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Treat bag advice... Yesterday I met with my trainer for the first time, and she suggested I have a treat baggie on me at all times, with a mix of stuff in it. (broke up small ofcourse for Harley). She said to put some kibble in it, but every time I'd haul out the kibble he wouldn't touch it. (He's on Now!) So this morning I soaked his kibble for 10 seconds in some water to soften it up and break it into smaller pieces... is this ok? Will it ruin the nutrients in the food. I just want to assure that I'm giving him kibble in his treat bags so that he's getting some of his daily food an not just "big macs" lol. Also would soaking it in a chicken broth make it tastier/healthier than just water? Thanks |
I think soaking it in anything will make it messy for you. Try those yorkieyummies that Chattiesmom makes. Just do a search on the forum and you'll find her. Troy isn't big on treats like that or even me giving him kibble. So for training I used boiled pieces of chicken breast, apples or cheese bites. |
Yeah right now his treat bag consists of cheese, beef jerky, soaked kibble (which I don't mind the mess, so long as it's healthy for him), I'm going to have salmon bits, and tiny pieces of milkbone soft and chewy (I know they are horrible for him, but the little bugger loves them sooo much). I'm also going to put some pieces of hotdogs. |
Oh and also remember I'm only soaking for 5-10 seconds so that the outside and some of the middle soften. I don't want it to be too gooey. |
Is there a reason you have to use kibble? Jackson would never work for kibble, lol. I have a treat bag I attach to my belt buckle or my pants pocket and I also, like you, put different treats in there. I buy those cheese sticks because they're not mushy and they don't break apart too easily... he will do ANYTHING for that cheese. I also use hot dogs cut up in little pieces. I WAS using chicken but it was shredding apart too easily and the trainer didn't like me dropping stuff on the agility course... LOL. I do put some dog treats (like little Zuke's, etc) in there WITH the cheese and hot dogs so they get the flavor on them. |
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Oh PLEASE skip the hot dogs:( They are too fatty/salty and could not only upset his tummy, but give him a raging case of pancreatitis and the salt is bad for their kidneys. Good luck with the training:D I second the Yorkie Yummies, my girls loved those and I do need to get some more myself;) |
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All my trainer uses is hot dogs for the most part. And cheese. Most professional trainers always recommend hot dogs... you can get ones in lower fat and salt content. But in small doses for MOST dogs they should be ok. IMO, they're better than some of the nasty dog treats out there! Jackson only gets a half of a hot dog every Saturday for agility class but he's also 15lbs and it's never affected him. But it's not like he's getting a hot dog every day. He seems to prefer cheese anyways! :) Unfortunately, Jackson didn't like Yorkie Yummies at all, lol. He won't really eat many dog treats.. he's even turned his nose up to Zuke's lately. And for obedience and agility courses, you really need your dog to be motivated, so real meat is usually the trick. |
Mine loved cheerios in their treat bag while we were in class. At home, I switched it to cut up green beans and carrots. |
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I've found that soft treats work the best with mine. We tried the Yorkie Yummies but anything that they have to crunch stops them in their tracks. One of our best treats for training is hot dogs. I use the 99% fat free. Keep in mind that I give them tiny, tiny treats to reward correct behavior. I can get 200 treats from a single hot dog. I use other soft treats but I cut them as small as I possibly can. The idea isn't to give them a meal but to give them a tiny morsel that keeps them wanting more. Also, if you are working with them a lot you will need to cut back on their portions of kibble at meal time - unless you're working on something really physical like agility and they're running it off. Also, don't discount the idea of veggies for training treats. Sadie will do just about anything for cooked broccoli. I haven't put it in my treat bag though - yuch! |
Thanks this is great. I forgot to buy hotdogs, so he wont have to have those in his treat bag. Like salazark said, I only give tiny morsels of treats, regardless what it is. So there will be very little hotdogs. Right now I want kibble in there, because he is being rewarded for a lot (he's getting desensitized from a few things and also I'm training him not to jump on me without being invited), so there is constant rewards being given out... so my hopes were to have part of his meal be included in the treats. He is free fed he kibble so taking it away from him isn't an issue. I think i've decided to soak the kibble in a bit of chicken broth... It'll set for like 15-30 seconds in the broth just so that I can break it up... plus it'll make it tasty for him. I just want to make things high reward at this point. He really did well with the trainer yesterday. I want to keep that going. |
Levi's treat bag usually consists of kibble, chopped carrots, and Zukes. Works well for us. He luckily isn't picky at all, ha. I think soaking the kibble will be fine nutrient-wise. Just might make it a little messier. I know some people soak kibble in water for their pups every day. |
Oh it definitely makes it messy... lol I need to go cut my finger nails because I have kibble and cheese stuck in them, from reaching into my pocket all afternoon. lol... The little bugger has figured out really quickly that downing beside me instead of on my computer on my lap gets him a ton of treats, lol. it makes it hard to type to... I'm super glad that the training is working really well, and it's only been two days. oh these little guys are sooo much fun. |
I second the Cheerio's, those are reserved for training treats only in our household, Sophie Kate loves them. |
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