21 July 2011

Puppy training treats

I discovered a great 'every day' training treat for the puppies - Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal/Rice Formula Small Bites.  It's the Small Bites (very small pieces of kibble) product that make this treat so great to use.  I had started to feed the puppies this food but stopped when they were continuing to have soft stools. The soft stools and diet could have been coincidental but now they are being fed another Nutro Natural Balance product with better success. However, a few of these Small Bites kibble rather than an entire diet doesn't seem to be upsetting their system.

Small Bite kibble next to a regular kibble and a Charlie Bear treat

When I refer to it as 'every day' training treat, it means that I will use something else that's more delectable for situations involving more challenging situations such as getting as having feet and teeth handled or getting nails clipped. For those situations, I have been using very tiny pieces of cheddar cheese.  It's important to learn that treats have different value for your dog/puppy just as certain foods are craved/enjoyed (or not) by humans. So just for peeing or pooping outside, I will give the puppy one of these Small Bite treats or when they are moving back & forth on the teeter-totter or when the teeter is moving up/down and they are moving with it.  Your puppy (or adult dog) doesn't need a chunk of steak as a reward; very small pieces of food work more effectively because the puppy can swallow it whole rather than having to take time to chew.  Since shaping a behaviour depends on the timing and speed of treat delivery, you want something that puppies can inject quickly. These Small Bites kibble do the trick, plus they aren't messy in your hands and pockets!

1 comment:

  1. This is a really great idea. The picture showing the comparative size of the small bites to the regular kibble was very helpful. Thank you for the recommendation!

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