# Dog Treat Recommendations?



## Lo01 (Jul 22, 2007)

Hank has been in some form of "obedience" class since we've had the little one at 13 weeks old. He's more praise driven than either food or play (toys); any recommendations on specific training treats your particular Havanese likes? We've tried hot dog, liver, chicken breast, beef jerky, steak, bacon etc. but he appears to treat each one with little enthusiasm. And if he's really distracted he won't even take a treat right in front of his mouth. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
*'Lo*


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

The yogurt drops from VitaKraft are Beamers all time favorite treat. Beamer is not food/treat driven either.. He won't even look at 95% of treats I have tried (yes, I have a drawer full of treats that remain untouched..lol)

He goes nuts for these yogurt things though.... It's like crack for him! hehe

Ryan


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Have you tried Cheese? Cheese always works for us.

Also, when we go to class....I skip dinner! That way, she's hungry for treats. I will offer her dinner when we get home, but she usually is full on treats! So, make sure he's not 'full' before class.

Gucci won't touch pork! lol, she acts offended if I offer her pork, ham, hot dogs, bacon, etc. *hates it*!

Kara


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

If he goes for the praise then I would forget the treats. When I was training in the past we only used praise and I think the dogs are much more dependable than with the treats. But if you want to treat I just picked up a sample bag of the Blackwood 5000. It is a catfish based food and Smarty loves it. I know she thinks I've made a mistake and she is getting the cats' food.


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## Lo01 (Jul 22, 2007)

Thumperlove said:


> Have you tried Cheese? Cheese always works for us.
> 
> Also, when we go to class....I skip dinner! That way, she's hungry for treats. I will offer her dinner when we get home, but she usually is full on treats! So, make sure he's not 'full' before class.
> 
> ...


Kara, 
We've tried a variety of cheeses, but the little guy appears unimpressed. And we typically skip his meal prior to classes but he never seems to be hungry enough to have treats with the distractions around him.
Ryan, I'll try those yogurt treats. Like you we have a cabinet full of treats Hank has no real preference for.

Thanks for the input though 

_*'Lo*_


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Peanut butter?  Not the easiest to 'travel' with, but its usually a hit! I have wasted SOO much $ on treats. My neighbor's dog has scored so many free boxes and bags of treats its not funny. lol I finally gave up and stick with cheese, jerky, and turkey.

I usually cut the mild or medium cheddar off the block, or mozz string cheese.

I'm surprised that Hank isn't impressed with any type of 'people' food. wow! He's even pickier than my girl, if that's possible.

Kara


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Does Hank eat kibble? Or what does he eat for meals??


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

Mine love the Tasty Rewards by Life's Abundance. I've decided I don't care for their dog food, but the treats will remain a staple in my house. My chihuahua who NEVER likes dog treats will do anything for even 1/4 of one of these and Oliver loves them too. He learned "down" yesterday in 3 repetitions with these! I break them in to many pieces and they last a long time.

Here's the ingredient list:

Chicken, venison, rown rice, dried chicory root, lecithin, sea salt, mixed tocoperols, pumpkin kernels, B12 supplement, garlic flavoring


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## Sissygirl (Aug 8, 2007)

Sissy loves the Bil Jac Liver Treats

They are soft and I can take a little bit off and give her several bites from one treat. I get them at Petsmart. I think Walmart carries it too.

She also loves the milk bone original treats.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Lo, Canz Real Meat Treats!!! My fussy Jasper has never refused it. They are great for training as you can break them up easily to tiny pieces. They are 95% real meat- they are not irradiated and they come in a ton of varieties 
My boys favorite is the chicken/venison.

http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.ACCT56582/sc.10/category.36/.f

Best price I found for them was at sitstay.com

good luck. let me know if Hank likes them. But I can't believe he doesn't like cheese :frusty:


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## MaddiesMom (Apr 1, 2007)

I use sweet potato chips and turkey breast for Maddie at agility. But if Hank turns his nose up at hot dogs, bacon, steak, etc., I'm not sure anything different would do the trick. Hank is probably just easily distracted and a bit nervous in class. That's normal for his age. The only think that helps is to have the dog *really* hungry. But if Hank loves praise, I think that's way better than treats!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

My two love, love, love freeze dried beef liver treats. They will eat cheese on occasion, but it's not something I would use for training. They really don't like treats, and like Kara, I have spent a small fortune on them. I have tried to retrain my brain - dogs do not get treats in the wild. This is s man-made thing to get us to spend money. So, I only buy what they like and have forgotten about going nuts trying to find a treat they will like.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Lo, how about a little butter on your hand so he can lick you as you praise him.


