Can I use pork frankfurters as training treats?

[Joolly2]

I was recommended Herta frankfurters by a friend. I have just bought some only to discover they are made with pork. I thought dogs should not be given pork. Can anyone enlighten me please.

[tabulahrasa]

It's high in fat, so you don't want to be giving loads of it...but they're fine as a training reward as long as it's not a huge amount of his daily diet.

[Joolly2]

Thanks tabulahrasa, I'll just give him a small amount and when its gone I won't buy any more.

[BingoBonkers]

They are fine in moderation, as are all treats. Dried sprats, cheese, ham, cocktail sausages are all hits here.

[tabulahrasa]

I use them fairly regularly btw...I just mix them up with other stuff, some cheese, hot dogs, smoked sausage, liver cake, chicken and his dried food.

That way he's bit getting huge amounts of one thing and he doesn't know which he's getting.

[tabulahrasa]

Bit = not btw

[BingoBonkers]

Keeping them guessing as to what their reward is keeps them interested, use the same treat all the time and you run the risk of them tiring of it.

[Joolly2]

Thanks everyone. I must admit I have never thought about mixing the treats. It is obvious when you think about it. I have usually bought a packet of treats and worked through them before buying another pack.
Do you need to cook the frankfurter or do you give it raw?

[Buttholelane]

I am pretty sure those frankfurters are already cooked, you only need to warm up if desired I think.
Roast chicken and (tiny) amounts of bacon also go down well.

[tabulahrasa]

They're cooked - if people are eating then they're just reheating.

You can also cut them up, bag them and freeze them.

[BingoBonkers]

I've fed raw out of the tin.

[NimpyWWindowmash]

they are not "raw" in the tin , but cooked before tinned!

[Notsoskinnyminny]

I use them, along with a variety of other meaty/cheesy goodies, and now have a shiba with excellent recall, the breed books they say don't let them off the lead, but we worked hard with her when she was a pup and found that the best only motivator when we're out is food.

I chop them into little bits and a sausage will easily last all week with titbits for the cats so they don't feel deprived

[LimeJellyHead]

The pork ones are OK but you can also get chicken or turkey ones if you are worried about pork. Quite frankly, the pork content is probably minimal anyway. Yes, you can feed them straight from the can :-) Mine love them cut up and put into a treat toy.

[LokiBuddyBoo1]

I use the tinned hot dogs cut up straight out of the tin as they are already cooked before being tinned.
The trainer in my puppy class also uses them.

[Taz1212]

We use bits of chicken at training class but when we're at home we use frozen peas. Our puppy will do anything for a frozen pea! (In case you are looking for other suggestions- diced frozen carrots work well too for our puppy)

[natureplantar101]

dogs should never eat pork of any kind ever its too high in salt and fats why do you think theres dog food in every variety except pork

[Petallic]

As others have said, they are high in fat and salt. I used cooked liver - cheap, easy to portion up into little bits and dry once cooked - so easy to keep a few bits in pocket when out on walks etc.

[AdoraBell]

Our trainer, in Chile, told us not to give our dogs pork. Said it's bad for them. I have no information to back that up, and when I've given them the odd bit of pork product they've survived, but it really is just an odd bit occasionally.

I don't think giving them lots of crap the stuff they put in frankfurters is a good idea.

Nature where did you get your info? If you don't mind me asking.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Regularly eating large amounts of pork can be associated with an increased incidence of pancreatitis.
Feeding small amounts of Frankfurt as an aid to training has not been associated with pancreatitis.

[TheHoundsBitch]

The whole 'dogs shouldn't eat pork' thing is rubbish. It's based on some bollocks about pigs not being able to sweat so the meat is high in toxins. Not true. Pork doesn't have a high salt content either. (Hot dogs do, but are fine in small amounts)

[tabulahrasa]

You do get pork dog food, burns and Arden grange do one and Orijen do one with it on...and they're just the ones I know of.

Yes pork is high in fat, so you don't want to be feeding a dog just on pork and yes hot dogs are salty, so is cheese - for training rewards it's fine, if you're doing lots of intense training you just keep an eye on what they're having and try to use their own food as much as possible and keep the less healthy stuff for high value rewards.

[Joolly2]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and help. I am going to try the frozen peas and carrot, that sound very healthy and he already enjoys apple, orange segments and cucumber. I cooked the frankfurter in the microwave today on kitchen paper and blotted it well before cutting it up. An awful lot of fat came off it, so hopefully it was a bit healthier. Once I have used it all up I think I will go back to chicken and ham just to be safe.

[foolonthehill]

ham is pork too........