What drives your dog crazy?

[brady's mom]

I know a lot of you use sheep as a reward for your BCs, but I was wondering what types of food rewards really get your dog to go bonkers. I'm still looking for that one tidbit Brady can't resist so I thought I'd ask for some ideas. He gets bored with regular treats, hotdogs, and string cheese. =]

[ejano]

For obedience training, steak trimmings were a very effective training reward. Also bacon (the precooked kind). When working with sheep, food is not necessary.

[rufftie]

there are 2 things i use when i want a dogs undivided attention. the first is salmon brownies. i bake them using a can of salmon (really gross), oatmeal, eggs, milk, pureed then baked. they seem irresistible. the second is steak. if i see stew meat on sale at walmart or giant eagle (sometimes if the expiration date is THAT day, you can get a great deal), i'll cut it up smaller and fry it up for treats.

[Laurae]

I don't mean to be snarky, but sheep are not a "reward" for border collies.

[Laura L]

Laura,

I don't think you're being snarky, just stating a fact. It's better to get it out of the way right away.

 

And my dogs will do anything for dog food.

Laura

[Smalahundur]

Mine like dried liver. Make it myself, just cook a lamb liver, cut it in thin slices, dry in oven, on a low heat with the oven door slightly ajar.

I like the stuf, it doesn´t grease up your pockets,you can easily break it in small pieces, it doesn´t crumble.

[SecretBC]

I actually stopped making my "super high value" treat because I found it gave the dogs the runs -- Not good when you are traveling to agility trials and staying in hotels....

 

I would just buy beef liver, lay it out flat on cookie sheets (lined with tin foil to make cleaning easier...), then COVER it with cinnamon -- Lots and lots and lots of cinnamon. Followed by a touch of garlic.

 

Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Turn over, repeat the cinnamon dousing (you shouldn't see liver under the cinnamon) and back in the oven for another 30 minutes. Let cool and then cut with kitchen shears into little pieces.

 

Reasons for the cinnamon: Dogs like it, your house smells like cookies instead of liver, and you get cinnamon on your fingers, not gross nasty liver when you feed it.

 

The dogs seriously go insane for it.

 

Now I take cubed cheese and shredded chicken to trials. The dogs still love it, but it's easier on their stomachs!

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

I also cook liver... beef or chicken, whatever is on sale. Also chicken heart, they love heart! Steak also works, sprinkled with parm. It smells, but they like it. I only really use the 'high value' stuff if we're working in an environment that requires it. Daisy is so keen on learning, that I rarely have to break out high value anything. Riley on the other hand, well, he's young and right now he's flip-flopping between liver and tug toys as his high value reward.

[glennkopp]

I don't mean to be snarky, but sheep are not a "reward" for border collies.

 

Why is that?

 

When they do right they get their sheep. When they do wrong they don't get their sheep. I guess you could say "working the sheep" is their reward.

 

Glenn

[Laura L]

Why is that?

 

When they do right they get their sheep. When they do wrong they don't get their sheep. I guess you could say "working the sheep" is their reward.

 

Glenn

 

For what you're talking about Glenn, yes it's true. But it sounded like Brady's Mom was looking for a treat to reward her dog. Her pockets probably aren't big enough to carry a few sheep around.

Laura

[glennkopp]

For what you're talking about Glenn, yes it's true. But it sounded like Brady's Mom was looking for a treat to reward her dog. Her pockets probably aren't big enough to carry a few sheep around.

Laura

Got it. In that case, my dog is crazy about freeze dried liver, for now. If she gets bored with that, we'll go back to string cheese.

[brady's mom]

I'm sorry to not have been clear about what I meant about the sheep comment--I've read a couple posts here that say they don't use high value food rewards, that working sheep is enough. I was just going from what I'd read, I'm sorry to have made any kind new kid on the block mistake...I'm still new to the border collie world. Trying to learn still, lol.

