Hmm, I never thought about using cheerios! That's a great, affordable idea! I taught my pup with PetSmart's small soft "training treats." It's what the trainer that works there recommended. I also heard that if you cut up a hot dog into small pieces and microwave them until they 're tough, I read that on the net somewhere. (Is that healthy? I've never done it. We're picky with Sully's diet.) But with the PetSmart training treats, I could break tem up into like six tiny pieces and Sully stil responded well. Sully also LOVES Pupperoni!