Many people ask me what treats I use for training, so I figured it’s time to write a post about it!
Before we talk about treats, it’s important to know that I do most of my foundational training with my dogs meals. Foundation training can require a lot of food, and I just don’t want my dog eating that much junk. On top of that, foundation training takes place in the house with little distraction around, so I use my dog’s meals in the house and save the special stuff for when we’re out working around more distractions.
Also, as a disclaimer, none of these companies are paying me to promote them! I’m sharing these products because I use them and love them.
There are two things I look for when picking out treats:
1. Quality of ingredients
2. How easy they are to handle
Ingredient-wise, less is better. I prefer single ingredient meat based treats if I can get them. Dehydrated treats are usually a good choice.
I also want to be able to break treats apart easily if they are bigger than my pinky nail so I can keep them small and have the dog eat them quickly. Anything crumbly gets ruled out quickly, sorry biscuit lovers.
Ok, enough talking. Here are my current fav treats:
Ziwi Peak Good Dog Rewards
Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Nibs – Beef or Duck
Hare of the Dog Rabbit Tenders
Real Meat Company Jerky Treats for Dogs
Sojos Wild Freeze Dried Treats
I like to make a trail mix of treats. I’ll take 2-3 different types of treats and mix them together with some kibble.
I’ll occasionally make my own treats as well. I’ve baked turkey heart in the past and my dogs love that. Meat and cheese can be good treats, but they need to be refrigerated so they aren’t my go to.