 

I'll definitely have to give these a try. They seem like they'll work a lot better than ho dogs and string cheese...he liked the for about a day and then decided they were too boring. :/

[MrSnappy]

I find that my dogs never get bored with their treats because the amount I give them is so very tiny they always want more, plus I only dole them out randomly, so they are always exciting. I often make liver brownies (similar to the salmon ones already noted here) or I will simply use beef heart (boil it, chop it into tiny chunks and bake it forever, then chop it into even tinier chunks. Big scissors work well for this). However, I can also use kibble in a pinch, as it's just as exciting to my raw fed dogs. I intersperse their food rewards with toy rewards and plain old praise and it's all marvelous.

 

Having said that, there is no tasty food in this world that keeps the attention of the WooTWoo on a regular basis. Although they both REALLY like food, they REALLY like hunting more than food. And I'm just not carrying live moles around for them in my pockets. I won't do it!

 

RDM

[Root Beer]

Cheese, frozen meatballs, hot dog. Those are my mainstay training treats for classes. At home I tend to use Taste of the Wild kibble unless I am teaching something particularly challenging.

 

For cheese, I get the Kraft Snack Cubes - the ones that are marbled. Those have held Maddie's interest, literally for years! She only gets them at Agility class, though. There is this one type of hot dog that Dean goes wild for, but he is almost as interested in frozen meatballs. Speedy pretty much eats anything. Tessa seems to love chicken. I'm not sure if that will be her treat when she starts going to classes or not, but right now at home I usually train her with chicken.

[Gloria Atwater]

I'm sorry to not have been clear about what I meant about the sheep comment--I've read a couple posts here that say they don't use high value food rewards, that working sheep is enough. I was just going from what I'd read, I'm sorry to have made any kind new kid on the block mistake...I'm still new to the border collie world. Trying to learn still, lol.

 

 

LOL, I think what people meant is that they don't give their dogs food treats when they've done a good job working sheep. The sheep work is reward enough. (And in fact, my Nick won't eat, period, if he thinks sheep are in the offing.)

 

We're all learning!

Cheers ~

 

Gloria

[rufftie]

running out to buy liver and more cinnamin before next agility trial.....

[geonni banner]

For what you're talking about Glenn, yes it's true. But it sounded like Brady's Mom was looking for a treat to reward her dog. Her pockets probably aren't big enough to carry a few sheep around.

Laura

Hey! Iknow! Let's market lamb-flavored treats in the shape of sheep - like goldfish crackers for Border Collies.

 

My dog loves dried sardines from the Japanese market.

[sluj]

And I'm just not carrying live moles around for them in my pockets. I won't do it!

 

I reeeeeeeally hope someone has a camera ready the day you break down and decide to give it a try

[Dixie_Girl]

I've never used treats for any training, and I don't teach my dogs tricks but when I give them "treats" it is usually whatever happens to be at hand. Like, trimmings off of meat, frozen fries, lunch meat about expired, etc. I do buy milk bones, but again, it's a hit and miss situation. As far as what they like/love, basically they eat anything that don't eat them first. Maybe because I give it so sporatically, they stay enthused.

[hsnrs]

Squeaky balls; she isn't a food dog. Maybe steak I guess.

[bc4ever]

Well, for training purposes--chicken or cheese. He really likes cottage cheese but that's a little messy to carry around in my pocket. For just plain bonkers any time--pie crust and pistachio coffee cake. With the holidays coming, he'll be in hog heaven!

[arf2184]

I like to mix 2-3 different treats together so they never know exactly what they're going to get. Helps keep them from getting bored.

 

I rotate between combinations of cheese (string cheese and/or cheddar), hot dogs, turkey franks, chicken, and store bought treats. Right now we're using a few different store bought treats. I'm really liking the Natural Balance treat roll. Meg got some of the duck and potato from an agility classmate and she liked it so much that the person who gave it to her was the person she wanted to be with for the rest of class. After that I bought some to try it out. I can slice it into to any size I want and (after the sliced bits dry out a bit) it doesn't crumble much, but is still soft. Both of my dogs love it (of course both are highly food motivated). I also bought the 4 lb beef and rice food roll to use as treats...its quite a bit cheaper per lb and will last us a long time. I haven't opened it up yet though, so I'm not sure how the texture compares to the actual 'treat' roll.

 

We're also using Zuke's Mini Bakes (turkey n' taters). These are a bit crunchy, but still quickly eaten. Both dogs like them a lot too. I break them in half for training.

[Agatha Christie]

Sirloin.