# Treats for training



## HelloNico (Mar 31, 2012)

Hi, Nico is almost five months old and, like virtually every dog, loves Milk Bones. We suspected that Milk Bones were causing loose stools, and today I am convinced — he had extra helpings last night to help get through bath time. 

I've searched for recs but haven't found recent info here. What do you use for training treats? I'd like to have something rewarding but gentle/light enough to eat lots of and not upset his stomach. The pet stores are full of tiny bags of expensive biscuits, but I'd prefer to buy in quantity — perhaps because I'm optimistic that he'll earn lots of treats!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

string cheese, natural balance food rolls, cut up hot dogs, cat kibble are what I use most. I never buy the crunchy commercial treats. Natural balance rolls go a long way for the money, and have a few protein varietie.
If I could get it in MI, I'd use the frozen Bil-Jac for training treats, tracking bait. I can order it from Amazon however!


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## HelloNico (Mar 31, 2012)

He looooves hot dogs, and I don't think they're any worse for him? Do you cook them or not?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

home made, Zuke's, Newman's Own, Fruitables, Trader Joes,
Buddy Biscuits, Green Pet Organics, Blue Biscuits, Traders Joes
(chicken strips). i would stay away from anything made in China.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

buy a lot of the small bags. :laugh:



HelloNico said:


> >>>> The pet stores are full of tiny bags of expensive biscuits, but I'd prefer to buy in quantity <<<<
> 
> — perhaps because I'm optimistic that he'll earn lots of treats!


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## rshkr (Feb 9, 2012)

use those hormel diced pepperoni/ham/turkey etc...?
they are the size of a pea packaged in small bags, they are $2.99 a bag, and there's plenty in one bag, more than a hundred.
i dont know if they are available in retail stores, i got mine from the commissary.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

HelloNico said:


> He looooves hot dogs, and I don't think they're any worse for him? Do you cook them or not?


Full of salt and nitrates.....even the nitrate free are full of salt.
I am giving Nutro Natural Choice Crunchy Treats..not too bad....they do have menadione though..but to me nitrates are worse.

There are natural ones too. I gave some castor and pollux organic treats and would continue if they were just a little bit smaller.


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## pfitzpa1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I use cat kibble (we happen to have a cat at home). Maggie loves the kibble, they are small and she can eat plenty of them. She always has nice firm stools, though she has started purring lately 

I do mix it up a bit but the kibble is staple. I switch between hotdogs/ cheese/ whatever happens to be lying around that I can cut into small pieces.

My buddy gives his dog peanuts (I mean the actual legume).


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## Dakotasmom23 (Jan 11, 2012)

I buy a rotisserie chicken from Walmart or Costco for like $5 and cut it up in tiny pieces (removing the skin first). I bag a small handful into separate ziplock baggies, freezing the majority and thawing as I need it. This lasts me at least 2 weeks, more if I'm not treating my other dog as much in addition to the puppy. Every so often I will also buy turkey hotdogs and chop those up as treats (pea size). I never use commercial dog treats, too expensive for the amount I go through. Oh, I forgot, I do sometimes get the dog food rolls (I think its Natural Balance).


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## Packen (Sep 14, 2008)

I use a piece of meat and cut it into small pieces, works great for high level reward but lower than ball. String cheese and/or kibble for low level rewards.


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

I love the Natural Balance food rolls. You can cut them as big or little as you want. I use hot dogs for a high value treat. I also buy small bags of a different brand of dog food and that seems to work for around the house.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

There have been tons of previous threads about training treats.  In any case, Milk Bones are WAY too big for training treats. You're going to be using a lot, so they should be very small, 1/4" or less, the size of a small pea. Soft treats are also better than crunchy treats that take time to chew. 

My current favs are by Ziwi Peak: Treats Family » ZiwiPeak I've been buying the treats from amazon.com, but I know some people use the dog food, which looks very similar to the treats. I need to do a price comparison to see if it's cheaper to buy the larger food bags vs the smaller treat bags. They are not inexpensive, but each bag contains TONS of treats, about a 1/2" wide and and inch or so long. They are very thin and can easily be snapped into smaller pieces with your fingers as you go, without crumbling. 



> Treats
> Our Treat's Range is proudly 95% meat, organs and seafood, just as nature intended for your beloved animal.
> 
> Made from Real Meat
> ...


And I just discovered this food at our local boutique pet supply store, it's also a terrific training treat: Real Meat Pet Food

The pieces come in varying sizes and are the consistency of a fairly soft jerky so you can break the larger pieces up into smaller pieces for training. 



> If your pets like our treats they will love our new air dried 90% real meat pet foods!
> The recipe is simple, meat and lots of it! Gently mixed with natural vitamins and minerals,
> air dried into the most meaty scrumptous dry food available.
> Using only the finest free range grass fed meats with no added hormones or antibiotics.
> ...


I prefer not to give my dogs junky treats since they're eating good quality kibble. Most dogs love hot dogs and cheese, which I would much rather use than a commercial treat with a bunch of additives. I've used Zukes Mini-Naturals, which are a bit hit, and also the Natural Balance rolls, which pretty much every dog I've ever met (and my cats too!) love. The disadvantage of the rolls is that they need to be cut up in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The Zukes are nice because they're a good size and do not need to be refrigerated, which makes them very convenient. 

My criteria for training treats is #1 - good ingredients, then #2 - either come in a good size to use right out of the bag can be broken up on the fly vs having to cut up a bunch in advance, and #3 - convenience, which gives treats that don't need to be refrigerated the edge over those that do. 

For super food motivated dogs I'll use kibble, and make them work for a portion of their meals. You can also mix some of their daily kibble in a baggie with some yummier stuff (like tiny cheese cubes) to flavor it. That way you're not totally throwing off their diet by adding a lot of stuff that's high in fat or calories - sometimes they get cheese and sometimes they get cheese flavored kibble!


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## SarahMichelle (Apr 8, 2012)

I mainly use hot dogs or whatever meat we have. But when we were taking agility classes I used Zukes Mini-Naturals as I hate the way meat makes my hands feel after awhile. I really liked them because they are just grab and go type of treats, no cutting or breaking apart involved.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I use these. 100% Canadian beef, made there, too. I love them because they are dry, not at all greasy, can be broken into tiny bits, and they do not stink.
Crumps - Beef Tender Sticks

I also use Bravo freeze dried treats. There are different flavors, including cod fish, but those are stinky. 







Amazon.com: Bravo! Premium Freeze-Dried Training Treats for Dogs, Turkey (Pack of 3): Pet Supplies


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## Macslady (Feb 26, 2012)

We use her Blue Buffalo for treats when training. I just bought a bag of Wellness Wellbites for just daily treats for being good  She LOVES them!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

I use all kinds of treats but I have to have a variety for picky client dogs. I use natural balance food rolls cut up into pea sized pieces. Downside, once you open the package, the whole thing has to be refrigerated. but they last awhile and the dogs love them and they come in a couple different flavors. 

Zukes makes some good treats, wellness makes some good treats you can break up into the size you need, Train-Me! training treats are good and the perfect size for training but I still cut them in half which makes the bag last longer. Hot dogs are good and you dont have to cook them though some dogs work harder for warm hot dogs.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

KZoppa said:


> Train-Me! training treats are good and the perfect size for training but I still cut them in half which makes the bag last longer. [\QUOTE]
> Yeah, what is the deal with these big treats labeled "training"? If we were to use the manufacturer's size we would have morbidly obese dogs!


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