Recommended Training Treats

We are very strong advocates for using treats while raising and training our pups and dogs. The days of expecting a dog to work "because it loves us" is long gone. We now know that properly used food rewards motivate pups to figure out what we want them to do. We'll use treats to help pups feel more comfortable during difficult experiences but most of all, we want our pups to know that we like what they are doing.

Think of treats like money, which is what most of us work for. Some treats will be worth a nickel to your pup while others will be like a $100 bill. You want to have lots of both!

We'll help you learn how to properly fade food rewards but for now, go to work gathering an array of treats for your pup.

More Is Often Better

Puppies are smart! Most know that bigger pieces or more small ones are better than just one. So vary the size of the treats you use from teeny tiny, half the size of your little fingernail, to larger, say the size of your thumbnail. Most of the time, give the tiny treats but when your pup is doing really well, trying super hard, or getting tired during an exercise, hand it a bigger treat as a surprise.

Watch Your Pup's Weight

Although we want you to reward your pup a lot, we don't want to make it fat so cut back on mealtime food and use those calories while training. Not sure your pup is at the right weight?  Learn to do the Tissue Test Test in our Youtube video.

Be a Sleuth--What Does Your Puppy Love?

To keep your puppy motivated, you may have to do a little sleuthing to find out what treats your puppy loves enough to work hard for. Most dogs love meat and cheese but which are your pup's favorites? Does your pup like variety or does it prefer one specific treat

Some Good Individual Options

You will need more treats than you expect so load up now and keep a supply on hand. You don't want to run out! Most treats that you can buy are too large, too hard, or too expensive. If you are unsure about feeding meat or cheese, sometimes known as "people food," to your dog,  please read this blog post. Here are some of our soft, small favorites: 

• Diced cooked  chicken, beef, turkey, pork, or fish. These are often very high-value treats. Many delis will sell you the ends of their meat rolls at a low cost. This is also a great use of leftovers!
• Diced hard cheese or string cheese - Cut into 1/8″ cubes. It comes in stick form (string cheese, mozzarella). Simply slice off little circles or hold it in your hand and pinch it off as needed.
• Squeeze Cheese is handy. Dogs learn to take little bits right from the nozzle.
• Frozen meatballs - partially or fully thawed. You can split them with your fingernail to make them smaller.
• All-Beef or Turkey Franks. Don't use hot dogs too often but they are usually a puppy favorite. After you slice them into thin little coins, microwave them until firm or use as is.
• Real Meat Dog Treats
• Zuke’s Minis
• Kibble - Some puppies will work for kibble so split your pup's meals up and give 1/3 or 1/2 while training throughout the dam. However, most of us find that pups aren't as motivated by kibble away from home or while doing tough stuff
• Check out more homemade options and recipes below

Some Good Licking Options

Sometimes we want to constantly reward our pups while we are doing something else. This might be while we are bathing or grooming them, or while they are in their expens. In these cases, we want to give pups something to lick for a while. Here are our favorite licking options:

• Plain yogurt
• Canned dog or cat food
• Squeeze cheese
• Cream cheese
• Peanut butter, XYLITOL FREE, either regular or reconstituted dehydrated. We recommend PB2 dehydrated peanut butter because it has no xylitol in it. If you use other peanut butter, you MUST make sure it does not contain xylitol, which isn't always on the label. 
• Or some mixture of the above
• You can also add fruit, such as apples or berries, and vegetables to Kongs

Now, how do you offer the rewards to your dog without getting them all over you? Here are items we use:

• Coffee mug - Slather one of the spreadable treats above all around the inside surface of a coffee mug. Put the mug in the freezer. When you take it out, it will last a LONG time while your dog tries to get everything off the inside.
• Kong Classics
• Mighty Paw Lick Pad
• Silicone Lick Bone
• iNeibo Silicone Travel Bottles
• GoToob
• Manners Minder – although a big investment, this is a great tool if you intend to train your pup longterm at a distance from you

Homemade Treats

If you want to make homemade treats for your puppy, they also need to be small (tiny), soft and easy for your pup to swallow without chewing.

• London Broil Cook it and cut it into small bite-sized pieces, freeze it, and take out a handful at training or exercise time. Looking for London Broil on sale will save you some money.
• Dehydrated Meats Dehydrate beef, chicken, beef heart, beef tripe, sweet potatoes, chicken hearts, fish, liver, etc. in the oven or a dehydrator.
• Baked Meats Liver, kidney, heart whatever is on sale. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, place the meat on the parchment paper-lined tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 180F or so. Cut into small cubes, distribute into small bags and freeze. You can dice before or after baking. Mix them up so your pup has a wide variety of treats.
• Chicken Breasts Chicken breast smashed flat, microwaved to kill germs/bacteria, and then dehydrated.
• Veggies or Fruit Any veggies or fruit cut small.

Special Treat Recipes

If you like to cook, you may enjoy making treats for your puppy. Here are some of our favorite recipes.

Salmon Treats

• 1 large can salmon
• 3 eggs
• 1-2 cups oat flour

Mix salmon and eggs in a bowl. Stir in a cup or two of oat flour. Spread out on a cooking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap to help with spreading but DON'T forget to remove the plastic wrap before baking.

Bake at 400 F (204.4 C) until golden and cooked through. Use a cooling rack to cool, and then cut into small pieces. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks for the best results. Note: You can substitute peanut butter or liverwurst for the salmon.

Salmon Cookies

• one 14-15 ounce can salmon
• one cup potato flour or one cup plus enough to make a stiff dough of another flour (oat, etc.)
• 2 eggs

Mix and either roll out and use cookie cutters, or press onto a cookie sheet. Cook to desired firmness at 250 F (121 C). If pressed flat, you can cut with a pizza cutter halfway through into bite-sized pieces. This also works with silicone grids to make bite-sized cookies. 

Cheesy Garlic Treats

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup tapioca flour
• 2 eggs
• about 15 ounces of canned meat or fish in water
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 tsp garlic

Mix and bake at 350 F (180 C) for 20-30 minutes in a 9"x13" pan, a cookie pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper, or silicone mat. Cool and cut with a pizza cutter to the desired size and freeze in baggies. Try with salmon, tuna, sardine, clams, anchovies, and chicken. 

Tuna Treats

• Large can tuna
• 2 eggs
• coconut flour
• canned or cooked pumpkin
• optional ingredients: blueberries, spirulina

Mix a large tin of tuna with eggs, a small amount of coconut flour, cooked pumpkin, and add things like spirulina and blueberries mashed in a Nutri Bullet or other blender. Spread the mixture into silicone 160 grid trays and bake them for 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Watch them closely. Once cool, freeze in small batches.