As the Humane Society puts it, “Dogs don’t care about money. They care about praise.” Now, while we humans may do crazy things for cash, we can’t deny the power of positive reinforcement. Dogs—and people—like knowing they’ve done a good job. Today, positive reinforcement training is widely accepted as the best way to train dogs. This differs greatly from the strict, alpha male approach many dog owners used in the 1980s and 90s. Unfortunately, simply reinforcing good behavior with words of affirmation like “Good boy!” doesn’t always cut it. There are more effective phrases to use during positive reinforcement training that can boost your dog’s confidence, improve obedience and make both of you very happy campers—and all it costs is some extra time.