# Great training treats?



## spiritsmom (Mar 1, 2003)

Anyone have any recipes or names of fabulous/can't miss training treats? Nyxie is not motivated enough by what I have tried so far. I need to get her to do faster "downs" and the food I've been using is just not yummy enough to make her drop to the floor. 

I've tried: dried chicken/duck/salmon, Bil Jac, hot dogs (plain and with cheese in it), turkey slices, cheese cubes. I would have thought she would be all over one of these things but nope. She likes them but they do not excite her - and I need her to be more excited!


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## bigdavejoker (Feb 9, 2011)

have you tried Peporoni sticks?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

What about not using food all the time and mixing up the reward with a tug or ball? 
Build the drive, don't reward her til she does the command quicklike!
Leerburg | Streaming Video

I use natural balance rolls, string cheese and cooked chicken~ my dog is hungry when we train and has huge food drive. I still mix up the toys and treats.


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## Zahnburg (Nov 13, 2009)

Food is very good for teaching. If you are at the point where you are looking to make speed and drive in an exercise then perhaps a ball will work better. 

When I use food I typically use kibble or hotdogs.


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## spiritsmom (Mar 1, 2003)

She eats twice a day and I don't feed her the evening meal when it's a training class night, but she still just doesn't act all enthusiastic in class about her food (nor at home). She has a couple favorite toys that I may try. She's been acting so comatose and sleepy (or bored maybe?) in the last few training classes even though I make sure not to overdo or work her that day. Tonight she nearly fell asleep on the down stay! The sit stay turned into a down nearly every time that I tried tonight. Maybe the class was boring her to sleep!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think some dogs do get bored with obedience. Use a toy that is high value for training only, that may help. And act like a fool with it to engage her!


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## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

You can try packaged frozen meatballs--works quite well--has a strong odor that the dogs love.

Also, I use some of the dogfood "sausage" rolls--can't think of the name right now. But my guys like the meatballs better.

Beef jerky is also a popular item. Or salmon jerky--Plato's has a nice dog treat of salmon jerky.


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

Wellness sells some good treats and there are also recipes in the recipe section for liver-Rorie loves the wellness treats


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Lakota doesn't usually have enthusiasm and sometimes she is in slow motion.
How about steak? I use london broil, slice & cut into small pieces a little bigger than pea size. If you concider the price of designer treats its a lot cheaper.
When I make liver brownies, the dogs go crazy for them. They stink up the house when your baking them but my dogs would do cartwheels for them.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

onyx'girl said:


> I use natural balance rolls


These can be found at Petco or PetSmart or probably any other pet store. Pimg goes absolutely crazy over cubed pieces of them. They are _much_ higher value for her than even hotdogs.

I agree with others though. If the dog isn't food motivated, then try different toys. In my _very strict_ agility school (seriously- there are all kinds of crazy rules), they had no problem with me bringing a tug and playing tug with her during class. And Pimg is definitely the biggest, "scariest" dog at the school. Most of them have little agility dogs like Shelties and are clearly a bit weary of my GSD next to their little toy dog. Anyway- point being- your obedience school may not have a problem at all with you bringing a toy to class to use as a reward.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Hot dogs didn't interest Dante much (I thought for sure they would!), but he'll do just about anything for a bil jac treat of any variety. He also likes charlie bear treats.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Karlo isn't a fan of hot dogs, either....he would leave them on the track when I used them as bait. I've recently bought a bag of the charlie bear cookies. At training, my instructor had some and Karlo took them from her readily...now when I use them he hacks and acts like he doesn't like em. I'll just use them randomly to add variety.
I wish the bil-jac frozen was available in MI, the dogs do love that stinky stuff.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

bigdavejoker said:


> have you tried Peporoni sticks?


My dog is nuts for Pupperoni, it is easy to break up into small pieces.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

I agree on the NB rolls. That is THE #1 treat Saber goes nuts for. I use the Duck & Potato because it is grain free. It has a very strong "smoked"/bacony smell though that gets on your hands forever


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## Melgrj7 (Jul 5, 2009)

Yeah, the Natural Balance rolls are like doggy crack. I would also try switching to a favorite toy, and only let her have it when you are training (make it lots of fun!).


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## bruiser (Feb 14, 2011)

*Chicken*

I used little pieces of cooked chicken but only during training time and Bruiser will do anything for a little bit of that action


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## JudynRich (Apr 16, 2010)

We use chopped chicken hot dogs and they love that for training...day to day we use the small mother's hubbard biscuits and I break them in half...I will be buying London Broil this weekend on sale and chopping that up to give it a try!


