Treats In Pocket

[Tiggy]

I've noticed alot of trainers carry their treats in their pocket rather than a treat pouch. Okay so I want to give this a go because I feel like a big dork wearing my treat pouch down to the park but how gross does your pocket get . I use moist treats like sausage which aren't going to leave crumbs but I guess you get an oily pocket. Sorry if this is a silly post .

[Kavik]

You can put wet treats into a sandwich bag and then put that in your pocket so it doesn't get messy

[Tiggy]

I tend to fumble around too much if I have them in a bag .

[J...]

Depends on what you use - something like a low fat frankfurt might be better on the pockets?

I use on-special cuts of low fat meat - mostly beef or chicken breast lately, but also roo if it's on special. It all goes straight into my pockets with no worries. I don't wear my good jeans for working my dogs though either I don't use fatty treats, I hate it on my hands and Darcy is a potential fatty.

I used to use glad sandwich bags as I found they were easy to get into, but they make a noise and found if I hit my pocket accidentally Darcy thought she was getting a treat when she wasn't.

[Tiggy]

I also thought a good reason for carrying treats in your pockets is you can't wear a treat pouch in the ring so at least this way the dog doesn't know you're not carrying treats like if it was use to seeing you with a treat pouch when training.

[Kavik]

Actually I am trying to overcome that problem of transition to competition where you can't carry rewards in a different way.

I am doing almost the opposite and wear a BIG treat pouch with treats and toy in it, and then place that outside the ring or at the end of a sequence (for agility) or on the ground a (short at the moment) distance away from where I am training in obedience and carry nothing on my person. I then the sequence for agility or heeling or whatever for obedience and then release to the treat bag when finished.

[shoemonster]

Another thing you can do is have a specific piece of clothing, like a sleeveless vest, that you wear for training only, then it doesnt matter if it gets icky, and then you can wear the same vest to your trials, in the ring, with no food in the pockets

[Purpley]

My advise is - get a treat pouch, cause when you forget to take the left over treats out, you end with holes in your jeans when the dog chews through them to get to the treats!!

[persephone]

cause when you forget to take the left over treats out, you end with holes in your jeans when the dog chews through them to get to the treats!!

yep

I use food treats for April.. not the dogs..so my pockets are always full of stuff I have some very soggy and holey pockets

[alpha bet]

I tend to carry any treats in my pocket most of the time.... and like you I use sausages......

One way round this is.... I slice the sausages and then leave them on a paper towel on a plate in the fridge for the day.... this tends to dry the sausage out slightly on the outside of the piece.... thus it is not oily in my pocket but still gives the dog a nice fresh treat that he can swallow quickly.

I find the dried liver treats (and similar) take too long for the dog to eat and they also seem to get thirsty.

[shoemonster]

My advise is - get a treat pouch, cause when you forget to take the left over treats out, you end with holes in your jeans when the dog chews through them to get to the treats!!

Yeah too true, I have holes in the insides of most of my hoodies with pockets, I dont like having treats in my pants, I prefer in my jumper, but yeah got to remember they are there!

[Nicole...]

Just have a cheapo pair of shorts that you wear for training purposes and then you don't care about the stains. LOL Works for me!

I used to use a treat pouch all the time and then had massive dramas getting Lomani to pay any attention to me in the agility ring without it when we first started trialling - to the point where she would run to the nearest trainer with a pouch on if she thought she deserved a treat! I had to teach her that treats come from my pockets instead and even presented her chicken necks to her from my pockets so I think that numbed me to the grossness of it all. She still gets a couple of treats from my pocket before an agility trial and I make sure she doesn't see me slip the treat bag to my OH. I don't think that she needs fooling anymore though as she runs straight to him for me to get the treats when we are done... but i'm not game to give up the practice just in case LOL.

[gsdog2]

Another thing you can do is have a specific piece of clothing, like a sleeveless vest, that you wear for training only, then it doesnt matter if it gets icky, and then you can wear the same vest to your trials, in the ring, with no food in the pockets

I've got mine, with two huge pockets in the front. It's perfect for training as I can carry treats (in plastic bag still) and her favourite ball. My aim is to wear the same vest in the trial ring

[OSoSwift]

I have training pants specifically for training. Then if the pockets gets ikky I am not worried. They are yoga type pants in darkish colours with pockets

[Echo]

Another thing you can do is have a specific piece of clothing, like a sleeveless vest that you wear for training only, then it doesnt matter if it gets icky, and then you can wear the same vest to your trials, in the ring, with no food in the pockets

Exactly what I do. With a good hot wash it does come clean, so it still looks OK.

I find large pockets are much easier to reach into as well.

Julie

[Seita]

I try to progress quickly to having the food/toy off me. I don't see any probs with having something in a bait bag or pockets because ultimately it has got to end up off your body. The sooner the dog learns that you hold the key to getting that reward regardless of where it is the better. I train my dogs to look at me for their reward, not at my pocket or bait bag and once they have learnt the exercise I try to move the reward to the ground or somewhere nearby so I can quickly reward but not have it on me. The dogs learn really quickly that I control the reward and that they will get the reward when I say so but I can vary where that reward comes from, this way I never have a problem in the trial rings.

[Joan of Arc]

I wear the same jeans or track pants to training and trialls.

I use liver cooked in the microwave at home and its not greasy or oily but because they are old clothes it wouldnt worry me that much. I like to wear the jeans because then I can train with my thumbs hooked through the loops and she doesnt know if I am reaching for a treat or just carrying my hand there. Plus its still far enough up the body not to be considered 'luring'.

But thanksfor the suggestion of a vest - that's a great idea

[Tiggy]

I put my treats in my pocket today. It wasn't even gross . I just need some pants with deeper pockets because I had a huge bulge .

[shoemonster]

because I had a huge bulge .

You werent just happy to be there?

Edited September 9, 2009 by shoemonster

[W Sibs]

I put treats in my pocket too... it's easier for me.