Puppy Treats

So I've been training Coco to go to her crate and the basic sit, down, come, and stay commands using some of her treats. The treats that I use does not seem to entice her enough, so I was wondering what are some good treats to use to train puppies with that will motivate them?

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Permalink Reply by Teresa on April 9, 2012 at 7:07pm

Small pieces of cheese or turkey work well. Baron also likes cheerio's.

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Permalink Reply by Ludi on April 9, 2012 at 7:13pm

http://dogaware.com/diet/treats.html - The only resource you'll probably need on this subject!

Basic idea of enticing treats are that if they're soft and smelly, your dog will probably want them. Hard, cracker-type treats that you see in the huge dispensers at pet stores smell and taste of cardboard. Things like string cheese, home-cooked proteins (chicken is nice and cheap to start), and organ meats work fantastic.

For Ace, my current favorite is beef heart. I can get really good prices on it as it's an atypical muscle cut, but it smells and tastes really good. I chop it up into finger-width strips, chuck them in a pot on a rolling boil, strain out the icky stuff at the top, then simmer with garlic powder added to the water for 2 hours. After that I let the meat rest, then chop it up into pieces no larger than my pinky fingernail. I nuke those in the microwave on a plate for around 2-3 minutes, until they are completely devoid of moisture. Out of 500g of beef heart, I'll get half a Ziploc bag-full of treats, and they will keep for very long without going off.

I love cooking for Ace, and since I transitioned him into a full RAW diet, I wanted to be sure that he was getting no funny business in his treats, either. It's a great way to keep track of your dog's calorie intake, while also ensuring he's eating right.

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Permalink Reply by Cindi & Twinkie on April 9, 2012 at 7:16pm

Make up a batch of tuna fudge! No seriously, it's like puppy crack. Try this link or search Tuna Fudge. It makes a lot so I freeze what we can't use in a few days. http://www.food.com/recipe/Tuna-Fudge-Training-Dog-Treats-120199

*If the batter seems too thick, add another egg. Cut it into very small pieces. My kids love it!

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Permalink Reply by Jane on April 9, 2012 at 7:52pm

I like Zuke's mini naturals for training around the house. I also just bought some of those Natural Balance food rolls (looks like a wrapped sausage) for the first time today and the dogs both went crazy for it! Otherwise I just use tiny bits of chicken or cheese usually.

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Permalink Reply by Coco on April 9, 2012 at 7:56pm

Thanks everyone ! These are some great recipes and ideas. I'll be sure to try them and let you guys know how it turns out.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on April 9, 2012 at 11:37pm

Cheap hot dogs cut in tiny pieces and string cheese cut in 4ths and then in tiny pieces. These work very well in classes also. I also make my own peanut butter doggie treats.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on April 10, 2012 at 12:14am

I use baked hot dogs until they are like a hot dog jerky or make my own chicken jerky or beef jerky, no spices needed just bake on a low temp for a couple hours. I discovered this weekend that my dogs go bananas for Cheese-Its....who'd a thought lol. Also, in training classes peanut butter on a popsicle stick worked great or a can of Kong stuffer or cheese whiz. Its hard treating a corgi while jogging since they are so stubby so the popsicle stick or spoon works great as an arm extension lol.