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## Janet Zee (Mar 16, 2007)

Bacci just loves CHARLEE BEAR NATURAL NUTRITION SNACKS. I break up the individual treats into bite size pieces. he will do anything for one of these treats.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Does he just refuse treats in class? Or does he do at home also?

Gucci gets distracted in class and I had to do most of the training at home...in a quiet room.

Kara


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

It is so hard when you have a pup that isn't food motivated.

Ryan, I had almost forgotten about those yogurt treats! I had two dogs that just loved them so much, so I ended up buying the huge economy-size bag and put it in the motorhome. That was a bad idea because the heat and cold fluctuations made them go bad fast. Blech. I threw them out and haven't bought anymore since then.

My dogs all love the Fromm Cranberry & Liver treats right now, but they are crunchy and I don't think a crunchy treat is good for obedience training. Soft treats are much better so they don't stand there crunching when they could be moving on to the next step.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

ha ha ha Kimberly, I have you beat with the yogurt treats-- I buy my treats on line- so I usually by quite a bit to make the shipping make sense and I store them in my basement-- well the other day I went down to get a new jumbo sized bag -- and there is an empty bag with a big hole nibbled out of it. That is a lot of treats for a little mouse!!! Mind you they left the Canz treats alone- I guess mice are not carnivores. I keep imagining a little mouse running around like a crazy dervish from a sugar rush from eating that whole bag.... I wonder how long it took them to finish it. 

But yes a big paws up from Jas and Cash on the yogurt treats. (they each get one when we eat our frozen yogurt)


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Oh no, Missy! That's awful. Sounds like it is time for a mouse trap. Ick!


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## Lo01 (Jul 22, 2007)

Beamer said:


> Does Hank eat kibble? Or what does he eat for meals??


Ryan,
Hank eats Nature's Variety Raw Medallions (various kinds) for his meals. I actually serve them to him frozen, cut up into little cubes for training. He seems to like these but it obviously wouldn't be safe to transport to his obedience classes.

Kara,
The little guy does have a worse time when he's distracted in class (it's almost his half birthday on November 18th, so he is relatively young). But he does at times refuse to take his treats even after he performs a requested behavior  (at home, or at "school") So we just pour on the praise. He definitely does better in his training environment (living room/kitchen) but we are constantly trying to generalize his behaviors with moderate distarctions... slow and steady.

Thank you all for the recommendations, I'll go on and try out some of the recommended treats.

I am definitely aware of the advantages of a puppy motivated by praise, but at times, we wish we could motivate Hank in other ways. I'm currently reviewing a number of agility articles on improving a puppies drive... we'll see.

Again, thanks for your time.

*'Lo*


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## arlene (Jul 28, 2007)

My guys love the Canz Real Meat Treats too - I used those and chicken for training. I just cleaned out a closet full of biscuits that I bought and they won't touch.

Arlene


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I have a good friend who her sheltie won't eat food when training. He just gets too stressed out, distracted etc. I don't think you have to use food, it just generally motivates most dogs.

One of the things a good trainer I worked with did is put the treat in her mouth and spit it at her dogs. She had big dogs so it worked but told me to modify it by keeping the food in my mouth and handing her a piece so she thought it was something really good. The first time I spit string cheese it landed in Dora's hair so it backfired! Obviously, you have to decide what you are okay keeping in your mouth. I tend to eat the chicken nuggets but leave the hot dog in my cheek  This also helps to have the heads up type heeling and getting your dog to maintain eye contact but also backfires when you are eating dinner at home and your Neezer thinks you made eye contact with food in your mouth that you MUST want to give her!

Amanda


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Missy, more likely that mouse was feeding a family. :biggrin1:


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

try butlers lean treats. my dog who doesn't care about food loves these treats. i cut one treat into 4 pieces so they last longer and he thinks he's getting a lot but he actually isn't plus, they are low cal and great when used for trianing. you can find them on othe internet, just type butlers lean treats


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

ama0722 said:


> One of the things a good trainer I worked with did is put the treat in her mouth and spit it at her dogs. She had big dogs so it worked but told me to modify it by keeping the food in my mouth and handing her a piece so she thought it was something really good. The first time I spit string cheese it landed in Dora's hair so it backfired! Obviously, you have to decide what you are okay keeping in your mouth. I tend to eat the chicken nuggets but leave the hot dog in my cheek


Amanda, a lot of conformation handlers keep treats in their mouths for the dogs also. They just don't spit them! I'm laughing at the visual in my head though.

