# Treat Advice Please



## Divaskychick (May 18, 2011)

Sooo, liver treats, fail. Deli turkey meat, fail. Bully sticks, duck jerky, assorted crunch oven baked dog snacks, fail. 

Mild cheddar cheese, fail. Peanut butter (organic) Fail. Every thing the vet had in his arsenal, fail (altho that's pretty understandable.)

Before I go out and buy more, I'd love to hear your ideas! We're doing great with the potty training (she's really into her pads even though she never had access to them before) but oooh the screaming when she's left in her pen, even for a few minutes. I need something to stuff chew toys with.

Oh, there's one thing she loves - cat food. But I understand that is not the way forward....


----------



## Kirby (Mar 7, 2011)

Kirby just loves Ambrosia Salmon treats.....He only gets a couple now and then because I try to go really easy on the treats. I cut them in half for training. Maybe your pup would like these??? Best of luck!


----------



## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

django goes crazy for Venison treats by Real Meat. i break one treat into 4 pieces and put them in his kong. keeps him busy for bit


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kodi loves cat food as treats. It's certainly not a good, complete diet for a dog, but there shouldn't be anything in it that will hurt a dog in treat-sized quantities either. Cat's just need much more protein than dogs do... and if you're feeding straight meat training treats, as many of us do, they have even higher protein content than the cat food. If the only thing that interests her now is cat food... I'd use cat food!


----------



## Kirby (Mar 7, 2011)

One more thing about the Kong....If I were to try it again, I would get the Puppy Kong or even Senior Kong for sure. When Kirby was a wee guy they hadn't invented these 2 types of Kongs and his little tongue got red and sore after trying to get treats out of it. Finally he just stopped enjoying the Kong completely and it ended up in the garbage. Hopefully you can find the softer ones for Brutus!  I'm not exactly sure that it would have made any difference, but I have to think that he just worked too hard and too long to get at the treats with the adult dog one....just a thought.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kongs never really worked for us. When Kodi was little, he couldn't get stuff out of them and gave up. When he was older, he became "Jaws", and he can bite through even the black ones for "tough chewers". (I think they're meant for pit bulls!:biggrin1 So they aren't safe for him, since he rips off pieces of rubber to get inside.

The stuffed bones (we re-stuff them ourselves) work better than anything for us.


----------



## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

Rollie isn't in love with the stuffed Kong either. We just started using the Himalyan chews and he loves them. We ordered the small ones (sized like small biscotti) and they're made of a very, very hard, smoke-cured cheese. We save ours for evening when Mom & Dad need a brake and so far, it's held his attention.


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

At first Brody turned up his nose at almost all treats. He didn't like bananas (still doesn't), or peanut butter or yogurt or even cheese, or the freeze dried liver treats. He liked his kibble and hard biscuit type of things only. 

One day about a month ago, it was like a switch flipped in his brain. Now he goes absolutely ga-ga over the freeze dried liver treats and if you drop anything to the floor he's in like a flash to try and nab it. He still isn't fond of banana and will work past the peanut butter dab at the end of his puppy kong that I use to keep the kibble inside to get at the kibble and freeze dried liver piece in there. He still usually initially turns his nose up at new things. He loves popcorn. 

Him deciding to go nutso for the freeze dried liver treats has made housebreaking a million times better. He has only gone on the carpet once (yesterday after a good 2 weeks of no accidents). Now he goes and then RUNS over to where I keep the bag of treats jumping up and down like a jack-in-the-box.


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Mandy, don't give up on the idea. If your dog was'nt motivated by food , she wouldn' t be with you right now. Lisa has a great article about this . http://www.4pawsu.com/foodmot.htm


----------



## inlovewithhav (Feb 18, 2011)

Kipper loves Wellness treats and we only use those for puppy school, he likes ice and carrots and LOVES peanut butter in his Kong ( I use J- iff though)


----------



## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Divaskychick said:


> Sooo, liver treats, fail. Deli turkey meat, fail. Bully sticks, duck jerky, assorted crunch oven baked dog snacks, fail.
> 
> Mild cheddar cheese, fail. Peanut butter (organic) Fail. Every thing the vet had in his arsenal, fail (altho that's pretty understandable.)
> 
> ...


