# My dog only responds 2 kinds of treats--need suggestions?



## lawgirl (Jul 22, 2009)

My dog only likes 2 kinds of treats: the Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried dinners (chicken, lamb, duck), or cheese!

I've spent a lot of money buying other treats for training purposes, including Mother Hubbard's peanut butter biscuits, Natural Balance sweet potato and venison treats, Zuke's moist treats (the person at the dog store highly recommended them), Greenies, even those suspicious artificial ingredient-laden Beggin' Strips from Purina (I was desperate).

Darcy just sniffs and leaves! Back to the Stella & Chewy's.

I'm a bit tired of buying bags of treats only to find that my dog doesn't eat a single piece. The reason I'm looking for alternatives is that S&C treats are really expensive ($12 per bag) and only last me a week; they are also crumbly and messy (I'm constantly vaccuuming after a training session). Anything moist, pre-cut, or otherwise easier to toss to the dog during training would be great.

I'm wondering if any other picky eaters here have suggestions for treats that their Maltese loved. :smheat: I can order off Drs. Foster & Smith too, if you buy from there.

Thanks, guys!


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## LittleDogLVR (Oct 24, 2007)

I have had good luck with raw Carrot pieces when we are training.

Mine both will do anything for Carrots !!


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

None of mine like any treat that has the smoke flavor in it. They will eat Canz Real Meat treats, Yorkie/Maltese Yummies, fruit and snap peas. They are extremely picky. Three of them don't even like cheese. :huh:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Buddy Biscuits soft and chewy
Natural balance roll (lamb) - I cut it up and put in small gladware and freeze, take one out as needed
Peanut butter
Cheese whiz
tofu hot dog (some dogs don't do soy well, so just try a little if you try it)
regular hot dog

You need tiny pea-sized pieces. Also, skipping a meal before a training session will help increase the value of the treat. I also list my treats by value. High value treat for Roo for agility. Kibble for training at home. Soda goes nuts for apple bits or banana baby cereal. Each dog is different and you have to experiment.


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## MandyMc65 (Jun 14, 2007)

Jax & Kenzie also LOVE their Stella & Chewy's freeze dried. If we are doing a long training session (classes for example) we use 1 or 2 patties, and it substitutes for their breakfast/dinner. I definitely like that. The Carnivore Crunch treats are great too and just a bit less messy.

We also mix in Wild Side Salmon treats, Real Meat treats and some Z Fillets. The salmon treats can get a bit messy and are kind of stinky, but are high value. The Real meat, I find the fish and venison to be the easiest to break into small pieces. The Z-Fillets are super easy to split into small pieces and you can just grab one big chunk to carry around. I will also go to the deli and get them to slice me a thick piece of deli meat. I then come home and cube it up into TINY pieces and put them into zip lock snack bags! My dogs also like the natural balance roll, but I can only give so much without it causing upset stomachs. I tried the tofu dogs and that didn't go over well at all!  My dogs also love the Chicken Nibs from Primal, but they are super expensive (about $12 a bag) and have to be gone in a week and need to be in the fridge.

I almost always have 3 different treats, Stella's being #1 then rotating the other 2.

--I don't buy from the links I posted, but thought I'd include them. The local shop has all the treats I could ever ask for! 

I have tried SO many treats. I've found as long as I rotate they seem to all keep their high value. These are the ones I have found work the absolute best for my dogs.  Good luck!

ETA: If you need a SUPER high value treat for training recalls or in majorly distracting environments meat baby food works great!


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## Deborah (Jan 8, 2006)

Rylee likes dried lamb liver treats. That's it.


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

Yes do try the chicken nibs that Mandy mentioned. They're great. Little, meaty, not hard or messy. When I saw that one week warning on them I called the company about it before I ordered and they said as long as they're in the fridge they can go a month and more. There are a lot in the bag, so I had some in the fridge at least a month and they were fine, and then when those were gone I pulled out the rest of the bag that I put in the freezer and thawed them out in the fridge. I was afraid he wouldn't like them after being frozen but he did.


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

Merrick has freeze dried lamb lung treats that are easy to break into small bites.


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## k9Cracker (Feb 22, 2006)

Or if you don't want to deal with it at all you can do like Rugby and not use food in training. :biggrin:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

All of the research on dogs and learning over the last 30+ years recommends positive reinforcement vs. positive punishment (corrections). One of the most valuable reinforcers for most dogs is food along with toys and finally praise and affection. I'll be sticking with some solid scientific research.


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## k9Cracker (Feb 22, 2006)

And you should.


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

QUOTE (JMM @ Aug 29 2009, 10:30 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=823848


> All of the research on dogs and learning over the last 30+ years recommends positive reinforcement vs. positive punishment (corrections). One of the most valuable reinforcers for most dogs is food along with toys and finally praise and affection. I'll be sticking with some solid scientific research.[/B]


Me, too. Thank you for posting that.

A hard lesson was learned with the first trainers (husband/wife team ... learned, too, not a good idea) we chose for Snowball. (corrections, no treats ... it was terrible) < ------- Never again.


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

Wellness Pure Rewards Venison Jerky is a huge hit at this house!


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## MandyMc65 (Jun 14, 2007)

QUOTE (JMM @ Aug 29 2009, 06:30 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=823848


> All of the research on dogs and learning over the last 30+ years recommends positive reinforcement vs. positive punishment (corrections). One of the most valuable reinforcers for most dogs is food along with toys and finally praise and affection. I'll be sticking with some solid scientific research.[/B]


THANK YOU


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## godiva goddess (Nov 19, 2007)

Mia likes Buddy Biscuits and also Sojo. They are both small but you can break them into even smaller pieces for training.


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## Starsmom (Jan 31, 2009)

Star was nuts over carob chips. Try those, and if your fluffs don't like them, you can make healthy cookies.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

My Nikki loves organic cheerios, dried fruit, and dried salmon.


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