Wanted: Recipes for Training Treats!
- Thread starter Pareeeee
- Start date
I use this recipe:
Dig-it Fetch-it Herd-it: what's cookin'?
But i wouldn't exactly say they're great for putting in an unlined pocket hahaha. They are very flavourful and smelly though.
Dig-it Fetch-it Herd-it: what's cookin'?
But i wouldn't exactly say they're great for putting in an unlined pocket hahaha. They are very flavourful and smelly though.
This came up on one of my training lists. No known author, but apparently pretty old. EDIT: Hahaha! This is basically the same recipe as above!
But my go-to treat is hot dogs. I buy the really cheap ones, the ones I get are called "Cool Dogs" and have a cartoon of a dog on them which makes me laugh, and cut them lengthwise into quarters so you have four long pieces. The slice the long pieces into pieces about the size of your last pinkie joint. You can get about 50-100 from one hot dog.
Sometimes I nuke them in the microwave for 3 minutes until they're slightly chewy. Put them on a paper towel, there's a lot of grease. I'll also mix them (cooked or uncooked) in my bait bag with kibble and cheerios to make "trail mix." The flavor gets on the cheerios and makes them more appealing.
Tuna Fudge
Ingredients:
1 can (400 gr) fish (I usually use sardines in tomato sauce, or plain sardines, as this is cheapest here, but any fish will do - the original recipe called for tuna)
2 eggs
Garlic (you can omit if you don't want to feed your dog garlic)
Herbs (optional)
About 1.5 cups flour
Put everything (including the liquid from the fish tin) into the food processor. Mix until smooth. The dough should be about the consistency of thick yoghurt. Adjust with flour and/or liquid.
Pour onto well oiled baking tray to about 1/3" thick. Bake in a low-medium oven until springy to the touch and cooked through but still soft. If the oven is too hot a crust will form that will fall off when you cut the treats. It is not the end of the world, the crust can be used as treats in itself
. I cut my treats into small squares with a pizza cutter while still on the baking tray.
Ingredients:
1 can (400 gr) fish (I usually use sardines in tomato sauce, or plain sardines, as this is cheapest here, but any fish will do - the original recipe called for tuna)
2 eggs
Garlic (you can omit if you don't want to feed your dog garlic)
Herbs (optional)
About 1.5 cups flour
Put everything (including the liquid from the fish tin) into the food processor. Mix until smooth. The dough should be about the consistency of thick yoghurt. Adjust with flour and/or liquid.
Pour onto well oiled baking tray to about 1/3" thick. Bake in a low-medium oven until springy to the touch and cooked through but still soft. If the oven is too hot a crust will form that will fall off when you cut the treats. It is not the end of the world, the crust can be used as treats in itself
. I cut my treats into small squares with a pizza cutter while still on the baking tray.
Sometimes I nuke them in the microwave for 3 minutes until they're slightly chewy. Put them on a paper towel, there's a lot of grease. I'll also mix them (cooked or uncooked) in my bait bag with kibble and cheerios to make "trail mix." The flavor gets on the cheerios and makes them more appealing.
For carryalong treats, you can't beat string cheese. You can cut it up as described for a hot dog above, or you can pop a bit in your mouth and then bite off smaller pieces to dispense to your dog. Added bonus it gets the dog looking at your face
My guys love hot dogs but they will make your hand or pocket smell, cheese won't. (At least not to my nose LOL.)
Also for portability I love Zukes mini naturals, or just plain kibble if its motivating enough to your dog. Only thing about hard treats is the tendency some dogs have to inhale them, then you have to stop and wait for them to hack them back up and try eating it like a normal dog the second time. Tends to slow down the training process a bit....
My guys love hot dogs but they will make your hand or pocket smell, cheese won't. (At least not to my nose LOL.)
Also for portability I love Zukes mini naturals, or just plain kibble if its motivating enough to your dog. Only thing about hard treats is the tendency some dogs have to inhale them, then you have to stop and wait for them to hack them back up and try eating it like a normal dog the second time. Tends to slow down the training process a bit....
Another vote of Zuke's Minis, those and Bil-Jac (which are cheaper at the store I go to) are my top two commercial treats. They're the PERFECT size and consistency.
For inhalers (Marsh is one) I've learned a few tricks. Small, hard treats like kibble are asking for trouble. Don't pop treats into the dogs mouth, drop them on the floor or make sure the dog is taking the treat from your hand. Softer treats are easier and encourage chewing, IME. Use bigger pieces, which might be counter intuitive but they'll encourage the dog to slow down and chew their food, lol.
For inhalers (Marsh is one) I've learned a few tricks. Small, hard treats like kibble are asking for trouble. Don't pop treats into the dogs mouth, drop them on the floor or make sure the dog is taking the treat from your hand. Softer treats are easier and encourage chewing, IME. Use bigger pieces, which might be counter intuitive but they'll encourage the dog to slow down and chew their food, lol.
I use Zukes mini naturals a LOT... especially the salmon ones because they're smellier. I also use Bil-Jac (the ones that say they're for smaller dogs) whenever I can't afford the Zukes since the Bil-Jac ones are cheaper.
Other things I use: Sliced up hot dogs, string cheese, ripped pieces of deli meat, small pieces of banana work well for Cricket in a pinch. I'll also occasionally buy liver when I can too.
Other things I use: Sliced up hot dogs, string cheese, ripped pieces of deli meat, small pieces of banana work well for Cricket in a pinch. I'll also occasionally buy liver when I can too.
Microwave chicken jerky.
Take chicken breast, slice it, place between paper towels and add a dash of Parmesan cheese. Microwave for 3 minutes at a time, checking dryness level between microwave timeline. When it feels like jerky let it cool and then scissor it into training treats.
I also use my old ronco food dehydrator for this to make larger batches with less effort.
the key to a good training treat is the ability to hack it into tiny bits.
Take chicken breast, slice it, place between paper towels and add a dash of Parmesan cheese. Microwave for 3 minutes at a time, checking dryness level between microwave timeline. When it feels like jerky let it cool and then scissor it into training treats.
I also use my old ronco food dehydrator for this to make larger batches with less effort.
the key to a good training treat is the ability to hack it into tiny bits.
