Posts tagged treats
The way to your dog's heart
Extra eggs can be used to make perfect dog treats.

Extra eggs can be used to make perfect dog treats.

Eggs, oyster, and Parmesan come together into a gourmet treat many dogs love.

Eggs, oyster, and Parmesan come together into a gourmet treat many dogs love.

It is helpful if treats hold their shape when cut into bite-sized pieces. 

It is helpful if treats hold their shape when cut into bite-sized pieces. 

If your dog is fussy, pull out the recipe cards and find something she loves.

If your dog is fussy, pull out the recipe cards and find something she loves.

Everyone who wants to change a dog's behaviour needs to motivate that dog.  This is indisputable. 

  • Basic obedience? Yes.
  • Tricks? Here too.
  • Reducing unwanted behaviours like jumping up? You guessed it: yes. 

Even dogs who are behaving aggressively because they're scared must be motivated.  Luckily, it is usually easy to motivate a dog. 

We can use food. 

Food is an ideal choice for dog training, because it is simple, fast, we have to give it to our dogs anyway, and all dogs are motivated by food.  Last but not least, training with food has positive side-effects: food-trained dogs tend to love the trainer (you!), they love training, they love people who they meet when they're being trained, and so on.

Quality matters.

"But my dog does not care about treats."

Quality does matter, and it matters more to some dogs.  Some dogs are like indiscriminate teens, eating and loving everything in sight.  Some dogs are like fussy gourmands - nothing but the best, and on the best china if you please. 

If commercial treats are too pricey or not working with your dog, consider do-it-yourself: head to the kitchen and make a batch of treats for your dog.  It's fun, you can control the ingredients, and it is less expensive than buying commercial treats. 

See our recipes page for some great recipes for delicious dog treats - tuna fudge and liver brownies are both old standbys and favoured by dog trainers.  We just updated this page to add "Egg and Oyster Delight."  This easy-to-make recipe hits all the right notes: it's fast to whip up a batch, it cuts into small pieces that don't fall apart, and dogs love it.