As trainers, one of the key skills we have to learn is reinforcement delivery. It looks like the easiest part of training but, in fact, it’s one of the parts that can cause the most frustration for teacher and learner! Errors in delivery can reinforce the wrong behavior (I once accidentally reinforced my dog sneezing because it took me too long to break off a piece of a treat — six years later she still sneezes at me when she wants something!). Or it can fail to be paired with any behavior at all, interfering with a carefully planned reinforcement schedule. Not to mention, fumbling over your bait bag can just plain ruin your training flow.
You can do a lot to improve your reinforcer delivery, from target practice to becoming a one-handed Pez dispenser. But one of the simplest tasks is to really get to know the species you’re training. Once you understand how they want to take the treats — how fast they chew, what shape their mouth is, whether they have any behavior patterns they need to do before they eat — then you’ll be able to figure out what skills you need to sharpen.
This is true for trainers of every species! Our IAABC members have shared these videos of reinforcing all kinds of animals, so that you can see how easy — and how tricky! — good training can be.
Emily Lewis and Zim the bearded dragon
“I’m using super worms here. For me the biggest difference is that Zim won’t eat the worm if it’s still, it needs to be moving for him to have interest/notice it’s there.”
Michelle Martiya and Trash the Kinkajou
“The treats are Annie’s brand gummies and the tongs are so that I don’t lose any fingers! Trash is usually pretty good and I can hand feed her, but all the kinkajous I’ve worked with seem more comfortable with the tongs.”
Trish McMillan
“Clicking and feeding my horse for touching the scary, horse-eating outhouse on our ride earlier today. My tips for teaching your horse to take treats gently:
- Produce the treat in a way that the horse can see it. They have a blind spot right in front of their noses so they can get grabby if treats suddenly appear there.
- Feed the horse where you want them, if you are on the ground feed them with their head straight so they won’t start wrapping their neck around you.
- Don’t pre-load treats into your hand. You have time, the cadence is slower with a horse
- Super high-value treats can make the horse over-aroused or grabby. This was the other half of the apple I gave him after I got on. I usually use hay stretcher pellets
Lindsay Tucker Walsh
“My kid training our cats, Meep and Pumpkin, using lickable treats as a reinforcer. Lickable treats are quick, clean and the cats go CRAZY for them. Also, they’re easy to grab.”
Michelle Martiya
“Here I’m reinforcing a porcupine with one of their own quills for the delivery!”
Katenna Jones and Isabella the chicken
“Chickens peck quickly! Pay attention or they’ll eat a lot. They’re messy peckers too, so try to limit what gets dropped, because they can get distracted and eat that (sometimes reinforcing the wrong thing at the wrong time). You might want to minimize, remove, hide, or habituate them to little “distractions” like jean rivets, skin moles, earrings, etc. Mine have pecked diamonds right out of my ear lobes!”
Tabitha Davies and Ryker the brachcephalic dog
“Treats need to be in tiny pieces and they need to be well placed, or brachycephalic dogs don’t get them in their mouths, and instead start searching for them.”
Carolina Gálvez Vidal adds: “Delivering treats to Sharpeis also has its tricks because they have face and muzzle like a manatee! So you have to kind of go down and up with your hand to get the treat into those manatee floppy lips!”
Paula Ferrel
“For training I find that my rabbit likes pellet-type treats because she gets very few pellets. No matter the treat I find they have to chew, so training is stop and go. Waiting for her to finish her treat is much different than training my dog who very rarely chews the small treats I give. More patience is needed!”
Uli Grodeke and Sissy the tortoise
My tortoise Sissy learning to touch the screen. She never gets fruit except for new training steps like this. Here it’s thin apple slices with some crushed eggshells. Sissy’s mouth is so small, but she is so quick in her responses, I never have the time to pick up individual treats with tweezers. But the tiny pieces I kept on a plate nearby stuck to my nails/fingers.
So, I started to use long and thin slices of apple and carrot (I used the peels tool). Arugula leaves, dandelion, hibiscus, and other leaves in long strips work well, too. The slices have to be long enough to be used for several reinforcements and thin enough that the tortoise can bite an exact mouthful off. Otherwise they get frustrated when they can’t get a piece into their mouths, they might bite you by mistake or start using their front feet (mine do at least) – that makes you lose concentration, too.
Stephanie Edlund
Parrots have way longer necks than people think (that stubby looking neck is an S-shape under all that fluff)! Learn how to deliver a treat that a bird has to stretch for, and how to hold it between the thumb and forefinger to avoid getting accidentally chomped.
