My dog can be a terror with his attention seeking behavior - most specifically, he will steal things and then play "keep away" with them, or choose to chew on inappropriate objects (the throw pillows from my couch, cushions from my kitchen chair, a shoe or a sock if one is left within reach....) In order to get the objects away from him, I usually have to trade him for a treat of some sort, although I DO make him do something for the treat before he gets it (and not just releasing the object to me, either.)
In the past week or so, I've noticed more times when he is beginning to choose APPROPRIATE objects to focus his attention on. Anytime I catch that good behavior, I want it to be rewarding for him so he will repeat it. But I'd like to be able to do that without distracting him from what I wanted him to do in the first place. I've mostly just given him an enthusiastic "Good dog," or "Good boy chews on his bone," but I'm not sure if that really makes any difference. Any thoughts?
How much praise is enough?
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