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

> Anyone have any recipes or names of fabulous/can't miss training treats? Nyxie is not motivated enough by what I have tried so far. I need to get her to do faster "downs" and the food I've been using is just not yummy enough to make her drop to the floor.
> 
> I've tried: dried chicken/duck/salmon, Bil Jac, hot dogs (plain and with cheese in it), turkey slices, cheese cubes. I would have thought she would be all over one of these things but nope. She likes them but they do not excite her - and I need her to be more excited


Did her food drive just decrease recently? I thought this pup was food motivated? Or at least that's the impression I got from the other thread? 

Have your tried liver? Steak?


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## gsdheeler (Apr 12, 2010)

When I know I'm going to be training or showing that day my dogs get a much smaller breakfast.


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## HankGSD (Oct 28, 2010)

I was very disappointed to find that the Natural Balance rolls, except for the duck and potato, all have WHEAT. I thought the company in general had the no wheat/soy/corn thing going. Hank can't do grains. The duck and potato I found to be very crumbly.

Just my two cents.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

i use green beans for Dodgers high value treats, other than that I use freeze dried liver pieces, and/or Wellness treats cut in to fourths


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Really? Dodger values green beans? Are they canned or frozen? That is great! 
I wish my dogs would eat veggies like that. I toss carrots and make a big deal out of them, I just found one on the floor that one dog decided she didn't want! Banana's were yummy, now not so much. Because I have parrots, the dogs do compete to hoover the floor around their cages, so they eat the tossings of fruit and veggies. But to eat them while training is a whole nuther thing


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Steph, that's funny about the green beans! I decided to try it with Saber, gave her one cooked green bean. She is treating it like a toy, carrying it around with it sticking out of her mouth, throwing it in the air, spitting it around... lol.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> Really? Dodger values green beans? Are they canned or frozen? That is great!
> I wish my dogs would eat veggies like that. I toss carrots and make a big deal out of them, I just found one on the floor that one dog decided she didn't want! Banana's were yummy, now not so much. Because I have parrots, the dogs do compete to hoover the floor around their cages, so they eat the tossings of fruit and veggies. But to eat them while training is a whole nuther thing


haha they're canned I haven't tried fresh ones yet. He goes gaga over them anytime I pull a can out of the pantry he runs over thinking it's the green beans. He will do almost anything for a green bean, sadly it doesn't work on cats (snacks) though.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

cassadee7 said:


> Steph, that's funny about the green beans! I decided to try it with Saber, gave her one cooked green bean. She is treating it like a toy, carrying it around with it sticking out of her mouth, throwing it in the air, spitting it around... lol.


haha that's funny, when I give him green beans in his dinner (not very often) he saves them for last like he's savoring them it's funny


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## spiritsmom (Mar 1, 2003)

She was/is - she loved the hot dogs but then I guess got tired of them so I've been switching it up trying to get her amped up more. She'll still do what I want for a treat but she is SO slow about it. Hoping finding the right treat will get her more speedy! I just need to find something to get her more excited about it and faster about doing it.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

spiritsmom said:


> She was/is - she loved the hot dogs but then I guess got tired of them so I've been switching it up trying to get her amped up more. She'll still do what I want for a treat but she is SO slow about it. Hoping finding the right treat will get her more speedy! I just need to find something to get her more excited about it and faster about doing it.


a mixture works too. sometimes i'll use a mixture of freeze dried liver, chicken, and kibble so he never knows what he's gonna get


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## JanaeUlva (Feb 5, 2011)

Minka has a moderate food drive so I have to change up treats frequently because she gets bored with treats easily. I don't feed her the morning of training when I plan on using food. Actually, she is the type of puppy that sometimes doesn't even eat all of her breakfast or dinner, most of the time.

On Ted Turner's DVD "the ABC's of behavior blah blah blah" meaning I don't remember the entire name, he mentions mixing treats of various value together. The anticipation works the same as a random reinforcement schedule in that the dog will think "maybe next time my favorite will be presented." 

But when I introduce a new behavior I always use her highest value treat and so far that remains canned Wellness Puppy food! Yep, she only gets this when I need to pull out the big guns. Fatty Ham cubes are a close second.

I have a leather ball holder that slips on a belt that fits the dog food can perfectly! So I can wear the can and just dig in with my finger. Only thing is remember to file down that tiny metal sliver that almost always occurs when you open a can with a can opener or you'll end up cutting yourself. 

Minka is fetch crazy so I use that to build drive once she knows a behavior. And I use life rewards all the time. Before she can go outside, she has to do a heel position, on the left or right or she has to focus on my eyes, whatever, etc.

Tugging is incorporated during agility along with the mixed bag of treats. A squeaky ball, a tug, and a mixed bag of treats is used for obedience done outside of the outdoor fetching game (where I use a chuck-it and obedience and focus are always worked in.) If she is fetching, food barely draws her interest.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

onyx'girl said:


> Really? Dodger values green beans? Are they canned or frozen? That is great!
> I wish my dogs would eat veggies like that. I toss carrots and make a big deal out of them, I just found one on the floor that one dog decided she didn't want! Banana's were yummy, now not so much. Because I have parrots, the dogs do compete to hoover the floor around their cages, so they eat the tossings of fruit and veggies. But to eat them while training is a whole nuther thing


I'm afraid green beans (or any other veggie for that matter) wouldn't cut it around here for training (though a couple of times a week they get steamed pureed vegetables in their meals.) They would look at me in disgust as if saying "that all you got?" We have to go (mostly) carnivore - I use things like cooked turkey or chicken heart cut into small pieces, Wellness Jerky Bits (come in a variety of meats), cubed cheese, Natural Balance Rolls. Sometimes very small grain free biscuits.....I don't use hot dogs, way too salty and full of nasty things like nitrates.
______________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

don't laugh at this one....

the highest value food I have ever seen with my dogs - all of them!!! is Brie cheese moldy rind!!!

They go into St Bernard mode if I get any out - drool a river!!!! I taught Kyra the dumbbells and send out with this for the reward!

Lee


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

A few weeks ago I managed to get a bull calf for cheap and when we went to training last weekend I used some veal~I blanched it (I think that is what it is called....drop into boiling water for a minute). Cool and bag it up. Nadia did her best ever track and Zisso was exceptionally well behaved during OB....all for the veal! It was super stinky and did the trick for us! I also made friends with a ACD that does not like people with it.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

these are some of the brands of treats i've used:
> Pro Treats, freeze dried liver
> Pro Treats, Raw naturals
> Fruitables
> Darford Holistic
> Zuke's
> Instinct
> kibble (what ever i was feeding at the time)
> raw ground
> cooked boneless and skinless chicken breast
> Asian pears
> left over steak
> sometimes it was praise only and petting


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

a very high value food to my dog is cucumber. my dog never
runs to the kitchen when we're cooking. pull out the cutting board
and he's there waiting for a slice of cucumber. our dog
will go into the garden and pull them off the vine and lay down
and eat them. last summer Loki pulled a cucumber off the vine
and brought it to my GF and laid at her feet and then went back
and got another one and came over and laid down beside her to eat it.



onyx'girl said:


> Really? Dodger values green beans? Are they canned or frozen? That is great!
> I wish my dogs would eat veggies like that.


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## Tim Connell (Nov 19, 2010)

Bil Jac Frozen is the way to go. It's Doggie Crack, and the most convenient thing going. I thaw slightly, break it up into training session sized zip locks, freeze it. Take them out as needed, and they thaw quickly, and are ready for use. I like that it can be used crumbly, or squeeze it into a ball, and squeeze small bits out of your hand for a reward, or a lure for a new behavior. I use it for OB, and tracking when the dog is initially on food.

Prior to this discovery, I used the Natural Balance rolls, but I've saved so much time and effort by not having to cut them up, and it doesn't have the same consistency to allow the "squeezing" method.

Freeze dried liver or just kibble, if I want to go the dry route, for less mess, depending on the environment, or an impromptu training session when a situation presents itself. It's a rule that we all need dog treats in your pocket at all times or else you are not a dog person, right? 

With a dog with crazy food drive, like I have right now...it probably wouldn't matter what I used...

I have a guy locally who is a frozen Bil Jac dealer, but I've heard people say they can't get it near them...FYI-you can order it frozen and shipped online.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Michigan is not allowed to sell the bil-jac frozen, I'm not sure why.


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## 24kgsd (Aug 26, 2005)

*My favorite*

These are my favorite training treats, they are made right here in Michigan:

Happy Howie's | Gourmet Meatrolls

They are do not crumble and they are not greasy.


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