High Value Rewards

[kyliegirl]

Charlie doesn't like working for food, he is getting better but would rather a tennis ball any day. Cant throw anything in the ring at flyball so I need to get SUPERDUPER treats for him.

The only thing I have seen him choose over a tennis ball (much to my shock) was the "Kramer" brand chicken breast bites. They are crunchy though so not any good for quick treats. He will also work for "chunkers" or this tuna cake thing I bake for him (bake it in a cake tin then cut it into tiny bits). I can give you the recipe if you want.

Every day treats for Delta are bits of kibble (they are a novelty to her and she goes nuts for them ) Training treats are similar to the ones you mentioned.

I had a foster puppy a few months ago that I was taking to obedience. She was pretty excited about everything and I found the best way to keep her attention all night was to train with raw chicken hearts! By the end of the night my hands were covered in blood and gunk but it worked a charm

high value rewards dont have to be treats, they can be a good game of tug, a game of ball, a good belly rub. Different dogs like different things the key to reward training is having something which really motivates them, and not all dogs like food or as motivated by food.

[Arya]

Okay, yep, you use what to my dogs is quite high value. The all time favourite is... wait for it... SPAM!!! Get a tin of spam but put it in the fridge first cos it is so fatty it goes a bit squishy. But spam is fatty and salty and dogs love it. Small cubes, very small and feed lots of small so they think they get more. The other is boiled liver. I boil mine up on the bbq outside to avoid the smell and don't overcook it so it goes rubbery, just keep it nice and soft and moist. Yukky but effective.

Thank fat and salt. It gets em every time.

[Arya]

Also, if you are training for focus with a GSD try patterning onto a tug toy or ball which you may find more effective. Just a thought

[JulesP]

I think variety of treats is pretty important. I tend to have something different each time I train. Skinless frankfurts are good. Mine love the Nature's Gift smackos too. And cat kibble if I run out of other treats is very popular!!

[Cala]

I think variety of treats is pretty important. I tend to have something different each time I train. Skinless frankfurts are good. Mine love the Nature's Gift smackos too. And cat kibble if I run out of other treats is very popular!!

I have one that works really well for liver.......

another that will give his life for a piece of chicken, and a youngster that will do ANYTHING for a single cat biscuit! So it varies as to what in their eyes is HIGH VALUE.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Cala

[4 Paws]

Also, if you are training for focus with a GSD try patterning onto a tug toy or ball which you may find more effective. Just a thought

Unfortunately she's not interested in toys or balls what so ever

I just did some training using dry treats(roo heart,dried tuna)instead of the soft fresh stuff(deceided after the replies i'd save it for class) i was using and i found when heeling and she was giving me focus i was clicking and treating but than she was falling back while chewing it whereas with the soft stuff it went down straight away.

I think i need a huge multi-pocketed treat bag to keep some of both for different situations..

If she's doing a recall and comes super fast and a straight sit i like to have something super nice to reward

Edited June 20, 2008 by 4 Paws

[JulesP]

NG smackos go down pretty quickly.

[Erny]

... then she was falling back while chewing it whereas with the soft stuff it went down straight away.

The treats should be very small ..... so there's minimal to no chewing time. Liver treats (very small pieces) are good for this. For a GSD, I'd give a liver treat no bigger in size than, say, my small finger nail. At most, then the size of my fingernail on my ring finger.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Erny

[Gayle.]

When I'm using hot dogs or bbq sausages, I slice them thinly (less than 1cm per slice) and cut each slice in half. Basically, it's just a taste on their tongue and gone. No chewing, just the promise of getting that nice taste again.

[BC]

When I need to pull out the big guns nothing here beats Liverwurst :D

[4 Paws]

When I need to pull out the big guns nothing here beats Liverwurst :D

I actually read about liverwurst yesterday for treats and grabbed some.How do you give it to them as its really soft and mushy.I was thinking to put it into a small container and let her have a few licks as Jean Donalds mention this method with baby food(not sure what kind of flavour).

I had to give her a tablet today and just coated it in liverwurst and it went down straight away

[DeltaCharlie]

Charlie doesn't like working for food, he is getting better but would rather a tennis ball any day. Cant throw anything in the ring at flyball so I need to get SUPERDUPER treats for him.

The only thing I have seen him choose over a tennis ball (much to my shock) was the "Kramer" brand chicken breast bites. They are crunchy though so not any good for quick treats. He will also work for "chunkers" or this tuna cake thing I bake for him (bake it in a cake tin then cut it into tiny bits). I can give you the recipe if you want.

Every day treats for Delta are bits of kibble (they are a novelty to her and she goes nuts for them ) Training treats are similar to the ones you mentioned.

I had a foster puppy a few months ago that I was taking to obedience. She was pretty excited about everything and I found the best way to keep her attention all night was to train with raw chicken hearts! By the end of the night my hands were covered in blood and gunk but it worked a charm

high value rewards dont have to be treats, they can be a good game of tug, a game of ball, a good belly rub. Different dogs like different things the key to reward training is having something which really motivates them, and not all dogs like food or as motivated by food.

No I realise that which is why I train him with a tennis ball any chance I get. Unfortunately you cannot throw a tennis ball (even a centimetre) in the flyball ring and it isn't always practical to use fetch as a reward at obedience. We have lost a heat because someone dropped their lead on the ground (nothing can be thrown) and I got a warning (only because it was my first comp otherwise would have lost the heat) for accidently kicking a ball while I was running. Charlie isn't interested in tugging or pats when there are tennis balls around, I need something that he will accept as an alternative to the ball.

[piper]

A high value reward that my guys love is Kangaroo Mini Roasts. They are about $10 per kg which is compartiviely cheap when compared to many of the dog treats.

You buy them in the meat section at the supermarket and can get them a herb and garlic crust. They take about 30mins to cook in the oven and don't stink the house out like liver does. When cool I cut into small pieces and freeze in zip lock bags, then just grab a bag when I want to do some training.

4Legs is good as well, but messy. Or VIP chunkers, I get the lamb as the chicken seems to go off much quicker.