# best treats for training



## mikeb (Mar 11, 2009)

Any treats Havs just love? I'm a vegetarian but don't see making my dog be one. What's best for getting the most attention from your hav? Want something delicious for him but won't be so rich it would make him sick after a while.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Mike , any meat they like, eg. chicken cubes turkey liver. Just keep them small. They should be able to down it in a couple of seconds. Just one tip with training ,keep the sessions short, .If you are rewarding with treats you can give a jackpot for some better than average performances. If you are doing luring ,you don't neeed much. If you try clicker training ,keep them small and frequent . When clicker training use the clicker to mark and refrain from too much vocal. You can use some of the dryer kibble like ones but generally they don' t always motivate as much. And alot of them are not all that healthy. Have fun.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I like dehydrating chicken myself. They all go crazy for this and I know what's in it! It works great for training, but just break off tiny pieces.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Mine always love bits of cooked chicken. I get the skinless breast slices and boil it. We're vegan here.  I also get alot of attention when I have liver biscotti.


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Mine get Natural Balance Rolls - diced into little pieces.


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

i too am a vegetarian so my posh likes to visit grandma's house where she is fed all kinds of "yummy" meat.

at our house she's learned to meet me halfway. ha! she loves apples and raw carrots, but mainly solid gold jerky! my daughter who is five and also a vegetarian, since birth, thinks the jerky smells divine, so, she might not always stay a veg. ha! posh also likes charlie bear liver 'crackers" and merrick flossies (although i obviously don't use these for training, i use them for chewing.) i know a lot of folks here absolutely love the bailey's k9 jerky. i haven't personally used any.


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## arla (Feb 22, 2009)

I have some dried liver treats that Cisco loves and they are only 3 calories each.


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

I just discovered Sniffers 101 All Natural Training Bits. They are small and I cut them into 4 pieces to make them go even longer. They have calming herbs (chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender) as well as chicken liver, and Jackson loved them (although he likes most anything new.) I will try them in his obedience class next month and let you know how they work.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I make my own jerky like many of the other members on the forum. I know exactly what goes into it- just meat. I personally like to train using my hands a lot and I put the treat in my mouth so that eliminates most of the products (probably not for vegetarians!). I would prefer to not use dehydrated treats but like for agility- we drive an hour to get there, train an hour, and an hour back home and sometimes we stop and go shopping and stuff so it works perfect. I also like string cheese but I usually eat more of it than I train with


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

You put the treat in your mouth, Amanda? Is that before you give it to your pup or because you are hungry? :biggrin1:


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Kathy- It is the cookie I get for peeing on the step next to Belle!!! 

If I have a cookie in my hand when I am training. Half of Dasher's energy goes to getting that cookie. He will start doing tricks, offering way too many behaviors and often times he loses his brain. A lot of training I do use is luring him and I want him to concentrate on the obstacle at hand and not the cookie so the side of my cheek is a perfect spot  Also in the performance rings, you cant take treats in. Well Dash doesn't need to know that. What he can know is maybe mom has that jerky still in her mouth. A lot of trainers spit the food to their dogs but none of mine can catch so it ends up in their hair! So i just rip a small piece and treat when it is earned.


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

ama0722 said:


> A lot of trainers spit the food to their dogs but none of mine can catch so it ends up in their hair!


ound:ound:ound:


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

> Kathy- It is the cookie I get for peeing on the step next to Belle!!!


ound:ound:ound:

Wow, I am impressed with the treat in the mouth. Can't wait to start going to some classes and see all this in action . . .


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

I have used cheese (cut very tiny) 6 for tricks, also found that a few pieces of banana (I am talking a very tiny pieces, I might give about 4), Popcorn, 2 or 3,
leftover food in the bowl (he loves it when I fed it to him) at least 8 - 10; liver treats (divided into 4), yogurt (one teaspoon), his favorite bone (to get it back, he has to do a trick), even his toys can be used....why not, they really love their toys!


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

I use mostly boiled chicken, their kibble and string cheese. I do want to learn more about dehydrating now that I have read a lot about it on the forum.


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> You put the treat in your mouth, Amanda? Is that before you give it to your pup or because you are hungry? :biggrin1:


Kathy~ Amanda taught me to do this when she lived here and was teaching me how to train Tori. I hated the "liver-like" taste of the jerky, so I started using baby carrots I cut into tiny bits. Tori LOVES baby carrots!

Another benefit of keeping the treat in your mouth is that their eyes are always watching your face, so they stay better focused on your commands.


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

> Another benefit of keeping the treat in your mouth is that their eyes are always watching your face, so they stay better focused on your commands.
> __________________
> ~Leslie


Thanks for that tip, Leslie. That makes a lot of sense. Now I just have to find something I can stand to have in my mouth! Guess I will have time to do that now . . .  . . . I just found out this week that I am shut out of ALL times of the beginner classes I requested and have to wait now until June and July . . . said the classes filled up the first week (unbelievable)  They held my application for weeks before letting me know, or I could have asked for different times or gotten on with another trainer who is now full as well. It's just not the same trying to train them without other distractions around . . . Jackson needs the other dogs around to learn how to focus in. I am less than pleased with how they do things at our main dog training facility around here. I'm going to observe and hope maybe someone drops out. Sorry for the rant . . .


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## Maxmom (Jul 22, 2008)

A quick treat is Cheerios broken in little pieces. You could stand that in your mouth, Kathy!


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## marisoma (Jan 20, 2008)

Giotto loves Zuke's All Naturals. They come in Chicken and Peanut Butter. They are little bits (the size of a pencil eraser), that are easy to use as treats. Giotto is picky, so there were only a few things high value enough that I could use as a treat. These always work, as do Cheerios, or bits of chicken. I also have heard of people using a cut up hot dog, but Giotto wouldn't touch that.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Jill in Mich said:


> Mine get Natural Balance Rolls - diced into little pieces.


Another vote for NB rolls. They are great for training - firm, but not crunchy, and you can make them as small or large as you want. There are different flavors. And they don't give my dogs the runs (liver does - I think it is too rich for them, even though it is a popular dog treat).


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## ciera123 (Nov 23, 2008)

We use the Wellness Puppy Treats (Petco carries them) and I cut each square up into 6 pieces. We also use small cubes of turkey or chicken. Pixie inhales both of these and the Wellness treats have only good ingredients in them. They look and smell like jerky.


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

I like the Wellness Puppy treats too. They got a little tired of them so I still have 3 bags put aside. I figure when I reintroduce them, they will love them again. I cut them up too...sort of chewy.


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## Colleen G (Jun 25, 2008)

Our favorite is chicken liver. She only gets it when we are training, which makes it special and does not get tired of it...so far anyways. For treats other than training, we use cooked carrots or raw, and dehydrated peas. Both our dogs get the same treats, and they will do anything for them.


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

Mine loves bits of fresh boiled chicken, Bil-Jac liver training treats or bits of chicken jerkey.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Mine love freeze dried liver, but recently have fallen in love with another Merrick treat (lungs, uke. They also love Charlie Bear liver treats. I have been using these for training and have even gotten my DD's dogs to respond. I got my dehydrator about a month ago, but haven't had the time to use it yet. I know they will love the jerky.


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