And here’s a myriad of other species too!
Thanks to everyone who took part — if you want to be a part of the next Reinforce This!, send an email to journal@iaabcfoundation.org with your video.
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Mike is an emerging animal behaviorist sitting in Minnesota in the US. He carries an MSc in social science research methods (U. of Kentucky) and brings a passion for understanding how the methods we favor shape the knowledge we privilege. Coming from careers in teaching and non-profit program evaluation, he found companion animal behavior by accident helping anxious feline friends in a unique shelter in Ohio. It is a privilege and a joy to combine these and advance the journal in this exciting time of growth.
Alexandra is a certified dog behavior consultant and holds a PhD in neuroscience. She has spent over a decade in academic research and is author of numerous scientific articles on different aspects of brain development, including olfaction, neurogenesis, and memory formation. Her work as a behavior consultant focuses on creating trusting relationships between humans and their dogs through communication, respect, and science-based knowledge. Alexandra is very dedicated to promoting more science within the dog training world. She supports dog guardians and professionals to build a solid understanding of scientific principles and provides guidance on how to apply these to life with dogs. She runs Canine Mindscape in Alicante, Spain.
I’m an Argentinean-Italian dog trainer and CSAT who spent eight amazing years in Brazil learning and working with dogs. Now based in Europe, I volunteer with the IAABC as a translator and, in my free time, help rehomed dogs settle into their new families. I love bridging languages—and hearts—between people and their dogs.
I’m a translator, editor and journalist, as well as canine educator for children and families, specialized in canine body language. I am part of the IAABC Family since 2019, as Language Director at the IAABC and Translators Team Lead at the IAABC Foundation, at the moment. I volunteer at local shelters and promote bite prevention and animal welfare at schools and events all over my country, Uruguay.
I’m a Chilean veterinarian and certified dog trainer, based in Madrid and working at a veterinary clinic. I’ve been volunteering with the IAABC and the IAABC Foundation for over seven years. In my free time, I help dogs and their guardians strengthen their bond, and I love spending quality time with my own dogs.
Master’s Degree in Natural Sciences, with a strong interest in environmental sustainability and the protection of natural ecosystems. Passionate about writing and science communication, she collaborates with multidisciplinary teams on research projects, such as Equine International, and with non-profit initiatives in the environmental and cultural fields. She is writing for different magazines, including IAABC Foundation. Her major goal is to improve horse’s welfare through behaviour research and empirical practice.
Adrienne Hovey is the copy editor for the IAABC Foundation journal and the owner of 
I believe that knowledge from a wide range of disciplines fosters a more empathetic, curious, and engaging world. I am passionate about social, environmental, and minority rights issues (both human and non-human), and this has invariably led me down the road of multi-species anthropology. Perpetually curious about the world we live in, I hope to contribute towards making the world a kinder place for all of us earthlings to live on!
Beckie Wheldon is based in England, UK, and has been supporting the IAABC Foundation Journal team as a volunteer journal content editor since early 2025. She has a BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare, and has recently completed a MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour. With a passion for both practical and theory, Beckie is proud to be a part of the journal submission journey and support the process of applied animal behaviour information and research getting from our writers to the readers. As her full-time career, Beckie is currently part of the UK veterinary charity, PDSA, as a Learning and Development Business Partner for Veterinary, where she supports the professional development of people in their Veterinary Hospitals. Her last position was with the rescue charity, Dogs Trust, as a Canine Behavioural Welfare Manager, where she worked on embedding evidence-based behavioural welfare best practices throughout policy and practices, with both internal and external professional stakeholders, such as the police and military. With a varied background in kennels, caregiver education, and charity dog training classes, Beckie is also an accredited Animal Training Instructor (APDT UK) and an Associate Clinical Animal Behaviourist (APBC).
Erin Jones, PhD, IAABC-ADT, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CANZ-ATI, CANZ-ABC, is the Journal Director of the IAABC Foundation Journal. She holds a PhD in Human–Animal Studies, an MSc in Anthrozoology, a PG Dip in Animal Welfare, and a BSc (Hons) in Anthropology and Psychology. An international presenter, editor, writer and mentor, Erin’s writing bridges research and practice with a focus on the intersection of philosophy, ethics and dog-centered behaviour practice. She is the author of Constructing Canine Consent and co-editor of Topics in Non/Human Coexistence and numerous academic and trade journal publications.