Top 5 Reinforcers · Play with Purpose

Top 5 Reinforcers

Wow, this is way harder than it should be!

As per

’s request, I’ve left food and toys as the top 2, but I don’t think this is true for Kairo. I’ve built her food drive up over time, and she’s pretty engaged with food chase and Kong hand, but food alone isn’t hugely valuable. Toy play has improved massively since the first edition of PWP, but the value is in the game rather than the toy… I guess that’s kind of the point though.

Kairo’s most obvious motivator is novelty. Anything she hasn’t seen/done before is mega valuable and exciting. Obviously this isn’t useful though - can’t pick a new reinforcer for every session - so it didn’t make the final list.

Release into the environment is a great option, and I don’t think it’s used often enough. Since the environment is ever changing, there’s always something new and exciting for Kairo. Therefore, this takes the number 3 spot.

For number 4, I’ve particularly noticed the value of movement in our hoopers training. Kairo works best on wider courses, as she’s motivated by the running itself. Not sure how this could be used in other scenarios though.

Finally, Kairo’s chase drive applies to everything - food, toys, myself, random leaves, etc. I’ll often pick up something on a walk and ask for behaviours before throwing it. She loves this game!

So, here’s the final 5: