit more reliably because we felt pleased; they sit more reliably because the experience functioned as reinforcement.
Environmental Reinforcement: Dogs Are Always Learning
Reinforcement doesn’t only come from us. The environment is constantly shaping behavior.
Example:
Your dog rushes out the front door and spots the neighbor’s cat. The burst of speed, the chase, the thrill – whether or not the dog catches the cat – is powerfully reinforcing. The behavior will almost certainly occur again.
Even if the cat vanishes permanently, the underlying sensory payoff (running, pursuing, excitement) may maintain the behavior; this is intrinsic reinforcement.
If the cat appears unpredictably, the behavior becomes extremely persistent. This is variable ratio reinforcement, the same schedule that keeps humans glued to slot machines. Behaviors maintained on variable schedules are remarkably resistant to extinction. Schedules of reinforcement such as fixed ratio and variable ratio are well-established behavioral principles (Pierce & Cheney, 2017).
👉 The environment may be reinforcing the very behavior we hope to change.
Understanding Reinforcement Schedules: Why They Matter
Schedules of reinforcement determine how often a behavior is reinforced. They profoundly influence the strength, persistence, and consistency of behavior.
- Continuous Reinforcement (CRF)
Every behavior is reinforced.
💡 Best for teaching new skills
⚠️ Extinguishes quickly once reinforcement stops
- Fixed Ratio (FR) Schedules
Reinforcement after a set number of behaviors.
💡 Produces strong, predictable responding
⚠️ May create brief post-reinforcement pauses
- Variable Ratio (VR) Schedules
Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of behaviors.
💡 Produces persistent, durable behavior
💡 Excellent for long-term reliability
(This is the schedule underlying gambling machines.)
- Interval Schedules (Fixed or Variable)
Reinforcement delivered after time passes.
💡 Useful for reinforcing calm behavior or duration behaviors
⚠️ May create patterns around timing
Understanding schedules allows trainers to strategically transition from teaching to maintaining behavior – and prevent “my dog only works when I have food” scenarios.
Why a Treat Isn’t Always Reinforcement
Guardians often say: “I rewarded him – why didn’t it work?”
Three reasons:
- Reinforcement is contextual.
Food indoors may not compete with squirrels outdoors. - Reinforcement depends on competing motivations.
Biological reinforcers (chasing, sniffing, play) may outweigh food. - Reinforcement depends on emotional state.
A stressed or overstimulated dog may not access food as a reinforcer.
Motivating operations shift constantly. For instance, if a dog has just eaten a large meal, food may not function as a reinforcer at that moment. Even a normally high-value treat can lose its effectiveness when the dog is satiated, tired, stressed, or focused on something more motivating, such as a nearby squirrel or the opportunity to greet another dog. This is why reinforcement value is always context-dependent!
Accidental Reinforcement Happens All the Time
A dog jumps.
We push them away, talk, or make eye contact.
From our viewpoint, we’re correcting.
From the dog’s viewpoint: jumping → attention.
If jumping increases, reinforcement has occurred – without any “reward” offered.
Reinforcement is not moral; it is functional.
→ Dogs repeat behaviors that work for them.
Why the Distinction Matters
Confusing rewards with reinforcement leads to:
- stalled progress
- frustration
- mislabeling dogs as stubborn or dominant
- inconsistent behavior
- unclear communication
Training becomes easier when we shift from:
❌ “Did I reward the dog?”
to
✔ “What did the dog learn from that consequence?”
What Skilled Trainers Do
Ethical trainers don’t simply hand out treats; they:
✔ Analyze ABCs
✔ Draw on motivating operations
✔ Adjust reinforcement types and schedules
✔ Reduce competing reinforcers
✔ Build reinforcement histories
✔ Generalize behavior across contexts
✔ Shift to intermittent reinforcement for long-term success
Training is about clarity, communication, compassion, and contingency, not insisting a reward should work.
The Takeaway
All reinforcement involves a consequence, but not all consequences are reinforcing.
All reinforcement involves a reward of some description, but not all rewards function as reinforcers.
Dogs aren’t being awkward, dominant, or defiant.
They are simply repeating behaviors that work for them, and abandoning those that don’t.
When we understand this, training becomes far more humane, effective, and rewarding for both dogs and their guardians.
Rewards are a gift. Reinforcement is communication!
References
Chance, P. (2013). Learning and Behavior (7th ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.
Oxford University Press. Oxford English Dictionary Online. Retrieved [October, 2017].
Pierce, W. D., & Cheney, C. D. (2017). Behavior Analysis and Learning (6th ed.). Psychology Press.
Stapleton-Frappell, L. (2017). Rewards and Positive Reinforcement Consequences. BARKS from the Guild.
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