Giving treats when it's cold outside

[Eleonora]

My friend thought that we would create a thread where people could ask/offer ideas on how to reward the dog outside with treats. She knows that one can use toys as a reward but she's talking about edible treats. For example, we ourselves live in Finland and my friend has seen in local stores, including pet shops, only cuttable treats like these:

However, it may be difficult to handle those kind of treats when one needs to use these when it's very cold:

My friend hasn't noticed that they would sell these empty around here: http://www.google.fi/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asia.ru%2Fimages%2Ftarget%2Fphoto%2F51548830%2FRound_Shape_Tube.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asia.ru%2Fen%2FCatalog%2F14701.html&h=413&w=550&tbnid=CYszR6frSAbUIM%3A&zoom=1&docid=DV3vp8YYn6S6RM&ei=LN59VLzhLqrWywOevIDYDg&tbm=isch&client=firefox-a&ved=0CBAQMygIMAg4yAE&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=4024&page=7&start=197&ndsp=37

So, my friend would like to know how you feed your dogs treats outside when it's very cold.

 

[DJEtzel]

Easy cheese in a can.

Or easy cheese/peanut butter/wet food frozen on a long serving spoon.

Or really nice gloves that let me handle little treats easily and keep me warm.

Or toys instead of treats.

 

[Sekah]

 

[Elrohwen]

I have a pair of mittens where the top folds back to leave your fingers free. The thumb is still covered, but they allow you to use your fingers without completely removing the gloves.

These aren't them, but they are similar (on these ones the thumbs fold back too which is handy):
fold back mittens

 

[straw]

I wear two pairs of gloves and just feed.... It's a little clumsier but it gets the job done.

 

[release the hounds]

If I'm doing something where I have to treat or reward that often, i'm not doing it outside in the cold I'm going to be inside where it's nice and cozy warm.

Anything i'm doing outside is something they know and can be rewarded with toys or only need limited reinforcement, in which case I just mark it, and take off my glove for a second and put it back on. But normally I don't handle small treats in the cold. I don't see a reason to.

 

[DJEtzel]

If I'm doing something where I have to treat or reward that often, i'm not doing it outside in the cold I'm going to be inside where it's nice and cozy warm.

Anything i'm doing outside is something they know and can be rewarded with toys or only need limited reinforcement, in which case I just mark it, and take off my glove for a second and put it back on. But normally I don't handle small treats in the cold. I don't see a reason to.

Me too.

But... a lot of my pet clients need to work on leash walking through the winter, because they leash walk their dogs for exercise. So I have all sorts of ideas for them now. XD

 

[StompinT]

Oh I'm an expert on this being that I clicker train and live in Saskatchewan.

I wear a thick huge super warm mitten on my right hand, which the hand in which I hold the leash (and clicker if working on something that I will need it for). I have the tiny bits of food in my left pocket, and a very thin, stretchy glove on my left hand. I walk with my left hand in my pocket at all times, except for when delivering treats directly into my pups mouth. The fingers of the glove get very wet, and would freeze in minutes if I didn't keep that hand in my pocket, but overall, it's the best system I've tried.

Where I live it is so cold that the mittens that can be folded back to expose fingers would result in fingers frozen solid in a matter of minutes.

Also, an insulated gloves I have found far too bulky to be able to quickly grab a tiny treat and feed, and I end up spilling most of my stash on to the sidewalk.

 

[BostonBullMama]

I live in London, Ontario.

I tend to wear a glove on my right hand which I hold the leash with.. and then keep my left hand in my left pocket with the treats.

If it's too cold to not wear gloves, then I just take the glove off when I want to reward the dog, or wear my thinner leather gloves, or simply reach in, grab a few treats and sort them out in my hand while we walk so that I can easily deliver the treat directly to my dog a few times in a row.

 

[Finkie_Mom]

Seeing as I'm one who leash walks for exercise (the horror?) and my dogs are not toy motivated (plus in working with client dogs), I'm outside a lot in all weather. I use gloves like Sekah and Elrohwen mentioned. If it's super cold and I'm out training, I just mark, wait a few seconds to remove the mitten part of the gloves, grab a treat, and reward. Not a huge deal for me even with multiple dogs once I got the mechanics down

 

[Oko]

Yep, I use the kind of gloves other people have mentioned.

 

[Southpaw]

Generally if it's cold enough that I need gloves, we're not outside training. If I'm feeling crazy and we are outside, then I'm most likely not using food to reward.

I have mittens that fold back but holy cow, the moment I give my dogs a treat and get spit all over my fingers, they're frozen solid.

But I agree that Easy Cheese is fantastic - I don't know if they have the equivalent of that where you are - it's cheese you spray out of a can. Then you can keep gloves on, easily reward dog, and you don't even get covered in slobber.

Or maybe you can try a Treat Toob, which you can fill with peanut butter or canned dog food or yogurt or whatever else you want

But yeah mostly training is indoor only during the winter - whether it's in the house or at pet stores.

 

[Eleonora]

I live in London, Ontario.

I tend to wear a glove on my right hand which I hold the leash with.. and then keep my left hand in my left pocket with the treats.

If it's too cold to not wear gloves, then I just take the glove off when I want to reward the dog, or wear my thinner leather gloves, or simply reach in, grab a few treats and sort them out in my hand while we walk so that I can easily deliver the treat directly to my dog a few times in a row.

My friend herself couldn't do what you told because she couldn't wear a glove only in one hand or mismatched gloves. So, she should wear same kind of gloves in both hands.

I have a pair of mittens where the top folds back to leave your fingers free. The thumb is still covered, but they allow you to use your fingers without completely removing the gloves.

My friend couldn't wear those either because of this: There are things/behaviors one needs to teach the dog outside. By the time you would have finished doing whatever you were doing, it might feel like this even when it's not very cold outside:

Generally if it's cold enough that I need gloves, we're not outside training. If I'm feeling crazy and we are outside, then I'm most likely not using food to reward.

I have mittens that fold back but holy cow, the moment I give my dogs a treat and get spit all over my fingers, they're frozen solid.

If I'm doing something where I have to treat or reward that often, i'm not doing it outside in the cold I'm going to be inside where it's nice and cozy warm.

So, there are things one needs to teach the dog outside. This doesn't relate to Lotta but here is one example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4kHsaUSylQ&list=UUKQCCGM0Y-KiOojUtlInJ9w

Here's another:

But... a lot of my pet clients need to work on leash walking through the winter, because they leash walk their dogs for exercise. So I have all sorts of ideas for them now. XD

For example, we ourselves live in Finland and my friend has seen in local stores, including pet shops, only cuttable treats. However, it may be difficult to handle those kind of treats when one needs to wear gloves when it's very cold. So, my friend hasn't seen those kind of treats in stores (I just told my friend that they do sell those somewhere here, she just hasn't seen them herself):

But I agree that Easy Cheese is fantastic - I don't know if they have the equivalent of that where you are - it's cheese you spray out of a can. Then you can keep gloves on, easily reward dog, and you don't even get covered in slobber.

Or maybe you can try a Treat Toob, which you can fill with peanut butter or canned dog food or yogurt or whatever else you want

But yeah mostly training is indoor only during the winter - whether it's in the house or at pet stores.

We did tell you that they don't sell those around here. We even linked a picture of them.

So, do you have ideas on what kind of treats one can feed the dog outside and how?

 

[JessLough]

My friend herself couldn't do what you told because she couldn't wear a glove only in one hand or mismatched gloves. So, she should wear same kind of gloves in both hands.
So, do you have ideas on what kind of treats one can feed the dog outside and how?

Why can't she only wear one glove?

And I think everyone has GIVEN their ideas.

 

[JessLough]

My friend couldn't wear those either because of this: There are things/behaviors one needs to teach the dog outside. By the time you would have finished doing whatever you were doing, it might feel like this even when it's not very cold outside:

Your friend can't wear gloves with no fingers because she needs to train her dog outside? She can train her dog with those gloves. Many people do.

 

[Eleonora]

Why can't she only wear one glove?

And I think everyone has GIVEN their ideas.

My friend couldn't wear just one glove because if she's wearing gloves, she needs to same kind of gloves in both hands. (It relates to her disability that it must be similarly in both sides) Besides, if she wore a glove just in other hand, it might feel like her other hand would freez. That's also the reason she cannot wear those kind of gloves:

Your friend can't wear gloves with no fingers because she needs to train her dog outside? She can train her dog with those gloves. Many people do.

 

[Oko]

If there are cut up treats in the store your friend didn't see, have her use those. As for gloves, you're out of luck. What do you want to train outdoors? lotta has a lot of foundation to build, if she's as easily distracted in the video you posted inside, I doubt she's trainable outdoors yet.

I don't really know what you want people to post for suggestions. The obvious has been posted. Why not wear gloves that fully cover the hand? Not mittens. Or train for a very short time outside and come back in to warm up.

Or stick some hot baked potatoes in your pockets and stuff your hands in them when your hands start to freeze. Or put your hands in lottas armpits hehe. They're warm.

There's not going to be a magical way to keep your fingers from getting cold training dogs outside in the winter.


How do you normally train outside?

It would also help instead of knocking down everyone's suggestions to say thanks for the suggestions, and you'll look into them, just to encourage people to post. No one wants to respond to someone who is ready and waiting with the quote function to say no that won't work.

 

[JessLough]

My friend couldn't wear just one glove because if she's wearing gloves, she needs to same kind of gloves in both hands. (It relates to her disability that it must be similarly in both sides) Besides, if she wore a glove just in other hand, it might feel like her other hand would freez. That's also the reason she cannot wear those kind of gloves:

She's going to have to make some sacrifices if she's certain she has to train outside, then, since apparently nothing that works for any other person will work. Or just train inside. It's not exactly warm where everyone else in this thread is, and they all get away with the gloves no problem.

 

[AllieMackie]

My friend couldn't wear just one glove because if she's wearing gloves, she needs to same kind of gloves in both hands. (It relates to her disability that it must be similarly in both sides) Besides, if she wore a glove just in other hand, it might feel like her other hand would freez. That's also the reason she cannot wear those kind of gloves:

You can use cut up treats with gloves on your hands. It can be a bit fussy, but it works.

If that's too difficult for your friend for various reasons, then just enjoy walks outside and focus on training behaviours indoors during the colder winter days.

A lot of us do this with our dogs in the winter (myself included - if it's under 20 degrees celcius Finn doesn't want to be out there any more than I do) and the training will be good and solid indoors with little distractions, before moving outdoors in the spring for heightened distraction.

 

[amberdyan]

I'm a huge wuss when it's cold out (like... 40 degrees is too cold) so I use peanut butter or soft food on a spoon. Just a little dab he can lick off.