My family have recently adopted a puppy, Charlie is only young but smart so we've already started reward based training with him. For said reward we've so far tried ... Chocolate* drops - he doesn't really care for them Liver [dried] - he adores it, but it's too rich for him right now. Cheese - no issues with that so far, but we don't want to make a habit of (because of the lactose). Now we're stuck for new ideas What do other puppies like to have as little treats? We're open to pretty much anything; though would like to avoid playing Russian roulette with his digestion, and any 'people foods' that would be bad for him in the long run (health or psychological speaking). Oh and as we have all this dried liver lurking around when is the best age to introduce that [he's a cocker spaniel, if that makes a diffrence]? This is uncharted territory for us. He's our first dog, and our rabbits will eat anything we give them [though I always research first, to make sure the foods are safe/healthy]. Thanks in advance *as in those ones specially for dogs, carob or whatever. Definetly not dumb enough to give him human ones.
If you are happy to give him an animal product... try chicken (cooked) - Easy to eat and easy to digest and almost all dogs love it. For a veggie option... - try popcorn
Healthy dogs shouldn't get digestive upsets due to eating new foods - they are a scavenger animal after all! The reason many do though is because a lack of variety in the diet. When dogs are fed the same foods day in, day out than when they get something different their digestive tract may get a bit upset at first. It really is nothing to worry about and a sign IMO that your dog probably needs a bit more variety. If you are feeding commercial dry food variety can easily be added with some canned food (differnet types) mixed in daily. Quality canned food is actually quite healthy because it tends to contain more meat than kibble does. As far as "people foods" go so long as it's healthy people food there is no reason to not use it for treats. You want to stay away from greasey, salty, spicey, sugary or fried foods but leftover meats, cooked veggies and the such are actually healthy treats for your dog. For training treats here are my faves: - leftover bits of cooked meat - dried meat treats such as dried liver, lung and heart - freeze dried foods - cooked liver (probaby most dogs favorite and most people's least) - frozen Bil Jac even though it's doggy junk food - bits of meat rolls such as Natural Balance - homemade treats such as the opnes on this page: http://www.shirleychong.com/recipes.html Pretty much for training rewards you need something super good - not dry, kibble like treats or everyday treats. The closer to real food and real smelly food the better as far as dogs go. If your pup isn't real food motivated there are a few things you can do. First would be to make sure you aren't overfeeding him. Also make sure he's not full - if he just ate he's not real likely to be interested in working for food. Second would be to start feeding him meals if you aren't already. Free feeding (giving the dog constant access to food) is not a good idea as far as training and dog behavior go. Dogs need to understand that the food is coming from their leader (you) and that it doesn't always come for free. Which brings us tp the third thing - make your puppy work for meals. Divide the meal into portions and have your puppy perform a different behavior for each portion of their meal. Or have a training session right before meal time using kibble instead of treats or mixed in with the super good treats.
hot dogs are what everybody recommended to me and my dog LOVES them... they're pretty cheap too, you just cut em up into little bite size treats.
Our dog loves ANYTHING healthy, and we base his "treats" on that. He'll turn his head away from junk food, but he absolutely loves things like popcorn, kettle chips, fresh veggies, etc. One of his absolute favourite treats EVER are baby carrots. I can't make anything with carrots in it without giving him pieces of carrot. He also loves apple and banana. I think ALL puppies love cheese, and in small amounts, it shouldn't be a problem. One of his favourites is feta. For a more dog-based diet, try cooked or raw meats. Some dogs (especially puppies) have problems with raw meats, and it's best to introduce them slowly, but they're VERY good for them. Raw bones (we cut bones out of steak, pork, etc.) are very very good for clean healthy teeth. We feed our dog fruits and veggies because he likes them, and they obviously aren't BAD for him, despite being something that he wouldn't normally eat. He also really likes multigrain bread, but refuses to eat anything less than whole wheat.
My dog loooves baby carrots and broccoli. I get out the bag from the fridge for me to snack on, and my dog starts whining and head butting me and it's so cute that I give her some. She also loves ice cubes as a treat. We used those to train her to sit. It's really easy to go overboard on the doggie treats when you first get a puppy. My puppy was so adorable (and so smart... sitting right next to the treat jar), that whenever anyone walked into the room, we'd have to give her something. Now we focus more on healthy treats, saving doggy treats for special occasions.
My dog was always obsessed with ice cubes. She will really eat anything, however, stay away from processed foods. If you're looking into manufactured dog treats, I would recommend tiny milkbones for puppies. Stay away from things with spice, too.
Milkbones actually have pretty low quality ingredients in them (although dogs sure do love them!). I don't see a problem with giving doggy junk food here and there but for everyday use it's better to find a treat with higher quality ingredients. OR make your own! Dog treats are pretty inexpensive to make and can be made with common ingredients. Homemade, Healthy, Pet Treats | GREATDANELADY.COM
Bread, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato. (as you probley know stay away from chocolate and onions.) If you want you could try making him treats. I know my dogs like home made treats but they like just about everything. I have a few recipes if you want or you could just go online and look for some.
