Training Treats
Good training treats are small, soft, and easy to handle. By small I mean small according to the size of your dog. I try to keep my treats bean sized, but I may cut them larger for bigger breeds or make them smaller for the littles.
My absolute favorites are Happy Howie’s Meat Rolls.
There are 3 varieties: Beef, Lamb, and Turkey. When it comes to cutting them easily and quickly, without a lot of crumbs, go with the Beef. To easily cut over 600 treats from a 2lb roll, get yourself a Vidalia Onion Chopper.
Seriously. If you go with Happy Howie’s purchase a Vidalia Onion Chopper. It will make your life much easier.
Low to Medium Value Treats
We don’t need to feed our dogs cheese or hot dogs every training session. At home, where there are usually less distractions, consider using a portion of their kibble for training sessions or the SMART x50 Program.
I also like to use Pet Botanics or Zukes.
High Value Treats
High Value Treat recommendations:
• Hot Dogs
• Kielbasa
• Cheese (stinky cheese!)
Treat Prep Tips
Hot dogs get slimy! Place them in a container layered with paper towels to help absorb moisture. You can do the same with the kielbasa. Another option is to cook the hot dogs first in the microwave. Cook 1 minute at a time at medium level so they don’t burn. In a conventional oven cook them low (200f) until they look dehydrated. They will shrink when cooked, so make the pieces a little bigger. They may re-hydrate a bit if you keep them in the refrigerator but still keep a rubbery feel and not get slimy. Your home will also smell like hot dogs.
Shredded chicken, deli meat, and similar are difficult to work with and are not recommended. String cheese will work, but I like it because it’s easy to cut.
A small tube filled with whipped cream cheese, liverwurst, or peanut butter is an ideal on-the-go treat dispenser. I use the Gotoob brand available on Amazon.
Tip:
Snip off the small plastic pieces over the opening for easier access.
Use caution when applying pressure to the tube. It may cause the contents to squirt in your dogs face. We don’t want to scare them!
Liverwurst Prep
You can usually find Liverwurst where the hot dogs are sold. Be sure to read the label carefully as some may contain onion.
Cut it up into smaller pieces and put it in a bowl. Mash and then slowly add some warm water. Stirring occasionally. If you have a small blender you can use that too. I do not recommend a hand mixer. If that is all you have wear a raincoat. Mash/mix/blend and continue to add warm water in small amounts. It should be a smooth consistency so it will come out of the tube easier.
Unless you think you are going to go through it quickly, portion into containers and place in the freezer.
Peanut Butter Prep
Spoon it into the tube, or, slowly (it will burn quickly!) heat on the stove-top or in microwave (on lower power setting) until it is smooth enough to be poured into the tube. Refrigerate to re-solidify. It can then be stored at room temperature.