12/21/2025
The debate of cookie pushers!!!!
We use the least adversives first!!!
Call us a cookie pusher. That's fine.
We use rewards to change feelings for our sensitive cases. Desensitization, counter conditioning.
Reward base for everything we do. Reward the wanted and redirect or counter condition the unwanted.
For puppy classes and basic manners? We still use Reward based.
I explain it to my clients as such.....
When you work you want to get paid. When I ask the animal to work for me I need to pay them. They don't care about money so I use cheese ( or treat)
Once the learned behavior is becoming a habit we wean the treat. Other things become the reward. Like a scratch, a marker word, act of approval.
Especially in the beginning when they are learning a new behavior. Reward encourages them to WANT to keep doing it.
With children they are often given incentives to do chores. (Money, privileges, etc.) Eventually children learn these skills and it becomes habit. They carry those skills into adulthood. Doing their dishes, washing their clothes.
You have an agreement on payment for a job. Those children have an agreement for the chores set up front.
I don't consider it a bribe but incentive to do the job asked. If they don't perform the job asked they don't get paid. If they do the job asked, they get paid.
Here we have a client working through an aggression case, using "cookies."
