Treats and Training

We asked Emma of Emma’s Animal Care & Training, a qualified behaviourist and dog trainer for her tips on treats and rewarding your dog.

All dogs need training in order to keep them and others safe when in the home or out and about.

In training classes when teaching a new behaviour or in an environment that may be quite distracting, I would recommend using a high value reward such as steamed or boiled chicken.

When training something that your dog is good at in an environment with lower distractions, you can use your dog’s normal daily kibble, carrots (if your dog will work for them), or natural dog treats like ‘thrive’ which is a freeze dried pure meat treat.

If you have a dog that is quite grabby with treats in training, as well as training a softer mouth, I use ‘Ella’s kitchen’ baby food pouches. (Check the ingredients are safe for dogs)This way they have to learn to lick to get the reward.

The use of treats to calm is also a great thing to practice, so things like Kong’s are a definite must!

I like to stuff the Kong’s with dog food or peanut butter (make sure there is no xylitol in it) or coconut oil. I have also created a healthy banana and peanut butter frozen dessert which can keep my pup occupied for ages.
Anything I give to my dog I check the ingredients of. If I need to google an ingredient then I generally tend to stay away and stick to a more natural, healthy treat.

Blueberries, chickpeas, homemade tuna cake (a favourite that I can make a batch of and freeze).

There are a lot of healthy, cheap options out there, just make sure you know what is going in your dog’s body and that it is safe.

Every dog is different and what may be a high value for one, may not be for another.

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