 My dogs wont take treats when they are that upset have you left the house to hear how long she cries?


----------



## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

All of mine *love* Bil-Jac Gooberlicious peanut butter treats and the little liver treats. They're also small enough that I don't worry about them eating too much.


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

pjewel said:


> All of mine *love* Bil-Jac Gooberlicious peanut butter treats and the little liver treats. They're also small enough that I don't worry about them eating too much.


Gooberlicious, LOVE IT.


----------



## Divaskychick (May 18, 2011)

First off, I have to ask how anyone has time to post with a puppy at home?? Between my very busy and attention loving (and slightly jealous of the dog) child and Soleil, OMG I'm exhausted! She (the pup) had the runs last night and woke me at 1:50 and 4:30 am, bless her heart. I was so thankful she didn't go in her crate but there's nothing like cleaning up loose poop in the dark when you can't find the paper towels or think where to put the dirty stuff and the pup wants to run around in it. Sigh.

This am we all slept in. Wish I had taken a photo of her sacked out on her back all stretched out! We had to rush to get to our puppy training class where they proceeded to try every sample treat available on us. Winner is: Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb Dinner. THANK YOU DOG GODS. 

Soleil was awesome in class, super friendly but not at all hyper. She caught on quick to what we learned. I was really proud of her and so thankful that her breeder socialized her so well. She's unafraid but never aggressive. 

I really wish she was into the kongs, tho, or any chew toy to keep her occupied when I need to cook or god forbid, leave the pup home alone for an hour. We have the puppy kongs and every incarnation of similar products. Even stuffed with Stella & Chewys she can't be bothered. She really doesn't chew on anything.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Give her time. When she starts teething, she'll start chewing!:biggrin1:


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Divaskychick said:


> First off, I have to ask how anyone has time to post with a puppy at home?? Between my very busy and attention loving (and slightly jealous of the dog) child and Soleil, OMG I'm exhausted! She (the pup) had the runs last night and woke me at 1:50 and 4:30 am, bless her heart. I was so thankful she didn't go in her crate but there's nothing like cleaning up loose poop in the dark when you can't find the paper towels or think where to put the dirty stuff and the pup wants to run around in it. Sigh.
> 
> This am we all slept in. Wish I had taken a photo of her sacked out on her back all stretched out! We had to rush to get to our puppy training class where they proceeded to try every sample treat available on us. Winner is: Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb Dinner. THANK YOU DOG GODS.
> 
> ...


JUST posted today. http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/50-ways-kong


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

davetgabby said:


> JUST posted today. http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/50-ways-kong


_*25:* Place a trail of frozen grapes leading to a stuffed KONG toy. Start with a short trail then gradually increase the length of the trail so it becomes a rewarding hunt for the KONG!
_
I thought grapes were toxic. It also talks a couple of times of using garlic water. I know there is some debate on toxicity and garlic.

I'm always up for ideas to do with the kong because I never know what to do to get him interested in it. Mostly I just put his kibble in it.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Yes, grapes are toxic, though the amount that a dog tolerates varies both by breed and individual. The article was probably written some years back when it wasn't known that grapes could be a big problem. Garlic is toxic in large quantities, but in small quantities, for seasoning, it seems to be widely used without a problem.


----------



## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

I would definitely not use grapes. They are toxic to dogs. Whenever I have them and one falls to the floor (rare), I rush to scoop it up before one of my vacuum cleaners does the job for me.


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Yeah , I didn't notice that one. I will check with the Dr. on that one . It shouldn't be there ,in my opinion.


----------



## wynne (Apr 30, 2011)

Our little Maya is a treat snob! She hates any type of crunchy treats. Guess it will vary with each Hav, but our's love the soft Wellness treats. She also likes the Canyon Ranch jerkeys, but this will take her a few minutes to eat.


