A reinforcer is anything that makes a behavior more likely to happen again. I split them into two kinds.
Primary reinforcers are biological needs for survival: food, water, warmth, and sex. Your dog doesn’t have to learn to want them.
Secondary reinforcers are the behaviors dogs use to get those needs: chasing, tug, nose work, and the like. They’re rewarding because, for a dog, they’ve always led to a primary reinforcer. Once your dog learns a game like nose work, the game rewards itself.
Note: psychology textbooks often use “secondary reinforcer” for a learned reward like a clicker. I call those markers. See What are verbal markers?
Using them in training
To build food drive:
- Reduce caloric intake
- Feed once a day
- Measure food
- Use higher-value treats
- Pair food with secondary reinforcers
To build toy drive, start with food rewards, then add chase and frustration games.
In Group Lessons, we chain these together with the Premack principle, so each activity rewards the one before it.