suggestions for "high value" dog treats

[Pleased_as_Punch]

I need a suggestion for a “high value” dog treat to use to praise recall. Since I most often use/practice recall while at the barn, I’d like this to be something that can easily go in my breeches pocket…so no lamb flavored baby food or semi-solids. I want my dog to know that every time he comes when called something AWESOME goes in his mouth!

This would ideally be something smallish or able to be easily broken up. He loves freeze-dried liver but those come in big pieces (sometimes longer than an inch) and don’t break easily. A 15 lb terrier does NOT need to eat 1/4 lb of liver while his mommy tacks up!

[diffuse01]

I use string cheese or chicken… the new Oscar Mayer carving board stuff is great and I keep it in my pockets at shows

[pezk]

When i’m trimming nails or working on obedience elements I use Purina Cat Chow. easily available. pieces very small. dry. works well as a tiny reward.

[Hannahsmom]

Cut up string cheese into very small pieces and stick in a baggie in your pocket. Small bits of hot dog Truly high value? some bloody deer meat, braunschweiger smelly cheese… but those will mess up your breeches pockets. LOL Really, you don’t need something mega high value for something as simple as you are asking for. Just use some BilJacs SMALL dog training treats. Right size, the bag fits into your pockets.

[Hannahsmom]

As another thought, just use your dog food and feed him/her the meal as you tack up and use that for the rewards. Keep it simple.

[Wholehearted]

Cat food is an awesome idea. My dog will go for cat food above even people food if given a choice. I was going to suggest hot dog pieces, but then saw your bit about breeches, so I’ll second the cat food as well.

[OTV]

My dog isn’t food motivated, especially in high distraction areas, I’m constantly looking for treats that will get his attention or at least, stop him from knocking my hand away as he ignores the treat being offered!

• Hot dogs work well, as mentioned. I zap mine in the microwave or cook them in boiling water for a few minutes so they’re less slimey (that’s for my benefit, not his!)

• Baked liver. Alternatively, you can buy freeze-dried liver snaps but I prefer baking my own. I use either beef or pork liver, slice it into bite size pieces and toss in oven. Or if the pieces are too big in the bought stuff, I break them into tiny little pieces. I usually make 4 pieces out of one treat so he’s not eating too much.

• Cloud Star Buddy Biscuits in Duck Flavour. These are the ONLY store bought cookies that get his attention. Zukes, Wellness, etc. do nothing for him, especially when he’s at the barn and there’s a ton of good smells to investigate and little critters to catch and eat.

The best thing I use for actually training recalls is a can of tripe. But this is only for actual training because it’s hard to stash a can and a spoon for random recalls…not to mention the smell is enough to knock one over. I do serious recall work with my retriever (who’s a runner) about 4-5 times a week with a can of tripe or sardines. Cookies for the rest of the time when I just want to reinforce the behaviour learned during training.

Another thing that works for my guy is having a little “jackpot” baggie of cookies with a bunch of different treats mixed in. Sometimes he gets cheese, sometimes liver, and sometimes he gets 5-10 teeny weenie pieces of whatever. Mixing it up both treat wise and number wise is a good way to get them coming back for more. They never know what or how many cookies they’re going to get.

[allintexas]

Hot dogs and cheese seem to work best in my past experience and based on recommendations from others. you could cut them up and put them in a baggie to keep your pockets clean

[libgrrl]

Anything “heated” (so it emits a nice odor!) automatically “ups” the value.

I do dog behavior volunteer work at a local shelter. If I want to make friends with a new pooch and dog doesn’t appear to be interested in my “wares,” I heat up a hot dog or some cheese in the microwave so it is nice and odoriferous. This is frequently the magic bullet for the non food motivated.

[Big_Grey_hunter]

Evanger’s freeze dried stuff is a big hit with my dogs. The salmon is nice and smelly and doesn’t fall apart, but it’s easy to rip into pieces too. The ‘nothing but natural’ treats are good too, but not as high value
http://www.evangersdogfood.com/dog/treats.html

[DarkenStormy]

You can also “bake” hot dogs in the oven so they turn out to be more jerky like and not as slimy. I also get the new hot dogs that have no nitrates in them.

Also cheese, chicken - anything human grade.

[clm08]

I use the chicken breast “jerky” - it is not messy, can be broken into smaller pieces, and is smelly enough to usually catch my dog’s attention. One of my dogs gets too reactive when leashed and walks by another dog. Off leash he is friendly, wants to play with other dogs, but put him a leash and he thinks he needs to bark his head off. This morning I had the treat in my pocket, and when we saw another dog coming our way, I knew I had to get his attention on me and not the other dog. I took the entire chicken breast jerky out, called his name and showed it to him, he had already started barking but once I put it in his face, he decided the treat was more important than barking, and let the other dog walk by without further issues. My original intent was to break a piece only, but he was too fast and snatched the whole thing off my hand! At least he stopped barking.

[Guin]

Slices of hotdogs. They’re pre-cooked so you don’t have to do anything to them.

[DevilsAdvocate]

Cat food contains Taurine which is great for cats but can cause dogs to get sick. When training with my dog I use Nutro/Natural Choice Crunch treats, they come in apple, blueberry and carrot. They smell incredible and my dog goes bonkers over them. They dont crumble easily but pack big flavor. Just wait until you open the bag mmmmm!

[SonnysMom]

Moist cat treats such as Pounce.

You can cut hot dogs into slices and microwave them until they are like liver treats in texture.

[wendy]

Dog Joy (sold in many grocery stores/ pet stores out of a fridge) is my current fave- size of a cocktail weinie, good ingredients, and can be cut up into tiny pieces that don’t crumble or squish, and the dogs seem to go nuts for them.

If the dog is really into liver you can buy liver, boil or bake it until firm, chop into small pieces and then dehydrate in warm oven for a few hours until it achieves your desired texture.

Or buy a Slim Jim and chop into small pieces.

[Silvercrown90]

Buy a small bait bag, and then you won’t have to worry about your breeches. Strap the bait bag around your waist every time you are out with your dog.

I cook beef liver and cut it into small pieces. My dogs will turn up their nose at hot dogs. The other bad thing with hot dogs are the high salt content, along with the chemicals. I wouldn’t worry too much about a small amount of hot dogs for your dogs, but generally I steer clear of them.

The jerky treats sold in pet stores are usually priced anywhere from $10 - $20/pound. Ouch! I buy human quality beef liver in the grocery store for $1.69/pound, and I know that there aren’t any preservatives in it.