Training treats

[Wufnu]

I was fortunate enough to be selected as the new adoptee for a BC and I was wondering if there are any particular types of training treats that you could recommend. They come in all shapes and sizes, but I don't know what this dog likes (or do all dogs like them all?). Something particularly inexpensive that the dog will like enough that he knows he's being rewarded is what I need. Some are cheese balls, others are dried meat cubes, or creamy thingies, or hard biscuits. What can I say? I'm confused. I'm going to Petsmart tomorrow to buy things to get ready for Monday.

 

What do you use?

[Miztiki]

Congratulations, and be sure to post pictures and give details!

 

If you feed regular kibble, then that makes for an excellent training treat because they eat so many treats during training.

 

If you will feed raw (or even if you don't really) then you could cut up some beef into very small chunks, lay them out in a single layer on a plastic plate and put them in the freezer, mixing them up every 10-15 minutes or so so they don't freeze together. Then just toss them into a baggie and pull them out as needed. I suppose you could coat them with cornmeal or flour or something first for when you're out with the treats and don't want them all slimy when they thaw. I haven't done that (he's allergic to corn and grains) but it might help when they thaw.

 

Some people use dried liver, but IMHO it's ridiculously expensive per pound.

 

Dried banana chips are nice too if your dog likes them. Many have added sugar though, so keep that in mind.

 

Whatever you use, keep it very small (even smaller than the "small" dog biscuits) and be sure to include it as part of his/her daily intake of food.

[Wufnu]

Thanks for the reply! For some reason I was thinking that it had to be something "special" for them to know that it's a reward. It never occured to me that getting food is it's own reward (along with praise and petting and such). That is, I didn't expect kibble to be treat material, hah. I saw some inexpensive bits (and some more expensive cheese bits) that are for training, I avoided the liver ones like the plague. I suppose just about anything will work if used right.

[Bill Fosher]

I use sheep. My dogs all love them.

[laurie etc]

One of the simplest and cheapest training treats is a cheap pound of hotdogs. Just cut (one at a time) into tiny "coin size" slices. They can be used this way if you don't mind "slimy"- or nuke them in the microwave between paper towels until they are "crispy". Then place in a zip-lock baggie. I don't use hotdogs very often, so once opened, I put the remaining hotdogs in the freezer and pop out one at a time. A pound goes a long way - not the "healthiest" treat in the world, but then, neither is kibble IMO. Guess if you want "healthier", you could go with the expensive "designer brand" all beef, low sodium hotdogs, but then, my dogs' real idea of a treat is eating fresh sheep poop, so go figure...

[concrete]

I'm lambing right now and my dogs really enjoy dragging an afterbirth out of the pasture to enjoy in their kennel.

 

Honestly we don't use any kind of treats to train working dogs. You would probably get more helpful responses in the general section.

 

Kevin

[laurie etc]

- Kevin - you're right - I didn't even look at the category when I responded - this question should be moved to the "obedience/agility" section and I bet it'll get lots of action...

[Wufnu]

Yes, sorry about that. All I saw was training, guess I missed the obedience bit. I apologize.

 

Can the moderators move this thread? Although you could also delete it as I've had my questions answered.

 

Thank you.

[kelli 1]

We don't use "treats" to train our dogs. Sheep are enough of a reward and lots of praise and love.

[Shin Okami]

I would not use a dog's regular kibble for treats unless the dog has weight issues or diarrhea issues. The reason for this is that a 'treat' is a treat--something the dog doesn't get everyday and views as an object he wants. To use regular kibble would be to run the risk of having a dog 'get bored' in the middle of a training session--a problem I've run across with on several dogs. Yummy, wet, moist treats will have your dog working extra hard--motivation is a big factor in training.

 

I use hotdogs, Begging Strips (I don't like the ingredients but I don't use a lot anyway, I like it because the dogs go crazy for it, it's not as greasy as most treats, and it's easy to cut it up in really small pieces without anything getting stuck under your fingernails), chicken, even cheese. Randomize so your dog will keep guessing and love it.

[urge to herd]

Solid Gold makes Jerky, it comes in turkey, beef or liver. They're about 1 inch squares, and I can cut them into 16 pieces each for times when I need a lot of treats that go down without chewing.

 

My latest rave is frozen shredded cheese. Spread on a cookie sheet, stick in the freezer for a week or so, it dehydrates the shreds so that when they warm up, they stay firm, not greasy/slimy.

 

And - liver cookies:

In a blender pulverize 1 lb of liver, either chicken or beef. (looks gross, smells worse.)

Pour the liquid liver in a mixing bowl. Add slowly 3 cups or so of oatmeal, stirring well. You'll end up with a thick paste. Spread the paste on a nonstick cookie sheet evenly, put in a low oven, (200 degrees) open the windows, check every 30 minutes or so until the dough is a brownie like texture.

 

Cool, pull into small bits, store in freezer. It lasts in the fridge for several days, and in your pocket for a day.

 

Some folks use a can of tuna, salmon or mackeral, (even smellier) You can add an egg w/the shell, cheese or yogurt, the variations are endless.

 

A friend of mine calls this one doggy cocaine.