The first time I saw a handler reach up to their mouth and then hand it to the dogs, I admit that it grossed me out a bit. Now I do it on occasion, especially if I'm wearing something without pockets, but I always keep a tissue tucked somewhere so I can rub the dog saliva off my fingers before going back to my own mouth for more. OK, I am almost grossing myself out again just writing it. :brushteeth:


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## Squirt (Oct 10, 2007)

Yummy Chummy is the favorite treat in this house. I cut one into three pieces and they last quite a while. Squirt likes the original salmon flavor.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

The trainer I have has Belgian Sheepdogs who remind me of sharks so they jump and take the food in the air. NEVER to be fed by hand... they bite!

Kimberly, havent you heard the old saying that a dog's mouth is cleaner than yours... maybe Piaget should be asking you the last time you brushed your teeth instead!

Amanda


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Oliver won't touch cheese either the only thing he loves are baby carrots


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

Maybe you could ask your pet store for sample bags of various kibble. Tell them you're looking for a brand that will work as a training tool. Test them out one by one and see if you can find a winner. Since it'll be only for training, it shouldn't affect his digestion of raw meals.

I know you've tried liver, but was that home cooked or prepackaged? We used to cook liver with a touch of garlic and that worked really well for some of our pickier dogs. 

Lastly, two items that worked wonders for one of our really non-food motivated dogs were Dorito's or Cheeto's. I'm embarrassed to admit that, but it was the ONLY thing that got this dog excited enough to work in public. The only saving grace to this fact was that he got the treats ONLY when he was asked to work in the "real world".

Hank's ideal treat may be something completely off the board. 

Wanda


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

ama0722 said:


> The trainer I have has Belgian Sheepdogs who remind me of sharks so they jump and take the food in the air. NEVER to be fed by hand... they bite!
> 
> Kimberly, havent you heard the old saying that a dog's mouth is cleaner than yours... maybe Piaget should be asking you the last time you brushed your teeth instead!


Well, Piaget isn't very discerning. He'd snack on poo if I didn't pick it up right away and he'd probably even drink out of the toilet if he could. Gotta love dogs!

Wow - I didn't know that about Belgian Sheepdogs! Heck, I am not even sure what they are. They're not the same as the Belgian Terverns (sp?) are they? Now I'm going to have to see what I can find on them.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

okay Dora is a poo eater so I am safe but she does like panties so I am grossing myself out!

As to Belgians, they are very similar to Tervs.... http://www.bsca.info/ Hers just run in circles in the xpen (herding dogs) and they have those pointy ears, they scare me as the jump and bite too...

Amanda


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Wanda- I want to know! If Kimberly is gonna put poo in her mouth with a little toilet water to wash it out later <BG>... what do you have to you have to put in yours?


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

ama0722 said:


> Wanda- I want to know! If Kimberly is gonna put poo in her mouth with a little toilet water to wash it out later <BG>... what do you have to you have to put in yours?


Thankfully neither of those! Our most difficult dog would only work for the Dorito's and Cheeto's. We really got razzed for that but, hey, it worked.

Wanda


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## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

Biscuit isn't a treat-hound either, 'Lo. Like Ryan, I've got drawers full of rejected treats. Since Biscuit was ignoring the treats in the last obedience class, someone there recommended a special treat called 95's. It's a bag of small flat squares of pure lamb or beef, that is sort of freeze-dried, and these tear nicely into smaller bits, and aren't messy or greasy. They smell good, like jerky. Biscuit LOVES them & the other dogs in our class did too. They run about $6 a small bag, but it lasts awhile.


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## Lo01 (Jul 22, 2007)

Thanks to all,
Looks like my wife and I have a great list of things we can start with... you are all the best.

Regards,
_*'Lo*_


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## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

OK where do you get the yogurt drops? In our class we are told to use soft food that way they are not crunching for a while and they wont chock on them.I have use liver treats she seems to like them but not crazy about them Since last weeks class I left her treats at home I stop by in laws and they had pork LOL that was just to greasey for her. I have use chicken hot dogs that works real good too. I would like to fine something that she loves that taste good for her and me  I hate the taste of liver LOL


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Susan, our Petsmart almost always has them in stock. You can get a small canister or a larger bag. I think the dog yogurt drops are always in orange containers.

















(Pictures of the canister and bag for you to easily spot them in the store.)


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