07/06/2025
🎯 Setting Your Dog Up for Success – Motivation is NOT a Given!
One of the biggest things we focus on at Fort K9 is making sure our dogs are set up to succeed. That means constantly investing in their motivation, because it isn’t something that just stays topped up on its own. You’ve got to build it, protect it, and replenish it session after session.
Take Zen, for example.
💬 She looks like a motivated dog in both training and at shows. But the truth is, if I didn’t keep consistently investing into her motivation bank, I’d have nothing left. She’s a classic over-thinker willing to please but hesitant to try for fear of making mistakes.
So with Zen, I build her confidence and set her up for success every step of the way.
🐾 I rarely run a full course in training without rewarding along the way. I’ll place food pots or toys on the ground to keep her forward-focused and also reward her directly from my hand.
👉 Her contacts and weaves aren’t areas she naturally feels confident in. That’s why I reward those individual obstacles in every session. And as a result, her confidence and sp*ed on them are growing.
If I just kept running full courses without rewarding those specific challenges, they’d deteriorate. They’re not easy for her, so they need that extra reinforcement.
🎯 Of course, in shows, I can’t reward her mid-run but I’m constantly counterbalancing that with heavy reinforcement during training. And if she’s already faulted in a run, I’ll still stop on a contact or after some weaves and give her a big fuss. Yes, I know touching your dog gets you eliminated but the fault has already happened. Why not reinforce the good?
Now compare that to Faith.
⚡️ Faith finds agility highly self-rewarding. Her challenge will likely be staying calm and thinking clearly. If she gets over-aroused at a show, I’ll take her out of the ring not to punish her, but to avoid reinforcing that state of mind. Letting her continue in a frazzled mindset won’t teach her how to stay connected and focused.
💡 Every dog is different. Just like people. And our handling and training needs to reflect that.
Time and time again, I see people trying to run full agility courses with dogs who clearly don’t have the motivation to do so. The dogs might manage a few obstacles before reaching one they aren’t confident in like the weaves and then disengage to sniff or p*e.
That moment? That’s where the handler missed the opportunity to reward when the dog was still with them. The dog learns that disengaging is more rewarding than staying in the game.
🎾 This brings me to one of the most important parts of dog training: you must be part of the reward. Build the connection through toys, food, play—whatever your dog finds reinforcing.
And don’t just use what you think is a reward use what your dog finds rewarding.
🔁 A while ago, I worked with a handler new to agility who used food rewards. But their dog kept running to their partner who was holding a ball. I suggested we use that ball, and the handler said, “But that’s the pinnacle for my dog!”
Exactly. That’s why we use it. Especially early on or in group environments, we need to use what truly motivates the dog.
This is something I do with all my dogs from the very beginning.
🐶 My 5-month-old pup Vibe can already work confidently in a group class. Even when other dogs come into her space, she stays focused.
Why?
1️⃣ I reward regularly from day one and I make it worth it. Not just a single piece of kibble or one casual ball toss. I reward to match the dog’s effort.
2️⃣ I set my dogs up for success. I use platforms to create structure and clarity they know it means training time, and they learn to focus in any environment.
Platforms also help when I need to leave my dog stationary so I can get into position for example, standing behind a jump with a toy in my hand ready to reward the next rep.
📍 I’m also not afraid to use tools like long lines. If my dog is distracted, I’ll pop one on and work within that framework. I don’t want them practicing self-rewarding behaviours like sniffing, p*eing, or interacting with other dogs in training or show environments.
🏆 At shows, I use a post-run routine to actively promote motivation.
Whatever happens in the ring good run or not I find a quiet space afterward and reward my dog for the duration it takes the next dog to run their course. That’s my minimum.
We start with a fun game of tug and finish with treat foraging on the ground to bring their arousal levels down and reinforce calm.
💥 This whole routine invests in their motivation to keep playing the game.
What breaks my heart?
Seeing handlers come out of the ring, the dog excited for their toy, and the handler snatching it away saying, “You don’t get that you did rubbish.”
Or worse the dog SMASHES a run, and the handler clips on the lead and walks away without a single treat, toy, or even a pat.
💔 Your dog didn’t ask to do this sport. This is our agenda. And life is too short not to make it fun for them, too.
🔁 Whether it’s training or the competition ring, always remember:
✅ Set your dog up for success
✅ Invest in their motivation daily
✅ Be their biggest cheerleader
✅ And reward with your whole heart because they’re giving you theirs
Want to learn how to put all of this into practice and build a motivated, confident, and focused teammate? 🐾
Head over to Fort K9’s Patreon where we break it all down and help
you get the very best out of your dog every step of the way. 💪🔥
Let’s build that dream team together! 🐕✨
patreon.com/FortK9training
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