Ninety-four percent of dog owners do dog training at home. How do they do it? One of the best ways to commit to proper training is to reward your dog with delicious treats.
Whether you’re potty training your puppy or crate training a rescue, specific treats can go a long way to guaranteeing your dog is properly trained. They give your dog something to focus on, something to be rewarded with.
In the instance your dog does something you asked them to, you get to reward them with collagen chews or bully sticks. But what are the best treats for dog training?
The best treats will vary, depending on what your dog has done for you. For instance, you shouldn’t give different treats for the same sort of responses. So to say, there are minor, good, and incredible treats, each corresponding to the task you ask of your dog.
Incredible treats
Let’s start in reverse order. Your dog did something incredible for you, whether they corresponded to a new lesson or performed incredibly well during a social situation that often upsets them.
Other specific examples include bettering leash behavior, behaving well in environments with a lot of stimulation, and providing a quick response to a command you gave them – say, asking them to sit and then doing it while giving you their attention.
Excellent treats here include:
The thought behind this treat is that they give your dog an exceptional treat, one far more savory than what they usually receive.
Some dog owners like to go the extra step and provide an extra-special addition, too, loading up some peanut butter on the treat. If you’re thinking of upping their treat game, just double-check the peanut butter before serving to make sure it doesn’t contain added sugar, added salt, or xylitol (a common sugar substitute), as all can be harmful to your dog’s health.
Good treats
Good treats aren’t going to reinvent the wheel, but they’re good enough to reward your dog when working on basic training.
These often include the mildly savory, partially moist treats that your dog is going to really enjoy. These are the treats that are packed full of flavor, but still get the job done. These are the treats you give your dog throughout the day, as a sign of thanks for their good behavior; the treat you hand them for reacting positively to basic requests and training; and the treat you give to the dog who responds well to behaviors they have already learned.
These include the meaty treats that aren’t too sweet, but still take care of their appetite. Think of small bits of jerky and all-natural, bite-sized snacks.
