Suggestions for training treats
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| We LOVE the 12 inch Bully stix. They are competely digestible and so far have cause no loose stool. And we have that problem!!! However, we take the bully stix up if it gets too small ( usually within an hour or so) so they don't choke on it.
Also, loose poop...we are the specialist on loose poop!  First, have you made sure the loose poop is not from parasites or worms? You ahve brothers so they can reinvest each other - I imagine they "hang out" with each other alot - and even though their stool comes back negative, they may still have something...Get that checked out. Then check the amount you are feeding...if you are feeding brothers together you might not be aware of how much one single one eats...too much food can cause loose poop.
Treats? Stick to the ones with simple ingrdients...Wellness has a soft puppy treat we use. Yes, they say for puppy but they are small and great for a training goodie...Also their regular lamb and rice jerkie type treats are good....as is Plato's Salmon strips and Duck and Chicken strips. I break off peices ot the strips for training... Tiny pieces of chees are always good but first make sure the cheese is not a problem for their tummy. Some dogs cannot tolerate too much cheese.  |
| For chewing, my dogs have a box of nylabones. They are totally content when I place the box on the floor to each sniff out one that they want to chew on that evening.
For training treats I use these things that remind you of packing peanuts but they are a dog treat. They come in yellow, brown & orange colors & I buy them in bulk at the pet food store. I break them in 1/2 & use them when I train in obedience. They have a great flavor evidently because all the dogs like them. Low calorie so you can treat alot. And so far, no loose stools from those treats. And my guys will get loose stool as quick as a wink so I am particular about what I feed them. |
| Marilyn, what are the treats you use called??? |
Ashley wrote: Marilyn, what are the treats you use called???
I don't know what they are called off hand. I buy them in bulk at Pet Supplies Plus. I looked on their website but they are not listed. When I am in the store next time I'll get the name of them. |
| If you want treats for training you really should use small but special treats. Our trainer suggested small cuts of cheese or chicken, and I mean small, about the size of a pea. When training you want to use something extra tasty and you will need a lot of them. Bully Sticks, pigs ears and nylar bones are good treats but probably not what you want to use during training. Our Bailee usually devoures a 6 to 7 inch Bully stick in about 12 to 15 minutes! I had heard they were supposed to last a while, not in our house. |
| My dogs always had a box full of Nylabones until recently. Nylabones exclusively and nothing else because they LOVED them. They were the real hard souper bones.
I was recently told by 2 vets and earlier by a vet tech that these hard chews can damage dogs teeth. My ol' Border Collie-mix was in to see an on-call vet maybe a month ago for a stomach upset. He checked her over and pointed out that she had some fractured and damaged teeth that I wasn't aware of. He told me the Nylabones were too hard... that if I can't push the material in with my finger nail, it's too hard on their teeth. We took my BC back to our regular vet to discuss this and she found one tooth also had a lot of plaque. I told her I'd scale it and when I did, I found the tooth shifted. Turned out the tooth was cracked right in half and had abscessed. We had the cracked tooth removed a couple of weeks ago and she's acting like a new dog. Doing "the noodle" at dinner time The lessons learned... don't assume an old dog is slowing down due to age (she's almost 12) and no more hard Nylabones. Sadly, I've got a half a grocery bag full that I have to bring myself to throw away.
We started giving them hard rubber chews instead. http://www.petedge.com/Zanies-Hard-Rubb ... -ZW353.pro I'm still afraid someone's going to chew off a chunk because I've got a couple aggressive chewers... I have to supervise closely. As for treats, you can also use just their plain kibble if they have sensitive tummies and are food motivated. |
| For training treats I often just bake up some chicken or beef or pork or (beef or even chicken) liver. The pork and liver works the best, frankly. The beef can be a bit hard to quickly pull small enough pieces off of and the chicken tends to crumble a bit much. I don't know about sensitivites but imagine it varies from dog to dog anyway, so there'll probably be a bit of trial and error till you figure out what works.
Diced apples are also a big hit. And right now I sometimes stop out by the garden and grab some green beans, stick them in my pocket and break pieces off as needed. My dogs aren't exactly what you would describe as picky  I suspect most dogs require a bit more sophisticated fare 
Kristine |
| If your dog has a sensitive tummy what are you feeding??
Get treats comparable to the food... My dog Quinnie used to have allergies so, his training treats were of the same nature. I do like Nylabones for chew toys but, 6girls has a good point with that. |
| I am always looking out for good training treats!
My favorites are the Zukes Mini's http://www.zukes.com/woof/mini-naturals.html I get them lots cheaper than the price advertised, though. I think like $5.99 
Also by the same Co. are the Zukes Hip Action http://www.zukes.com/woof/hip-action.html They are a soft, breakable treat that doesn't crumble. And a new favorite is the Fresh Pet Treats http://www.freshpet.com/theloveddogtrea ... etails.htm They have to be refrigerated, or part of the bag frozen if not used fairly quickly. They are about the size of those Little Smokies wienies and the dog go nuts for them. You can easily pinch off pieces, as they are soft, not in a casing. |
| Apples are a huge hit with mine diced up even bits of Bannana and also try cooking some Liver then dice into tiny bits for treat training. Way better then the dried stuff same with bits of cooked chicken too. They cant resist the smell even though it pongs especially the liver to us |
| Willy's favorite treat is banana chips LOL He'll do anything for one of those... and it's so much nicer to have those in my pocket at a show than liver. lol |
| We used to use string cheese - but I think it contributed to ear issues. I now use steak. I buy the thinnest cuts available either on sale (or better yet) with the short date coupons on them. I leave them in a very low oven (with or without some garlic on them) for about 5 or 6 hours, slice very thin and then cut into small pieces. My guys will do anything for the steak - they only get it in training situations. In the winter if I am feeling ambitous they get liver brownies or othe rhomemade treats. For low value treats they get some non grain bison treats or somethimes salmon or trout treats. |
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