What do you use for training treats?

[PeachyImpeachment]

Looking for ideas - what do you use and how expensive are they?

[willdoitinaminute]

I use home dried liver. I cut it up, boil it then dry it in the oven on a low temp for 2 hours. Sometimes use up left over roast. I have a lab so pretty much anything works as a treat! She particularly enjoys dried chicken bits.

[CornflakeHomunculus]

I use varying treats depending on what I'm doing with mine.

Cheese (Red Leicester because we always have that in) is fine for trick training at home.

For out on walks I'm currently using black pudding, the dogs go absolutely nuts over it They sell them really cheap at the deli counter in our local Sainsbury's. I also sometimes use cocktail sausages, leftover/short dated meat and offal-y stuff like ox heart.

For scent games I use these from MWH as they're nice and stinky. I bought one of the biggest tubs a couple of months ago and there's still over half left.

[Wtfdoicare]

What are scent games?

[CMOTDibbler]

It depends on how high value I need it to be, how long it'll be in my pocket, and whats around.
Cocktail sausages are very popular here, as is the pets at home hot dog type sausages that are individually wrapped. I know a tin of hot dogs would be cheaper and maybe I should chop and freeze bags of bits as I'd never use it up, but am not that organised.
Lidl chorizo or kabanos seem to float their boat greatly.
For drier treats (kept in my dog walk handbag/coat pockets etc) mine love Treats2sit4 atomic drops, dried sprats, and a bacon flavour snack that is the dog equivalent of frazzles.

[MuttsNutts]

Hot dog sausages here. When I have a dog at training stage I never go anywhere without a bag of HDS and a whistle!

I chop them into small pieces and store in the freezer then just grab a handful before heading out (they thaw in no time).

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

Great big smoked saveloy sausages from the butcher. £2 for four. Chop up into tiny bits, last for ages and smell lovely.

[CornflakeHomunculus]

What are scent games?

Any kind of game where the aim is for the dog to find treats (or other objects) by scent. They can be as simple or as complex as you want and mine all really enjoy them, even the most basic ones.

I usually take a small amount of those MWH treats out on walks then chuck them about somewhere interesting for the dogs to sniff out. Getting them to sit and wait whilst I'm decanting the treats is a great little impulse control exercise as well!

[PeachyImpeachment]

Thank you for these great ideas. Will definitely try some of them~!

[PeachyImpeachment]

Ours love hot dogs too, but I keep finding little tubs of green and slimey ones - they go off quickly if you forget them!

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Our dog would sell his grandmother's soul (if he knew who she was) for a tube of squeezy cheese. Slips nicely into a pocket, lasts forever and licking it is apparently fabulous

[PeachyImpeachment]

'noitsnot' how much squeezy cheese do you let him have in one lick?

[Adarajames]

She has different treats for different jobs. So for agility is some sort of sausage, polish garlic sausage is a great favourite! For obedience it's either sausage or cheese, she adores fish skin treats so gets those for hanging out quietly in car when we're setting up training or on a search and she has to stay I car as no one home to mind her, and if she's searching then it's Ardennes pate! That's the highest value treat and only ever used for searching to keep it so; general walks etc is any one of a huge range of treats, she's not fussy to be fair and will work for most foods!

[RTKangaMummy]

For our lab we use tiny bits of bacon and cheese flavoured BAKERS WHIRRLERS they are sort of chew sticks that are very stinky and she only has a tiny bit at a time

She gets excited even if she hears the packet being touched it is a crinkly noise so the bits have very high premium for her

Our friend got this 1st packet for her for Christmas pressie so no idea what shop they are from but imagine P@H or tesco sell them

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

It's just a tiny amount - half the fun is in the licking

[Rubberduckies]

I make sardine treats - tin of fish, egg, smash or flour. Mash up and spread in a mini icecube tray. 5 mins in microwave, tip onto a baking tray and into oven for 10mins.

[tinymeteor]

I use a variety of junk from the pet shop, in small quantities, as it keeps him keen. But when I'm training for something specific and he's getting a lot, I look for grain free treats (e.g. Harringtons liver treats) and fishy things like dried sprats as they make a positive contribution to his diet.

Also if we do a roast chicken on the weekend I dry out the unused skin and scraps in the oven and use them as dog treats.

[RTKangaMummy]

Where do you get dried sprats or do you do them yourself?

[CMOTDibbler]

I must have got them in PaH. Even fussy cat deigned to have one as a treat!

[RTKangaMummy]

Oke doke thanks

[KindDogsTail]

Sprats from the pet shop. They are dry.

[tinymeteor]

Sprats are £2.69 a bag from pets at home

[RTKangaMummy]

Thank you