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Good treat to train with

wildandcrazyguys

Well-known member
Hi Everyone!
We have our two boys enrolled in their first obediance class and they are the hit of the class. They are learning their commands relatively easy but I have a question. What would be a good treat to give them when we are at the class and training them at home? The person that is teaching the class has given a lot of suggestions but they don't sound healthy (cut up hot dogs or store bought treats). I know that I've read that a cavaliers weight can cause more health problems so I don't want to give them something they don't need or something that will cause stomach problems as my two boys have sensitive stomachs. Any suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated!
 
I have a Cavalier with Pancreatitis so we use a lot of low fat treats..our main treats are boiled chicken and cheerios..some other things we use are Buddy Biscuits (1 biscuit will make 4-6 treats)..Zukes minis..The Natural Balance food logs..cut up in very small pieces..we use a lot of different things so that they never know what they might get for their next treat..
 
i use a low fat store bought brand that are meat liver and blood based they've got no colourings or additives.
you can make your own by baking liver then you know there's nothing else in it - i've never done it myself but i'm sure you can get the recipe on here or online.
the dog school we go to sells dried liver treats that she has prepared and it works really well - or you could use kibble and take it from their daily ration that way you know they are not getting overfed
 
I always used cut up tinned hot dog sausage, though mine prefered Sainsburys packet variety, because they have garlic added. i've also used haslet, bought from the deli counter, unsliced, so I could cut it into chunks. A diet of these would be unhealthy, but you have to cut the treats small, so they don't get a lot and working treats have to be a little more special than ordinary food.

Some people, I know, use cheese, but it can get rather sweaty , when in use, so not pleasant to handle. Also, home made liver cake, but that can be messy , because it can crumble.
 
I generally use cheese at home or break down some schmacko's, but when I'm showing I do use Liver Cake which I make myself, if you add a cup of porridge oats to the mix it doesn't crumble so badly!!

Glad to hear your lads are doing so well in class (y) I recently heard from one of my puppy buyers that their dog is doing excellently at obedience too and only just missed out on qualifying for the finals at Crufts with her young owner, boy does that ever make me proud, especially when I know just what a madhead her Mother is :lol:
 
Hi
I found the best for classes for my cavs are Barker and Barker liver treats they are only small so are ideal ( daily allowance 170 ) for training treats ,they are made in the uk so you would have to enquire about postage.
 
I take the freeze-dried liver cubes and cut them with a sharp knife into about 4 tiny cubes each (sometimes more). I try to make them as small as possible. I also make home-made liver treats by boiling liver in chicken stock for 5 minutes and then cutting it into thin strips and baking it for an hour on a cookie sheet. She literally goes nuts over those. It's kind of nice sometimes to have the thin, longer strips because you can hold them and let her bite off the end multiple times. Less reaching in the bait bag for treats, easier on the fingers sometimes, too, especially with heeling.

I have also used some chicken hot dog treats made by cutting up a chicken hot dog into very thin strips and then microwaving on layered paper towel. She likes them, but she gets diarrhea the next day if I give her too many of them in class.

Daisy doesn't like cheese (I know, it's odd), so that doesn't work for us. I think I'm going to try the Natural Balance roll cut up into little pieces and see how she goes for it. That would be nice because it's balanced in and of itself and hopefully wouldn't be too rich or caloric when used for treats.
 
Mine love anything firm but soft to swallow (nothing hard that can get stuck in throats) Cheese which is half fat, sausage with a good high meat content, fish cake, liver cake, chicken. Normally I mix a few different ones together, the change keeps them interested for longer.

Anything with a good stink on it basically!!! :)

Alison.
 
Hi
I found the best for classes for my cavs are Barker and Barker liver treats they are only small so are ideal ( daily allowance 170 ) for training treats ,they are made in the uk so you would have to enquire about postage.


They are very generous with their free sample pack.

In general with treats for obedience work, the treat needs to be such that the dog can eat it quickly. Nothing worse than have a dog pause in heelwork, while he chews a tasty morsel.:p
 
Mine like Natures: Menu mini treats (all natural apparently!). They also like cut up mini sausages (less healthy!!).
 
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