What are the best treats for dog training?
If you’re researching dog training tips, you’re probably reading on a lot of websites (including this one!) that positive reinforcement training with lots of treats is the way to go. When you go to your local pet shop to stock up, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer number of treats to choose from: different brands, flavours, sizes, and shapes. Which ones should you choose for training?
An easy way to narrow down which treats to buy is to remember the 3 criteria for the ideal training treat. They all start with the letter S!
Soft: Look for a soft, squishy treat that you can easily break apart - I love Zuke’s Mini Naturals.
Small: Back in my early dog walking days, a trainer friend of mine laughed when she saw how big my treats were - I was pretty much giving dogs full-sized cookies! She showed me her training treats, which were much smaller. Pea-sized treats are perfect!
Smelly: It’s no secret that dogs love good smells! Opt for treats with a good strong scent (even if you don’t find it particularly agreeable).
When I first started buying dog treats, I only ever bought dry biscuits from Bulk Barn - not soft, small, or smelly at all! I saw a difference in the dogs when I started using better treats - they seemed much more motivated and excited for my snacks.
Like any rule, there’s exceptions. Some people have told me their dogs actually prefer dry cookies to soft, smelly treats, and that’s okay! Our dogs get to decide what they find reinforcing.
Another good “rule of 3” to consider is the three “values” of your treats: Are they low-value, medium-value, or high-value? Again, this is decided by your dog, not you!
A “low-value” treat might be your dog’s kibble - you could use a portion of his daily ration for training. (Sidenote: Never make your dog work for every bite of kibble - he should always be allowed to eat at least one meal a day in peace). Since it’s something your dog eats every day, it’s not going to be super-exciting for him.
A “medium-value” treat might be something more exciting than kibble or dry cookies - soft chicken-flavoured treats for example.
A “high-value” treat would be anything your dog perceives as being the most reinforcing/delicious. Now we’re really bringing out the big guns! This is something we’re going to reserve for any behaviour that is more difficult for your dog (a dry cookie definitely won’t cut it).
Some high-value treats I’ve used include:
Shredded cheese
Roasted chicken
Chopped deli meat
Dried sardines
Dried duck hearts
Sliced turkey hot dogs
Tripe (warning: it smells disgusting)
Your treat pouch should look like trail mix, with low-to-high value treats combined (or you might keep the high-value in a separate bag or compartment). This keeps things more exciting for your dog and saves the high-value for those “big-ticket behaviours” like doing a recall! Some dogs get bored of eating the same treat over and over, so mixing things up will boost motivation during training.
Another way to dispense food treats to your dog is via a washable baby food pouch, like these ones from Baby Brezza. If you live in Canada like me (or another cold climate), this is the perfect option when wearing gloves makes it harder to get a treat bag open. Fill the pouch with soft foods mixed together, like pumpkin, yogurt, blended sardines, or cream cheese. Eileen and Dogs has a great blog post with ideas for filling your dog’s squeeze pouch.
But wait! We’re allowed to give people food to dogs?
Absolutely! I was raised to think dogs should never eat “people food,” but this is just a myth. If you look at the ingredients in some high-quality dog food and treats, you’ll find plenty of so-called “people food” - chicken and beef, for example.
This means that in addition to supporting your local pet shop and stocking up on treats there, you can also grab them on your next grocery run! Add a bag of shredded cheese or pre-shredded roasted chicken to your cart. A package of turkey hot dogs is dirt-cheap, and you’ll get a lot of small high-value treats for your money!
Have fun experimenting with different treats for your dog and finding out which foods they find the most reinforcing!