 

Ruth n the BC3

[Carson Crazies]

I buy the chicken grillers or jerky treats (the round softish stick kind) from the doggie food store. That may vary, and partially due to the ingredients of the product. I take them home and get out my big old chefs knife and cutting board and hack them into teenie weenie pieces, which I then store in a tupperware type container. I can take a handfull out, put them in my pocket, and two of my dogs will do anything for them. The third isn't interested, and I don't plan to make her so. I used to cut them up with scissors, but hacking them up with a knife is so much more satisfying, and I feel a little like the Julia Childs of dogdom (for about 5 minutes, anyway. ). Usually $0.99 roughly for a bag of whatever, and it will last me for several weeks to a month.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

I've got a vote here for the Solid Gold treats. In spite of the expense of dried liver it lasts forever because you can use a microscopic piece and make the dog just as happy. You don't get quite that effect with any other treat. If I did a lot of treat training I'd probably invest in a small dehydrator and make my own. By the time you've cooked ten batches of fresh liver you've paid for the thing. And probably driven your family out of the house . . .

 

I don't use treats in working contexts and rarely for training manners. I did use a lot of them to win over the hearts of rescues in a short period of time, to teach them to respect space and learn patience, and to reinforce basic obedience skills. This was where the intense gratification of the high-quality treats came in handy.

 

I only remember one other time I used a lot of treats with Border Collies and that was teaching Ben to do anything not connected with working. He wasn't toy motivated or work motivated but he is reasonably food motivated. It's a bit embarrasing to be the only one in the runback area feeding hot dog bits or cheese to a Border Collie but he enjoyed it.

 

Oddly, I discovered toward the end of his "career" that he was equally motivated by my letting him jump on me. He is tall enough to put his paws on my shoulders when he stands but he's humble as pie, so he'd never offer to do it normally. On the cue, "HAPPY PUPPY!" he will leap up and either body block me or bear hug me, and it's a great treat for him.

 

My Finnish Spitz mix will sell her soul for a bread crumb, a green bean, a bit of boiled potato, a teeny piece of kibble, whatever. I clicker trained her to "work" my ducks, hilarious. It's almost all mechanical of course but she adores it.

[Wufnu]

"I don't use treats in working contexts and rarely for training manners. I did use a lot of them to win over the hearts of rescues in a short period of time, to teach them to respect space and learn patience, and to reinforce basic obedience skills. This was where the intense gratification of the high-quality treats came in handy."

 

That's exactly what I was interested in them for. I am thinking, since our smaller dog eats baked chicken livers and gizzards and things (it's cheaper than the dogfood we were giving her) that I could just cut up a few of those maybe. I bought a $2 bag of doggie bone biscuits just because, and he doesn't seem too excited when I get out a few UNTIL he's eaten one or two. Then he's all ready to work for a living, until he's gotten about five or six down, then he kinda mellows out. Maybe it's like cheese cake to him, really good in small quantities.

[Sparty]

we use "strasburg sausage" the no-name brand or to step it up a bit of kabana or diced cheese about the only time i can get Kira to run on the right when we are training for agility, otherwise she ducks in to the heel position when im checking I dont run in to an obstacle

 

Jen

[Maralynn]

String cheese work great as well. I like the fact that it comes individually wrapped so it is easy to grab one and go. You can just pinch off a little as needed.

[pappcam]

We use something called Roll-Over. It's like a big sausage that you can cut up into little bits as needed. Our dog never gets disinterested at training as long as were using it. We tried the kibble that we feed him but he got bored quick.

[Barb Scott]

When you use Rollover, read the directions on the roll; we kept ours too long and were wondering why Blaze kept getting sick...

Right now, we're using home-made beef jerky for treats.

Barb S

[Kitch]

I usually vary it a bit but I have found that it isn't a good idea to use very crunchy treats. Dublin loves them, but he finds it necessary to stop what ever he is doing and stand there whiles he eats them...not good if you are training him on something you need him to stay connected with you on like heeling, etc. I discovered yesterday that he loves Cheerios...the woman with the pom in my class feeds her dog those as they are small and don't fill her up quickly. While we were at a show yesterday, spending waaay too much money on agility equip , she gave some to Dublin when she was giving her dog a treat and he thought it was the best thing ever. Now if only I had known that earlier I would be thousands of dollars richer...j/k.

 

 

Kitch

[Deanna in OR]

Tiny bits of "high value" treats go a long ways.

 

"tiny" means about half the size of the end of my little finger. That way, you can treat liberally ("jack-pot" payoff) as appropriate without giving too many calories. (this applies to food treats, only, obviously!)

 

"High-value" is whatever the dog values a lot. It might not be food--it could be a toy, game or sheep. If it's food, it might be bits of cooked chicken, bacon or hot dog; dried liver (cut to TINY bits); cheese (the smellier the better!); or some commercial dog treat.

 

Make sure dog treats are not TOO crunchy--you don't want your dog stopping to chew ("Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch...") in the middle of training exercises.

 

One of my favorites in the "commercial" category is Zuke's Mini treats, which come in salmon or chicken flavors. They are soft, already the right size, and they don't crumble or make a mess if you put a handful in your pocket. And for my dogs, these are considered medium-high value and work fine for most training.

 

For our Border Collie, Tenaya, play is the best reward--fetch or tug with one of her favorite toys.... but sometimes this can be over-stimulating; she gets so excited anticipating the game that she focuses on that anticipation and tries to find shortcuts around what she is supposed to be doing!

 

Deanna in OR

[Riley-dog]

as expensive as those dried liver treats are, I haven't found anything close that will motivate Riley as well. They get broken into piece the third of the size of the average cube.

 

I admit I haven't tried hotdog pieces yet... that would be a great alternative!

 

What's the stuff you see conformation exhibitors using? It always looks like they chew it a moment before presenting it to the dog. :eek: