Would your dog still want to work for you if they won lotto?
Picture this. You’ve got an asshole of a boss, you hate your job but it pays average and you need the cash. One day you win lotto. Chances are when you no longer need that paycheck you’re leaving that shitty job the first chance you get to go and live your dream life.
Now imagine you’re working a job you’re really passionate about. Yeah it pays the money you need, but it also fulfils you - aligning with your values and offering the lifestyle you need to thrive. You feel understood and appreciated there, with great team mates. One day you win lotto. Yeah it’s appreciated, but you’re pretty damn satisfied with life as is. You’re much more likely to stay in that job, pottering away and living your best life without much changing. The pay isn’t the only factor holding you in that job, there’s more to it.
One of the most common problems I see in pet dogs is that once you get past the point of “I’ve got enough food to not be starving” there are many things that they are likely to find more valuable than the value that’s been built in their job. Think hunting dogs leaving their owners to go after a scent, herding dogs with their eyes on an animal they’d like to herd - their lotto, that beats their crappy job any day of the week.
Now we could be that asshole boss. Force them into that “job” they hate and rely on the fact that they can’t win lotto and they will take that boring, predictable paycheck of food to make up for a lack of real fulfilment. Either you prevent them from entering the lotto draw full stop, or you accept that when they do see that lotto win they’ll be leaving your employment for that dream life that is literally everything except for the tasks you have assigned. That’s what I call a toxic workplace!
Or we could give them a job they’re really passionate about and find true value in, giving them a great work environment where they are appreciated AND are paid what they’re worth. We use tools to support this while they’re learning to ensure they aren’t winning lotto outside of our relationship before we have that job satisfaction built up, but ultimately we want to have enough value built in their job (recall, hanging out by your side, not being a total asshole) that they would choose this even if lotto falls into their lap later.
💰 A good way to look at this is the relationship bank account. 💰
🍔 A lot of the deposits you make will be food related - it’s portable, fairly reliable and accurate for training. With a lot of history of being paid well for the jobs being asked of them it adds up.
Eg
1 dog biscuit = $1
1 chunky dog roll piece = $10
A few pieces of dog roll and kibble in an unpredictable combination, that they have to chase and get excited for = $150
That’s going to outweigh going to work at the job down the street in most cases. But against a $1,000,000 lotto win? That’s going to take a heck of a lot of deposits to beat.
🎉 But there are other things we can do to pay into that relationship bank account, besides just that standard paycheck. The things that add to the job satisfaction and helps them want to stick around beyond just the fact they feel they need that food to survive.
A game of tug = $120, $300, $500 equivalent
A great training session with you where they were engaged and enjoying learning = $500 equivalent a pop
You setting them up and giving them the cue to go win lotto in a safe way with you cheering them on = $1,000,000+ equivalent
Clarity and fairness in your handling so they feel safe and understood with you = $priceless
Pretty soon that job satisfaction is going to add up. You rely less and less on having to block them from the lotto draw, because you know that the jobs you are asking them to do is worth it for them. Be that cool boss they’d work for even if their life didn’t depend on it.
What is your dogs idea of lotto?
What would be a $10 reward, a $100 reward, a $1,000 reward and a $1,000,000 equivalent paycheck for them?
What can you do to improve their job satisfaction?
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If you’d like a hand figuring this out and building that job satisfaction for your dog, check out www.wolfedogs.nz/training for ways I can support you.
