Training treats??

JEharvey · #1 14th February 2005, 02:15 PM

our pup harvey does not seem to be interested in the treats we bought. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on treats to use to train a boxer?

Poetic_thing · #2 14th February 2005, 04:24 PM

I dehydrate liver and lamb. I also get chicken wieners and semi-dehydrate them. If you are specifically going to class then try taking Harvey on an empty stomach

. Some people also get cheese strings and break off little pieces to use. Good luck and don't be afraid to experiement - they like a little variety too. Some dogs aren't food motivated either (especially if he always has access to food), try lots of praise or see if a particular toy / tug gets him going.

Anna Begins · #3 14th February 2005, 04:55 PM

Luka likes the Old Mother Hubbard treats- I buy the mixed flavors. You can break them in 1/2.
Hot dogs and cheese work too.
He was about 4 months old before he started liking treats.

basak · #4 15th February 2005, 03:26 AM

If your puppy grows out of those treats too, like my Krose, try something else.
Krose could care less about the edible treats, his one and only treat is his tennis ball. He'd do anything for it! You can motivate or train your dog without treats too

basak

brak'sdad · #5 15th February 2005, 12:32 PM

same with brak. if he sees you with his bear he goes crazy and starts the boxer burns. we use frozen banana slices apples without the core or peel oranges old mother hubbard treats and biljack.the bananas are a little messy but he just loves em.

deesboxers · #6 15th February 2005, 09:24 PM

Mine are crazy for cheese puffs. I once told Justice to stay and went to answere the phone, forgot about her sitting there looking at a unopened bag of cheese puffs, when I returned 30 minutes latter she was still there, looking at the bag. I gave her a few then afew more. Cheese puffs are cheap too, compared to other treats. Sometimes they like a little junk food. Oh yeah, make sure you got some water for them, they begin to drool real bad, due to the salt.

BeckyNC · #7 16th February 2005, 10:34 AM

The first time we did obedience, I used Bil-Jac liver treats.

This time, I have used a combination (they recommended a variety LOL). Old Mother Hubbard makes these super-chickeny flavored training treats (they are small, hard, and round). I have also used mozzerella cheese and yogurt drops or yogurt treats. The yogurt treats smell really good. LOL. They are sold at Petsmart with the other treats. Additionally, I have used some kibble--the pet store guy had given me samples of California Natural. Tae is very food-motivated and, since that's not her normal kibble, it is a bit more "exciting," so I use it, too.

kerry001 · #8 18th February 2005, 11:30 AM

We use cut up hot dog, cut up cheese slices, bits of meat from dinner, etc. she loves these much more than store bought treats.

StormiesMom · #9 9th March 2005, 10:03 PM

I purchased a whole chicken last time I went to the meat market ($5.00), put the whole chicken in a pot of water, simmered it until the meat basically fell off the bones. I pulled off every little bit of meat and evenly distributed it in about 25 snack size zippy bags. I put them all the in freezer and take one out each day. One bag works for two or three training sessions using only little bits of chicken as a treat. When she sees me getting the little baggie out of the fridge, she sits and watches me warm it in the micro. She is ready to hand me her paw before I ask. She is willing to do just about anything to get that chicken.
Just and idea, at least its a healthy snack and $5.00 for almost a whole month of training treats is not bad. Of course, I stay home and have the time to cook a chicken, I know not everyone is able to do that.

apollosdad · #10 16th March 2005, 12:20 PM

i find that soft treats work the best, especially when training. the softer treats allow the dogs to eat them more quickly and not get distracted while in the middle of a lesson. i usually cut my treats into pea-sized pieces so that he can get more of them without getting too many and getting fat. i used to cut a whole snausage into 8 smaller pieces and really make them last. i also used pieces of the string cheese from the supermarket and cut them into small pieces. i've cooked a piece of hamburger or steak and then cut it into small pieces.
if your dog is not food motivated, you can also try using on of his favorite toys like a squeaky toy or rope. a bell works well too.