----------



## Anne Streeter (Apr 14, 2009)

Treats are really simple here! I make all our bread - 100% whole wheat with lots of egg in the recipe. I just cut the crusts in small squares and keep them in a freezer bag. She will do anything for one of those!


----------



## j.j.'s mom (Aug 16, 2009)

every dog has his/her "currency"... the treat they will do ANYTHING for...
i had to replace my oven and my new one has a dehydrator setting..
so for j.j. i made some beef jerky... and it was amazingly easy to do. he just loves it!! so it is trial and error as to what your pup's "currency" is...


----------



## Divaskychick (May 18, 2011)

j.j.'s mom said:


> every dog has his/her "currency"... the treat they will do ANYTHING for...
> i had to replace my oven and my new one has a dehydrator setting..
> so for j.j. i made some beef jerky... and it was amazingly easy to do. he just loves it!! so it is trial and error as to what your pup's "currency" is...


Oh my gosh what kind of oven is that? I don't need a new oven but I wonder if ours could be persuaded to kick the bucket a little early? 

Soleil is doing so well on the stella and chewys. She has figured out the poop and pee on her pad = treat so this am after waking I got a pee and TWO "good" poops which I hope means her little butt is recovering.

The nice thing is she'll do "trick" training (touch, look at me, responding to her name) for simple kibble.

Oh and Karen, you were right and she is starting to chew. Still not into the kongs but she loves wrestling with her stuffed animals and gnawing on my chair legs(!!!)


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

All of you with puppies, remember that variety is very important with training treats, so keep trying new things, and rotate through them. You should also have 3 levels of treats available. Low level treats, like kibble, carrots or Cheerio's for working around the house on confirmed behaviors, mid-level treats like many of the commercial soft treats, or cheese sticks for general training of new behaviors, and high level, will-do-cart-wheels-for-them treats for when you have to train through distractions or are asking the dog to learn something new and really hard.

What is in each of these groups will depend on the dog, which is why you need to experiment. For Kodi, the highest level treats, and the ones we leave strictly for showing or very distracting work in group lessons (like heeling when the person in front of you is dropping food all over the floor!<g>) are freeze dried organ meats. Top of the list are lamb lung and chicken livers. I know one person who trains with raw chicken, but that's a little much for me... I'm NOT putting THAT in my pocket!ound:


----------



## HalfHavanese (May 28, 2011)

We have our puppy for just about two weeks now and these have worked wonders with teaching her to sit and potty outside. eace: They are approx. and inch square...and kinda pricey...so I have been cutting them up into 1/4's or 1/6's and she still loves them! Mind you she is only 3.5 lbs, so your mileage may vary.

http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid=71&dm=snack


----------



## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

HalfHavanese, your pup is a little darling! What's the other half? More pics please!


----------



## Divaskychick (May 18, 2011)

So what to do with the treat fails? I've got packages of opened treats she won't touch. I was thinking we should trade!

Is there any chance she'll like them later, if I can keep them fresh?

Edited to add, I just offered her left over steak from my husband's business dinner last night. Another fail! Crazy dog.


----------



## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

WOW, she refused left over steak!?? what DOES she eat??


----------



## Divaskychick (May 18, 2011)

TilliesMom said:


> WOW, she refused left over steak!?? what DOES she eat??


Royal Canin 33 for meals and home lessons if I train her when she's hungry. Stella & Chewys for potty training and lessons in puppy class where there distractions.

She also said no to grilled chicken.

I trained my old mutt to sit, stay and play dead in ONE hour with cheapo slim jims from the gas station across the street when I was in college. Don't think I'm not considering picking some up!


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Divaskychick said:


> So what to do with the treat fails? I've got packages of opened treats she won't touch. I was thinking we should trade!
> 
> Is there any chance she'll like them later, if I can keep them fresh?
> 
> Edited to add, I just offered her left over steak from my husband's business dinner last night. Another fail! Crazy dog.


Yes, she may very well decide she likes them when she's a bit older!


----------



## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

Try celery, lettuce ribs, see if that works...


----------

