Training treats - Page 1

I just recieved a 8 week old puppy and am looking for different ideas for good economial treats to use in training for both obedience and bite work.

gsk9 -  I don’t know of anyone that provides treats for or during bite work, you have a puppy so bite work is a long way down the road.
 
For obedience, most pet supply stores have bite sized training treats of varying brands and prices. It is not so much what kind of treat you provide, it is the fact that you are praising your dog for the behavior you wanted and received, the treat is just an added incentive/bonus. 
 
Your sincere Praise of the dog is what is most important.

Keep your training sessions short (2-3 minutes at a time) with lots of energy and fun for the dog. Pups get bored very quickly.
 
Hope that helps, others may have different ideas for you.


Kim

I was waiting to see what OTHERS would post. In my eyes there are SO many things involved in training, for training, during training. To me TRAINING is a multitude of things, (depending on what you want the dog to do, to become, it's purpose. We all have different ideas of what works and we all know dogs are different. And what works for one might not work for another.

For me and my dogs, I do not believe in treats for training. All PRAISE! And for me I have seen where my dog has done better than another that was "looking" for a treat. Now I'm not saying for you not to use treats with your dog, I'm saying I have/use a different mindset. I agrre with Kim above. To me it boils down to the relationship with the dog. My dogs have together time, individual time, training time, work time and just being a dog time. All of those times except for being a dog time everything is praise, praise and more praise. My dogs will be "jealous" if I take an individual one. Each one WANTS to be with me, at my side, on the field, training/scenarios, next to me in bed or in the house or in the truck up front. That is the bond that we have established. 

Now when they're just being a dog there are a couple of things they love to have with me; Pizza crust, french fries and butterscotch cookies.

Now honestly, if you think you need treats to train, motivate or accomplish a certain out come I would think something that he/she will not always get to have.(Maybe cooked up liver/chicken/beef/pork pieces, cheese pieces and things of the likes)  making it a REAL TREAT to get. I'm sure others will chime in with their methods. Good luck.  

alboe2009- I am sick & tired of your responses being more detailed and better than mine! LOL

I'm a kind of "Be quick, be Blunt & Be Gone" type of guy!

And, when me and my crew of K9 Pirates are relaxing, we drink Czech beer with our pizza.

And as for Badges "We don't need no stinkin badges"
          (I don't know where that came from either)

Good post as usual


Kim

I figured a ton of people would respond...... both with and without treats for training purposes. Sp your crew eats pizza too? I only give mine the crust, haven't met a dog that doesn't like pizza crust.

That avatar pic is too cool!

Alboe- Thanks, that is K9 Talu. Just sold to a Colorado PD, he wil be missed.

Sending you a pm with his private video

Kim

ps; sorry for going off topic

I hate using treats/food during training...it seems to distract the dog from the intended purpose. I like using my voice as the treat:-)

Ziwi Peak Venison works great for treats, dry, easy to handle and put in pocket.  N

What a refreshing change to the post I just replied to on "At what age should I use an e collar on my GSD"!  Reward in my book is better than punishment whether it be treats, your self (voice as in judron) or a toy.  Just remember with a pup it must all be about play, everything must be a game.  If the tail aint wagging the heart isn't in it!

Almost anything can be used as a training treat. 
The only real criteria are that it be something the dog likes, the dog tolerates well, and small enough that the dog does not become full quickly.

A pair of kitchen shears are handy for snipping treats up into smaller sizes.  I generally aim for something about the size of a pencil eraser.  This makes it easy for the dog to eat without having to stop and chew the treat [which breaks up the flow of training], it keeps the dog from getting full, and it's economical.

Variety is also a good thing, so mixing several different treats together is generally a good idea.  It keeps the dog's interest.

I go through the bargain bins at pet stores and wait for sales, and then buy bulk amounts of treats. 
Chop 'em up, bag 'em, and freeze what you won't use immediately so they stay fresh.

New Balence rolls and cheese are really popular.

As an example: