# Training treat suggestion?



## Craig Caughlin (Oct 17, 2007)

Hi everyone,
Does anyone have any raw food suggestions on what I might try for training treats, or just as a snack in general?

I think Lex might be allergic to the barley in the Innova treats I've been giving her (she's a little itchy lately despite my giving her a bath), and I'm hoping there's a raw treat someone can suggest.

My vet poo-poo-ed my first attempt at raw food switch. My Wife is also "not sold" (shall we say) on the "safety" of raw food.

If you have a suggestion, it might help me ease the transition with "my honey" to raw.









Have a great weekend.









Craig


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## sprzybyl (May 15, 2008)

Freeze dried liver? I use it as a "high" reward. Regular raw chicken or beef livers are slimey but also tasty.

Peanut butter 
Carrots
Eggs (hardboiled... or not)


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## Craig Caughlin (Oct 17, 2007)

Hmmm. That's interesting. 

1. Where would I get freeze dried liver?
2. Do I have to worry about it giving her diarrhea?
3. Which one of these, in your opinion is the most nutritious?

Thank you.

Craig


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## GrandJan (Aug 11, 2006)

Plain old cheap hot dogs, cut into small pieces.


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## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

I use Bil-Jac raw food. Not sure how ready available it is but it's a frozen raw food comes in 5 lbs bags...my dogs love it.


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## kallie (Sep 3, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: GrandJan
> Plain old cheap hot dogs, cut into small pieces.


DITTO with the hotdogs! I do buy Merricks treats too, as the dogs love them. I dehydrate liver myself, but gosh it STINKS







, so I don't do it often..

I actually just use a tennis ball most of the time, as Max, Argos and one of my labs are very ball motivated..My other two dogs are not, so they always get treats when training..


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Go to your grocery store and see if they sell tubs of chicken or turkey livers, line a pan with aluminum foil, put livers on pan, sprinkle both sides liberally with garlic powder, then toss in a 400ish degree oven for.... however long it takes to get them cooked and drier than when you've started! I vary the times because I'm still trying to find consistencies I like. 

Also, take a hot dog, cut it in half, then rotate it and cut it in half again to get fourths, then cut each length in half, then cut into teensy pieces. EASY training treat. Toss in a bag and sprinkle with garlic for extra smelliness.

You can also use fried bacon drained of grease (very high value treat, only if the fat doesn't bother your dog), cooked chicken or beef, cheese pieces, canned grean beans (no added sodium), pieces of fish, cooked hearts and gizzards, whatever your dog loves.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I just can't feed my dog hotdogs. I go through so much trouble with their diet, I just can't throw that out the window by feeding them hotdogs. Hotdogs are easy though.

I take boneless/skinless turkey thighs or chicken, microwave or bake, and then chop them into tiny pieces. Much less messy this way and it's wholesome and nutritious.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I get my freeze dried liver at PetSmart, pricey but worth it. I also cook up some chicken breasts and cut into little pieces, but any meat will do. I cooked up some beef steak for my girl's agility trial. Cooking for treats won't mess up your raw diet.


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## GrandJan (Aug 11, 2006)

Another good, non-messy, cheap, easy-to-carry treat is dry cat food.


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

You can buy freeze dried liver at PetSmart/Petco stores. 

But I don't worry about treats being nutritional, or even "raw." 

Treats are tools to motivate the dog, not food. So pick treats that get your dog excited. Generally, the stinkier and stronger flavored, the better. And make them TEENY. I find most store-bought "treats" to be far too large. One of those Vienna-sausage sized "Snaussages" would make 8 or 10 proper-sized treats. A treat should just be a tiny taste. If the dog has to stop and chew it, it's too big. 

I've never used any raw meat for treats because it would be a mess. 

Treats that we use include hotdogs (1 hot dog will make, literally, 100 treats), pieces of cheese the size of a pea, and...cat food! Seriously, that's the favorite here. Dry cat kibble comes in tiny little pieces, it's strongly scented/flavored, and easy to dispense. They sell these little "canisters" of cat kibble in weird fishy flavors that seem to be a hit with my dogs.


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## Craig Caughlin (Oct 17, 2007)

Isn't cat food REALLY rich though?

I've heard it can give your dog diarrhea. 

Is that true?

Craig


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

I buy Merricks dehydrated lamb lung. It comes in fillets but can be broken down into tiny pieces. I mean teeny pieces (my puppy gets treats the size of 1/4 a dime). These also come in beef. http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/dog_treats_filets.php

I also buy Canz dehydrated meat snacks. http://www.canz.com/realmeat/dogtreats.html

I cut these into tiny pieces before I put them into my bait bag (or usually, my pockets!)

Basically, I look for any high quality dehydrated meat treat. These tend to be on the expensive side. But, they smell good, and apparently taste good so they're very motivating. And I cut them so small that a bag lasts quite a while, even in my 3-dog household where all three dogs take classes and are "in training" for something all the time. I like liver treats, but they crumble in my pockets, which means they often end up throughout my laundry when I wash it!







. 

I've also used string cheese either right out of the package (I break it off as I go), which works pretty well,but doesn't smell as magical, so it doesn't work as well for difficult training. My GSD and puppy LOVE American and cheddar cheese, but they're kind of gooey in my pockets; and I've forgotten it in my bait bag and come back to a moldy blob of orangey ick. So I use those mostly at home.









I also use low-sodium cold cuts for training when I'm at home. 

My vet had a basket of cat treats they were giving away as samples. I snagged a few bags and my girls love them. So I'll probably pick up a bag whenever the samples run out. BTW, I break these small cat treats treats into about 4-5 pieces. Did I mention tiny pieces? They won't get them often, just something else to mix into the rotation.

I try to mix it up. The Merricks lamb and Canz meat treats are my staples. If you meet me anywhere at anytime, there is a huge probability that I have some of those in my pockets or in my bag. But I like to keep the kids guessing so they're always thinking: What wonderful thing will I get THIS time? I better hurry to sit/down/come/etc and find out.


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## rucker105 (May 19, 2008)

Forgive me if this is a silly question, but would pork work as a treat? Tiny pieces of course.


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## GrandJan (Aug 11, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: Craig CaughlinIsn't cat food REALLY rich though?


Some people _feed_ their dogs cat food.


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

The amount of cat food that a dog would get in 20 treats, one right after another, would barely fill a tablespoon. That's the idea of having tiny treats. They can be complete junk food. 

If I thought my dogs would work for TicTacs I'd use those. 

MLou--sure, if your dog likes pork, cut it into pieces the size of a kernel of corn and use it. For the sake of mess in my pocket, I'd cook the pork rather than use it raw.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

I have used cheese (string cheese works great), boiled/baked liver, Wellness Pure Rewards, Zuke's Mini Naturals, Natural Balance food roll, kibble, tuna treat, buffalo burger treat, parboiled chicken, hot dogs. . .etc.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

No reason pork wouldn't work. Some members report that pork gives their dogs a bit of gas. So that's a side effect that you might notice. 

But my two adults don't get that side effect. (If they did, they wouldn't get pork.







I'm selfish that way!)


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

Tic tacs. Now I never thought about THAT! Hmmm.... Nice fresh breath. Wonder if I could train Camper to balance them on his tongue like the people in the commercials? That'd be kind of cool...









Actually, since this is a HEALTH forum, I feel obligated to point out that Tic Tacs are made with xylitol. _ Very poisonous to dogs. _

I wonder about Pez though?


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## chruby (Sep 21, 2005)

I use Zukes all natural treats. They are about the size of a pencil eraser and are easy to put in your mouth and spit out as opposed to something like lamb lung or freeze dried liver.







I use string cheese on occasion as well. 

All 4 of my GSD's love them.


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## Strana1 (Feb 9, 2008)

I go the the deli and but the leftover ends from the turkey products and cut them into little cubes. It is easy and I don't have to cook anything. I freeze them and the dogs love them frozen or thawed.


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## renstevens (Aug 8, 2008)

I always find my dog's favorite human food treat. My guys all love sliced turkey, ham, bologna, cheese, etc... the smellier the better. I find my dog's top 3 and mix them in a treat bag so they never know which one to expect. I have also heard of popcorn, cheerios, tiny pieces of bread, etc. I am also a huge fan of Bil-Jac frozen food for treats and also their Yogurt treats. Of course, one of their yogurt treats is four of mine, so I just cut them up. Natural Balance makes excellent rolled food that the dogs all seem to love. PetCo sells Natural Balance, but PetSmart sells another brand of the rolled food, personally, my dogs turn their noses up at the PetSmart brand. Good luck!


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

I'm kidding about TicTacs.







Bad example. But whatever non-poisonous tidbit that will excite your dog is the right idea. If it's nutritious, all the better. But if not, then at least it was small. 

I've also found that I have to have different "levels" of treats, depending on what's being asked of the dog. At home, I can get a sit for a plain icecube or a kernel of popcorn. But at class, if I need something that will get attention from a distraction, I have to pull out the big guns--hot dog or turkey.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

Of course you were.







But dang, thinking about my dog's breath after a meal with mackerel or sardines, I got pretty excited about breath mints for treats!


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