what is a good, healthy treat for training?

[babydungeon]

i want to start training my pup now, but he is too young for formal training classes. i mean he hasn't had all of the vaccinations necessary to be in a class with other dogs. i was just wondering what treat out there is especially good for training, that is both very tasteful so he will want it and also healthy for him. i know rottweilers are working dogs and will love to work for their treat, but they have to love the treat, thus making it easy to train him. any suggestions will be helpful. i was using iams puppy biscuits at first for praise and helping him become comfortable with his kennel but now he doesn't always eat it. i really need something good before i start training him so the first time will be successful.

thank you!

[Simba]

My 11 week old Simba loves his dry kibble so much that it is all I have to use for treats when training him. So far he will sit all the time and come most of the time. When he is really good I give him a milkbone biscuit which he just drools for.

[Roscoe's dad]

Hot dogs cut into little pieces and then baked until crispy, or all dried out.

[RottiMomCT]

Hmmmmm...where to start!

I've used baby carrots cut into bite size pieces, Ben LOVES those! He gets Bil-Jac treats, 'Charlie Bear' Treats, hot dog bits (cooked then de-hydrated), sometimes cooked hamburger...oh yeah, 'Yummie Chummies' (salmon treats from Alaska).

The salmon treats I buy from my obedience trainer, so when he hears that package open, he knows it's time for work! He loves those the best I think!

Anything the dog only gets when training (better than normal treats) might help the dog look forward to training sessions (can they do that? Get excited and think "I can't wait to learn today!?"). :D

[lblax]

its good to make them work for all treats!!!!!!! but when choising a treet for training it is important not to pick something that they will not actually have to chew it distracts them ,good choices are chicken or turky franks-biljac frozen- freeze dried liver(expensive) things of that nature. once in formal training treats are going to be given on the move and you dont want to break the flow to stop and chew. ive seen all types of dogs trained with hot dogs and have yet to see any of them sick from it especially when using chicken or turkey.

[ellak]

I use Neutro training bits or Canidae Snaps. I make the treats quite small, so, as mentioned before, the dog doesn't have to chew for too long. And also, I don't want to fill him up too quick, otherwise the motivation will go away:) I also prefer to do training sessions on the empty (more or less) stomach.

[Judy Chrusch]

The freeze dried products are really good and I also like cooked beef heart or you can even cook up a chicken breast and cut into very small pieces. They don't need big pieces of any treat, just enough to get their attention:D

Judy

[mario sepulveda]

yesterday I was thinking about treats and decided to make my own ,I went to the super market and brought a package of beef stir fry meat strips and baked them in the oven till crisp like jerky,i used notthing on them and my rotty seems to like them ,they are a bit crunchy,next time I will not leave in the oven for so long...I baked them at 200 deg for appox 4hrs......

[ellak]

Originally posted by mario sepulveda
yesterday I was thinking about treats and decided to make my own ,I went to the super market and brought a package of beef stir fry meat strips and baked them in the oven till crisp like jerky,i used notthing on them and my rotty seems to like them ,they are a bit crunchy,next time I will not leave in the oven for so long...I baked them at 200 deg for appox 4hrs......

Wow!!! This is really an awesome idea! Protein for less!
Thanks!

[livertw]

I also use low fat chicken or turkey hot dogs (cheap on sale 69 cents a pound). Cut each weiner lengthwise in half and half again and then cut the four long pieces crosswise about a ten times. Bake at 250 for about 90 minutes, turn them over after about an hour, let cool and dry out overnight on the counter. 40 little bits from each hot dog times 8 hot dogs in a package yields 320 training treats. I must confess I pop one in my mouth occasionally too!

[babydungeon]

are the turkey hot dogs, which who knows the ingredients of a hot dog, even healthy for a dog? i realize that people eat them all the time but chocolate also. chocolate is dangerous to dogs. i want to treat him with something he'll love but is also healthy. the hot dog sounds like a great idea, i'd just like to know that it's okay to feed this to him.

[Ramon]

Lately, I've been using Bil-Jac frozen food. A lot of people in my Schutzhund club use it for tracking because it's convenient and the dogs love it almost as much as hotdogs. If you don't want to starve your dog to get his food drive up, it's necessary to give him a treat he's willing to work for. Since it's a balanced food, his "dinner" basically consists of finding it in the front yard where I lay tracks and scent pads. It's not as high quality as the food I feed him in the morning, but he won't work for dry kibble the way he works for moist food.

[ajaxsdad]

just boil some liver for about twenty minutes. after rinse and allow to dry. cut into small peices with kitchen shears and store in ziploc bags in the freezer till needed. simple, cheap and irresistable.

[CarolineS]

I fry the liver in a non-stick pan 'til the pink is gone and then I nuke it in the microwave until it's a little more dried out. I, too, cut it with scissors into very tiny pieces and freeze it. The dogs love it so much, they'll eat it frozen if need be, though I usually defrost it in the microwave a little first!

When I take my dogs out for an off-leash run in the fields, I always have some liver with me. Every single recall is rewarded when they are out having fun off-leash. If they get crashing around in the woods and out of my sight for a minute, I want them coming when they are called.

I have found though that the liver is sooooo good that my new girl has trouble paying attention to the training during obedience sessions, she is so focused on the liver. I've had to switch to little bits of carrot and apple, which she'll work for, but aren't as distracting as the liver. I use the liver as a treat for recalls and for doing nails.

[alexav]

Although I know TONS of great people who use hot dogs, I have not been able to bring myself to since reading a study that linked childhood leukemia to frequent hot dog meals. Sheesh, aren't our dog's lives short enough anyway?:(

I prefer to cook my own, liver, heart, chicken, turkey, etc.

Be careful when you buy treats from stores, even the Nutro training treats have propylene glycol in them. (The same thing that is in paint, and the label on the paint cans has a warning on it that says not to breath it or even get it on your skin!) It is a softening agent and is used in small amounts for food, but still!

When I was in a hurry one day, I did stumble on something pretty healthy and VERY handy. It's called "Dick VanPatton's all natural dog food". It looks like a big summer sausage, almost like "Rollover" but alot cheaper. It is meant to feed like a main diet but I wouldn't recommend it. For treats it works out great. I have yet to find a dog that doesn't go nuts for it. It's easy to get too, Petco and Petsmart both carry it.