# Suggestions for training treats?



## sfrt (Jan 5, 2016)

Puppy comes home in a couple weeks at 10 weeks old and I'd like to have treats for potty training on hand, and am keen on using Dunbar's suggestion of higher rewards for eliminating closer to the "target" in the yard. He suggests liver and so I was considering these: http://www.crumps.ca/products/beef-liver-bites

Any suggestions/advice?


----------



## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

We went through quite a few bags of dried liver treats in Ruby's first few months. They work very well because you can cut them into smaller pieces, they don't smell, and the pup can eat them instantly and doesn't have to pause from the training to chew. This is especially important when training for leash walking where you want to reward the loose leash walking but can keep moving forward as you give the treat. Our older dog gets carrot pieces for treats and soon Ruby will be able to stop and chew those too but for now that would distract her too much from the training.


----------



## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

I've been using these for Willow: Amazon.com : Natural Balance Mini Rewards Duck Formula Dog Treats, 4-Ounce : Pet Supplies

They are small to begin with but you can easily pinch off smaller pieces if you carry them in your pocket or just use a pair of scissors to cut into small pieces. They are soft and do not crumble.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

sfrt said:


> Puppy comes home in a couple weeks at 10 weeks old and I'd like to have treats for potty training on hand, and am keen on using Dunbar's suggestion of higher rewards for eliminating closer to the "target" in the yard. He suggests liver and so I was considering these: http://www.crumps.ca/products/beef-liver-bites
> 
> Any suggestions/advice?


Anything that says "federally inspected" is almost certainly not "U.S.A. sourced", and because of all the problems with products from China, I'd stay away. There are plenty of U.S. raised/processed freeze dried meat products.

I personally like Bravo for freeze dried treats. They are a reputable company, and never source their ingredients from China: Bravo FAQs - Bravo Pet Food

But, honestly, nothing beats freshly roasted lean meat, beef, pork, turkey or chicken in terms of treat value. Dogs go nuts for it, and it is the best quality you can possibly give them. It's also much MUCH cheaper than store bought treats. I cook a pork loin roast, cube what I need for training treats and feed my family the "left overs"! ound:


----------



## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

I give Sophie so many training treats I worry about throwing off her ratios (too much protein etc) so I make a meat loaf with the ingredients in her food (stella and chewys) from store bought food and also use freeze dried raw version of the same frozen raw food I feed her. I also get home raised beef liver when some friends of mine butcher (poor cows!) and dry them on my own to make jerky or put them in another recipe I'm using for her


----------



## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

It really depends on what the dog deems "high value". Mario, for example, has never really been interested in training treats, no matter how smelly they are. His highest value treat is iceberg lettuce (we break pieces of the crispy center up, the leaf itself makes me nervous). He also LOVES little bits rotisserie chicken, and it's an added bonus if it's still warm. He adores the freeze dried liver from the vet, but refuses to eat it there due to nerves (he also only accepts treats from the family...he's big on "stranger danger" lol), so my vet tech aunt will bring some over every now and again. Recently we tried a new training treat that he actually goes bonkers for at Chuck and Don's. They're the turducken formula Merrick Power Bites. The smell is quite potent, but they aren't at all messy, which is something you can't say for most.

For puppies, using their kibble (if you are feeding kibble) as training treats is often recommended as there should be lots of treating happening. This is what we did from Mario and will do for our pup that is coming home in 10 days. Of course, you should still use high value treats throughout this process, especially when your pup really begins to grasp a concept and/or finally performs the desired behavior. As Karen said, I don't think you will find a dog that doesn't place fresh meat at the top of the "value scale".


----------



## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Not sure if they will serve your purpose but my dog LOVES the tiny treats I just discovered made by Honest Kitchen (thehonestkitchen.com). The ingredients list consist on just one, dehydrated haddock, product of Iceland, packaged in USA. I have been using them for training and love the fact that they are so tiny especially since mine is a picky eater and I don't want her to fill up on treats. The only negative is that if you use them for heeling, it does take a few seconds for her to chew it.


----------



## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Zoe093014 said:


> Not sure if they will serve your purpose but my dog LOVES the tiny treats I just discovered made by Honest Kitchen (thehonestkitchen.com)


Are they chewy and can they easily be broken down into smaller pieces without crumbling? Willow loves her Honest Kitchen dog food. I didn't know there were also treats.


----------



## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Are they chewy and can they easily be broken down into smaller pieces without crumbling? Willow loves her Honest Kitchen dog food. I didn't know there were also treats.


These are so tiny you don't need to break them down but they ARE crunchy. They don't crumble...no mess.


----------

