Dog treats - what gives THE best results?

I’ve had you all looking carefully at what you feed your dog, on a regular basis. You have to combine budgetary restrictions, convenience, health of your dog, poo clean-up, into one answer.  

To get help with this, take a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk Look at the score for what you’re feeding now (hope that’s not too much of a shock!) and then look at the feeds that score 80%+ and see if you can make a change. 

[You don’t live in the UK? No worries - not only are many brands international, but you can list ingredients from your food and get a rating.]

But what about treats? 

But you need to look at everything you feed your dog! Not just what goes in his bowl. 

Treats! 

If you’re actively training your dog, you probably get through a mountain of these. All good. You reward what you like with a small, tasty treat and your dog gives you more of that. 

So what’s in these treats? 

Some commercial treat ingredients lists look like part of the telephone directory - and make as much sense. 

Just like with our own food, try and avoid ingredients you don’t recognise and wouldn’t have in your own pantry.

A lot of these are to prevent deterioration - these packets stay on the shelves for literally years! And while the manufacturer must say if they’re using additives, they’re not obliged to declare what those additives are. 

Use real food!

Wherever possible, use real food:

• Cheese, cut into tiny cubes

• Sausage

• Hot dog

• Cooked chicken/beef etc

• Dehydrated meats/fish (e.g. dried sprats)

• Fruit and veg (if your dog will take them!)

• Meat/fish pate

Yes, I know there are additives in commercial sausages, but we’re talking about tiny quantities in the day. Who can put their hand up that they never have cake, or alcohol?

A little of what you fancy, my grandma told me, does you good!

There’s also squeezy cheese, which is definitely processed, but can be administered one tiny lick at a time. 

What do I use? 

I do use some commercial treats. Sometimes I need something hard that will roll or bounce. Sometimes it’s what I have in my pocket - you need a pouch for cheese etc!

But in the main I use real food. 

I’m limited at the moment with my young dog. He’s the first food-fusspot I’ve ever had! Every other one of my dogs has fallen on anything I offer them as if they’ve been starved. 

Not Yannick. 

He will sniff the offered food slowly and critically. And unless it’s cheese, chicken, or beef, he won’t eat it. 

There are some commercial treats he will eat, so I can still carry some in my pocket. There’s never a time when my dogs cannot earn a treat if they do something I like - requested or not. So some hard treats are handy. 

Many commercial treats are massive, and not useful for constant use in training. I’ve been known to find a good quality treat, tip them all out and cut them in three or four pieces before using them. 

One of my dogs’ favourites would be the Naturally Tasty Lamb Treats - they like the duck and the beef ones too. These have “no nasties”, containing only natural products. Be sure to follow this link first, to get you some free goodies!

Skippers do all fish training treats They’re the perfect size, and pocketable. Check out the special offer for Skippers in the Resources below. 

Once more, you can visit www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk and see how treats rate. There are some very good ones - some of which are very expensive, and some very good ones for the more budget-conscious. 

Those treats you see on every supermarket shelf? They rate from 30% down to 10% in nutritional value. 😳

But there’s a big BUT here. If you break them up small (and your dog will eat them - crucial point!) and they form only a small part of their daily intake … you can get away with it. (Remember that cake and alcohol reference?)

Here, good food is an essential to teaching successful matwork! Check out my book Calm Down!

But for the best, consistent, results from your dog, use the heavy artillery!

That’s the natural, real, unadulterated foods. 

Safety note: If you’re handling raw meat, remember to wash your hands after your training session. 

RESOURCES

Commercial dog treat comparison

Butternutbox (free supply of food!)

Skippers (30% off)

Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning I earn a little from your purchase. But rest assured, I ONLY recommend products I use and love myself.

“My dog doesn’t like food”

This statement is usually made by people who think that reward-based training won’t work for them, as their dog “doesn’t like food”, or “won’t eat”.

If their dog really doesn’t like food at all, I guess he’s not long for this world!

But they usually mean that their dog has no interest in treats, or - more likely - no interest in treats when out.

There are two things at play here.

1. What treats are you offering?

2. What is happening to cause your dog not to want them when out?

Point 1: What treats?

Let’s look at Point 1 first - it’s the easy one, and most easily resolved.

If you want to reward your dog, you have to use something he finds rewarding!

Obvious, you may think, yet apparently not so.

I would not find oranges remotely rewarding, for instance, good though they may be. But chocolate … ah, now I’ll jump through hoops for you!

So you have to work through a bit of trial and error to find what your dog really likes. Of course he may prefer playing with a toy, and that’s fine - but for many things we want to teach, rewarding with food is by far the most efficient and fast method.

With my puppy I’ve been using a great variety to see what hits the spot. Fingerfuls of his raw food are always a hit, or snipped up bits of chicken carcase (wings are easiest). But I also use dried liver, dried sprats, cheese, sausage, and high-quality kibble or treats for everyday rewards. The best stuff is kept for the most challenging situations, and for teaching something new.

Once they get the “cue-MARK-reward” sequence, you can use absolutely anything for your reward. It’s the cue that actually becomes the reward in their brain. The cue may be a vocal cue like SIT; or a hand signal; or an environmental signal, like hand on door-handle - see this post for training your dog to sit and wait at all doors.

If someone invites you to a party, you are happy and excited right away. You don’t stay dull and ordinary for two weeks till after the party, then become excited!

That’s a juicy bit of science for you to digest. And this is why dog training becomes easier and easier, and it’s less and less important what treat you choose.

Though I do emphasise that in distracting or challenging situations (for some dogs this is anything outdoors) and for teaching something new, you need the “crack cocaine cookies” (thanks Susan Garrett!)

Point 2: So why won’t he eat them?

If someone were holding a gun to your head, would you be inclined to accept my piece of chocolate cake, however gooey?

If you thought you saw a rat running across your path, would you enjoy a chat and a biscuit?

No! You have to be in a relaxed and receptive state of mind to take food (unless you are literally starving).

If you’re distracted, frightened, thought you just heard something spooky, you’re not going to have any interest in taking food.

The first thing on your agenda may be survival! Fight or flight! Freeze or Flock (cling to someone safe)!

So you’ll need to get your dog out of this situation which is overwhelming him before you can have any hope of him accepting a reward.

a) If he’s frightened or anxious, your dog is in an emotional state.

b) If he’s comfortable and learning, he’s in an operant state.

In simple terms, in a) he is unable to make decisions. Rewards are inappropriate.

In b) he is operating on his environment and experience of the moment and is making decisions for which he may be rewarded.  

Because as we know, that which is rewarded is more likely to be repeated.

We go into much more detail on the science behind dog training, and just why your dog does what he does, when he does, in the Brilliant Family Dog Academy.

Want to learn more? Start with our free Workshop which will give you some techniques along with the science behind them.