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Originally Posted by Britster  You're lucky, lol.
Jackson spit out green beans. He refuses. He would never do/learn tricks for kibble either.
He's the pickiest dog ever. I'm lucky in the fact that he HATES potato chips. We could drop 100 on the floor and he wouldn't touch one. He also won't eat anything potato, like a french fry or baked potato, anything. He's so weird!
He is sooo motivated by cheese so I usually take a slice of cheese and break it up into really small bits to teach him new tricks.
veggienut is correct in that a lot of professional trainers tell you to use real food, it's a huge motivator when it comes to training. Like, Jackson will do his tricks for a cheerio, but they're so much more lame. His play dead and spin are like in slow motion like 'ugh, I don't really wanna do this but I guess I will'... Yet break out some cheese, a bit of hot dog or chicken and he's in fast forward and can't wait to do the next trick!
As far as dog treats go, he really really loves anything soft, small, meaty and chewy, like Zuke's Mini Natural's. He will do anything for those. Or the Wellness jerky squares. |
Yes, if you're have a problem getting and keeping their attention, upping the food value is a good idea. It's best to train when they are hungry, and so before breakfast or dinner is a great time to train; this way, they will work for their regular food, but as soon as they lose interest, you can "up" the treat. Cheese or meat is usually a great incentive, and they will continue to work even if they are full. So tiny pieces are best. Joey loved mozzarella sticks, I think I could teach him how to make "moving avatars", if I had enough mozzarella!