# Treats suggestion?



## Joey's Mom (Jul 20, 2015)

Joey and I just started puppy class yesterday. I need to find a treat that works so we can actually start training exercises. So far, I have not found a treat that he wants! Here's everything he's NOT interested in:

Boiled chicken
Green beans, canned no salt
Carrots, raw
Freezed dried liver
Cheerios
Salmon dog treats
Pupperoni
String cheese
Various toddler puffs
Peanut butter
PB flavored Buddy Biscuits, chewy ones (got one from someone in the class, he liked it so I bought a bag and now doesn't want it anymore)

Okay, he did like Gerber baby chicken sticks but it gave him diarrhea. :smcry:

I guess I have to spend hundreds of dollars on treats that he won't even look at! 
:smpullhair:


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## kilodzul (Oct 7, 2013)

Wow it sounds like your pup is extremely not food motivated... maybe he is motivated by something else, like toys? Does he like playing tug or fetch?


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## [email protected] (May 9, 2015)

How about:
Raw and sliced cucumbers.
Blueberries
Variety of apples (try sweet to tart)
Boiled carrots (still healthy for your growing pup).
Boiled egg white
Beggin Strips (if you're desperate: smells heavily saturated with chemicals but both my dogs drool over them).
Milk-Bone (cut into smaller pieces).
Fresh & Easy Must Love Dogs Peanut Butter Honey (12 oz) - Pet Care - More... (all natural, so if your pup won't eat it, you can!)
I'd be hesitant from treating your pup with infant food (more likely to get diarrhea).

In terms with food, my Sophie is a big Diva. I had to cancel my BarkBox subscription because she refused to eat anything they sent us in the 3 months we subscribed. Turned out she's mostly interest in freshly prepared meats, veggies and fruits.

Do you have access to a local pet store? Some places allow your pup to try out free samples before committing to buy.

Good luck. You might ending up for a variety of dog snacks...but you can always donate them.


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

Tyler is an extremely picky eater--pretty much won't eat anything, but I have had success with the following for training:

The Real Meat Company 95% Lamb Jerky Bitz Dog Treats, 12-oz bag

and also 

Cheerios

Wellness Pure (either beef or chicken/lamb)


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## Joey's Mom (Jul 20, 2015)

Thanks everyone. Yes, there are a number of pet stores within 15 min of me but I have not had time to go yet. If I find a place to donate to, that will be okay with me, I hate to throw out perfectly good stuff. 

Forgot to mention, I tried egg white and blueberries. No go. But I haven't tried any of the others, will keep forging ahead. 

With regards to using a toy as motivation, how do I get the toy back after I give it to him? At home, he wants to keep it. 

Before I got Joey, I imagined how much fun training would be....sigh...


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## [email protected] (May 9, 2015)

Don't let this get you down. Training is fun. Its extremely satisfying teaching a very stubborn dog even the simplest of tricks.
If your pup is toy motivated, you are one lucky owner (no risk of obesity and even less risk of pooing/vomiting)! 
If your dog won't give up his toy, just wait until he's uninterested and lets it go on his own. Just keep the training short and fun. Don't rush training. It takes time and consistency. 

Good luck :aktion033:


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

I think that some dogs just are not food motivated. You certainly have given him enough options!
Two of mine, Daisy and Henry, both were not interested in treats at all as puppies. As they grew older they became more interested and we made more progress training. I know it can be frustrating because you want to start when they are young.
Some dogs are happy just with praise. Have you tried talking to him in a high pitched silly voice? Sometimes they love that.


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## kilodzul (Oct 7, 2013)

You can use another toy to make him give up first toy. I.e. after you toss him a ball, take the second toy and show him, to make him come to you. When he comes, praise him with enthusiasm and toss him a second one. After he gets the idea, he should start to come to you on his own. With tug, it's the best to teach him "take it" and "drop it" cue. Here's the video that shows how to do this:http://youtu.be/JO2cxHgIzX0?list=PL0C724F6F6A597540 . With play as rewards, it takes some time to condition them, but it's great way to reward dogs: there's lesser chance that dog will see a play as a bribe, and it builds a bond. Most people in agility I know use toys as reward, so it's not uncommon. After each training session you can say "the end" and give a toy for him to play as long as he wants, without taking it away, so that he knows exactly the beginning and the end of training, and have positive associations.


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

new said:


> Thanks everyone. Yes, there are a number of pet stores within 15 min of me but I have not had time to go yet. If I find a place to donate to, that will be okay with me, I hate to throw out perfectly good stuff.
> 
> Forgot to mention, I tried egg white and blueberries. No go. But I haven't tried any of the others, will keep forging ahead.
> 
> ...


You may want to bring the unused treats back to the store where you purchased them for a refund. Trust me--I asked the question when I first discovered Tyler's picky eating habits. I tried practically every high quality brand out there and returned them all!


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

Some dogs are just not treat motivated, and some too treat motivated for training. You just need to find that certain something that works for him. Toys, praise...


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

Sorry but I had to laugh when I read your post, my dog when he was a puppy was not food motivated either! I had a heck of a hard time training him due to that, I laughed remembering those days:HistericalSmiley:! Yours will probably become more food motivated when he gets older at maybe a year or so, mine did. Now he loves fresh boiled chicken breast & peanut butter. {I give those sparingly in moderation though because I've heard that an overload of protein or fat is not healthy.}


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## Gadget (Oct 2, 2014)

When Gadget was a puppy he was not food motivated at all - trainer tried cheese, hot dog, peanut butter. Used praise and toys and then discovered I and Love and You venison treats. Small and can be broken smaller, dry to the touch, no strong smell...and must be delicious because it's still his favorite!


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## Gabbee15 (Jan 8, 2015)

I had a bit of success with cheddar cheese. but,My pupp Rosie was not food motivated at puppy class. So it was frustrating. I think it was the atmosphere. Just too much going on. We still went through the motions and practiced at home which I had more success with. Now that she is a little older (1year) I know her likes/dislikes and she is more mature I am hoping the next class will be easier. Hang in there. And don't worry too much. Just practice at home and try some of the suggestions here.


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## Joey's Mom (Jul 20, 2015)

Yea! He likes Newman's Own turkey/sweet potato biscuits. I'm happy that they're not that bad for him and his poops are firm (tmi). Still going to stop at one of the pet stores on my way home later. Still looking for something he goes bonkers for. 

He does respond to praise but I prefer using treats b/c it's faster. As soon as he swallows, we can repeat. But these biscuits are crunchy so I still have to wait for him to chew, lol.

Julia, thanks for the video, I'm going to watch it later tonight. I can use different methods when we're home! 

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions! Will see what the pet store has later, gotta run, thanks so much!!!


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Have you tried Stella & Chewy's treats? Mine LOVE those!


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## Barb J (Sep 17, 2015)

Charlee Bears are great for training. All natural and made in USA and only 3 calories per treat. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby they sell them there for something like $2.89 a bag.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Barb J said:


> Charlee Bears are great for training. All natural and made in USA and only 3 calories per treat. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby they sell them there for something like $2.89 a bag.


Mine out on quite a bit of weight on Charlee Bear when we were doing obedience classes. If you will be generous with the treats you might look at tiny bits of carrot or dried banana or cocotherapy stars which are much lower in calories.


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## Joey's Mom (Jul 20, 2015)

I love Trader Joe's but it's 45 min away. I'll keep it in mind for the next time I go there. I've found that Joey likes Natural Balance Jumpin Stix. He does not like Mother Hubbard's. I also tried the Bichon Fries for him to chew on but he barks at it! Then he throws it around?!?


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

Natural Balance Jumpin' Stix work at our house.

I usually give Karli a small treat after she goes outside to potty and comes back inside quickly. I started using small pieces of Jumpin' Stix and she zooms back in like she is American Pharoah. 

I kept my brother and sister-in-laws poodle while they were on vacation and he started running back to the house too. My brother told me he couldn't figure out why he started doing that.

One thing I worry about with the Jumpin Stix is that they will get stuck in the pups' throat because of their shape. I pinch them into small pieces and flatten them before I hand them to the dogs.


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## glo77 (Feb 10, 2015)

I used Fresh Pet turkey bacon for our classes. She absolutely loved it. I broke it up into several tiny pieces. I can get this in a refrigerator in the pet isle at my grocery store.


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