Episode 007 - What Are “Screw-Up Cookies” in Dog Training? (And Why They Matter)

Season #1 July 15, 2025

Show Notes

What Are “Screw-Up Cookies” in Dog Training? (And Why They Matter)

In this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast, Lorrie Reynolds explains a concept she often teaches in seminars called “screw-up cookies.” These rewards help keep your dog motivated and confident when training sessions don’t go exactly as planned.

Sometimes handlers get so focused on fixing mistakes that they forget to reward their dog’s effort. Screw-up cookies are a reminder that even when we make mistakes during training, our dogs still deserve to be paid for trying.

In This Episode You’ll Learn

• What “screw-up cookies” are and why they are useful in dog training
• Why dogs need to be rewarded even when training doesn’t go perfectly
• How forgetting to reward effort can reduce motivation and confidence
• Why handlers often forget rewards when an exercise goes wrong
• How consistent reinforcement keeps dogs engaged in agility training

Episode Overview

Training sessions don’t always go smoothly. When an exercise works perfectly, most handlers remember to reward their dog at the end of the repetition. But when things go sideways, it’s easy to get caught up in trying again and accidentally skip the reward.

In this episode, Lorrie shares one of the most common reminders she gives during agility seminars: “Reward your dog!”

Screw-up cookies are the treats or rewards your dog earns when the handler makes a mistake or when a training attempt doesn’t go exactly as planned. Even if the repetition wasn’t perfect, your dog still deserves reinforcement for trying and for staying engaged in the game.

Rewarding effort keeps motivation high, strengthens your dog’s confidence, and maintains trust in your communication. When dogs consistently earn rewards for working with you, they stay enthusiastic about training and more willing to try again.

Key Training Concepts Mentioned

• Reinforcing effort during dog training
• Maintaining motivation during agility practice
• Building confidence through consistent rewards
• Avoiding frustration during training sessions
• Strengthening communication between handler and dog

Key Takeaway

Even when training doesn’t go perfectly, your dog still deserves to be rewarded for effort. Giving your dog a “screw-up cookie” helps maintain motivation, confidence, and trust in your cues, keeping training sessions positive and productive.

Resources Mentioned

Maximum Fun Dog Sports
https://www.maximumfundogs.com

The Agility Playground membership

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Related Episodes

If you want to improve the effectiveness of your dog agility training sessions, listen to:

Episode 005 – 5 Common Dog Agility Training Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Additional Resources:

Website: https://www.maximumfundogs.com
Shop: https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/shop
Email: [email protected]
Articles: https://www.maximumfundogs.com/articles
The Agility Playground: https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/2025-bb-tap1-7D

Episode Transcript

Lorrie [00:00:08]:
Welcome to the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. I'm Lorrie Reynolds, owner of Maximum Fun Dog Sports. We help your agility team build your relationship, communication, confidence, and fun in training so that you can joyfully succeed on any course. In this episode, we'll talk about "screw-up cookies" and how they can improve your training sessions. My seminar students have often joked that I need a loud playback device that would let me record the things I say 500 times in each seminar, and I could just hit a button to save my voice. Nominations for phrases include things like, "get off the gamble line", "where are your shoulders?", "your dog can do it, stop babysitting", "your cue is late", "take a step", and probably my favorite and most used one, "reward your dog!". Something happens to our brains when we are training. When things go well, it is very easy to remember to give our dog a treat or throw the toy.

Lorrie [00:01:09]:
After an exercise is complete, if it went well, our brain adds a "the end", and we reward. But when training goes sideways, especially when we are the ones at fault, we get so focused on trying again that sometimes we forget that our dogs need to get paid for their effort. We try again and again without remembering to feed our dogs for each attempt. Hence, my most used phrase, "reward your dog". The paycheck your dog gets when you mess up is what I define as a "screw-up cookie" to my students. Think about the last time you were in a weekly class and you stopped to listen to the instructor's critique. What did you do with your dog? Did you bring him to you and ask him to sit or grab his collar while you listened to the instructions? Did you let him wander off until your instructor was finished talking? If you stopped and rewarded before listening to the instructor, good for you. You are in the minority.

Lorrie [00:02:11]:
In my seminars, it usually goes like this. "Stop. Let's try that again and make it cleaner." "REWARD YOUR DOG." "Here's what we can change to make it better." While I appreciate that people want to learn and hear what I have to say, I appreciate it even more if they ignore me for a second and give the dog a treat or toss a toy. Despite the "all caps", it's not an angry yell. I completely understand that people get caught up in what they are doing.

Lorrie [00:02:41]:
I just don't want it to impact the dogs. Rewarding for effort keeps the dog's motivation high. We want our dogs to know that working with us pays off. We want to keep them engaged and excited about training. When we just switch off after making a mistake and forget to provide a reward, we are in essence punishing the dog for something we did. This can lead to a dog who shuts down if everything isn't perfect or who loses confidence in your cues. If your dog did exactly what you asked him to do, even if it wasn't what you really wanted, and you don't reward him, he won't trust that cue the next time. So next time you make a training mistake, pretend I'm pushing that button on the recording, and remember to give your dog a screw-up cookie and reward him before trying again.

Lorrie [00:03:37]:
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. If you want to build a successful agility team where runs with your partner feel flowing and in sync, join us in The Agility Playground. The Agility Playground is a low-cost membership that meets you where you are on your dog agility journey and helps you propel your team to new heights. You can check out The Agility Playground and join our community at www.maximumfundogs.com. See you next time.