Training My Dog With Treats
While I regularly use treats when training my dog, and I recommend them as a great dog training aid, you also have to watch your dog’s calorie intake. The good news is treats don’t have to be big to excite your dog. If you don’t believe me, try spilling a few grains of rice under your table at the next mealtime-and then watch your dog help clean up. He’ll go to great lengths to sniff out and lap up each grain of rice. That’s the power of even tiny treats!
So don’t think you need to use store-bought dog cookies or other treats for your training. I use tiny bits of kibble-the kind made for toy breed dogs - for much of my training needs. If you do buy or make larger treats, break them into pea-sized pieces for training.
You should also feed your dog less on days when you give a lot of training treats. Just make sure that the combination of treats and regular meals you’re providing add up to a balanced diet. (Check with your vet on this if you’re not sure!)
While you can use people food as training treats, some foods are known or suspected to be toxic to dogs-including chocolate, grapes, raisins, and onions. Check with your vet if you’re not sure about what training treats are safe.
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Good point, I think it is important to make sure you watch the calorie intake when feeding your dog treats. I also agree that feeding your dog treats does not have to be expensive or unhealthy. Recently I have kinda brached out into a different market by making my own dog treats. It may sound nerdy (because it probably is) but I can control the cost and calorie intake when I make my own! Homemade Doggie Treats