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Modern video games have really advanced the science of reward-training and there is a lot you can learn from the way that video games reward players to keep them engaged and motivated.

If you can reward your dog like a video game you will make training so fun that it becomes its own reward! 

Video game designers understand the importance of getting new players hooked by providing some relatively easy early successes.

Often, when you start playing a new video game, you are asked to do some pretty simple, straightforward things, and when you do, you get rewarded. This is a very powerful technique that you should definitely be using when training your dog. Start with easy exercises and lots of rewards.

Video game designers also understand the value of providing rewards that are tied to how well you perform. If you want to earn the best reward, you have to practice hard and try your best. If you don't do very well, you might get no reward at all, just the chance to TRY AGAIN.

But occasionally, when you do a really, really good job, you earn a very valuable reward. The knowledge that those high-value rewards are available is incredibly motivating and will keep players trying again and again, pushing themselves to improve. Again, you can use this in dog training. Give better rewards for better performances, don't reward every response, but give HUGE JACKPOT REWARDS for the best performances.

Video game designers also understand the motivational power of a little uncertainty. When all the rewards are based on performance, and when the most high-value rewards are incredibly difficult to earn, it can get very frustrating, and the game stops being fun, and starts becoming a grind.

That's why some video games will give you surprise rewards just for playing. Or sometimes, you'll come across something fun and rewarding in a game that you had no idea was even an option, and that can make a huge impression and provide a real long-lasting boost in motivation. It means there could be other surprises waiting for you, and it's not ALL about performing at a high level. Just by playing the game you might stumble across something really wonderful and fun.

Along those same lines, it can be really powerful to have mystery rewards. You don't know what you're going to get, but you know it's going to be good. This prevents a situation where the player who isn't interested in a particular reward will not be motivated to keep playing. If you don't know exactly what a reward is, you don't know whether you are going to like it.

By combining all of these strategies, you can make your training really fun and exciting for your dog. When you do this, the fun and excitement of the rewards rubs off on you and the training itself. Training with you becomes a fun game, and it can easily become your dog's favorite activity!

Now that's what we call Reward Training!