# High Value Treat Ideas Needed



## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm trying to compile a list of different high value treats I can use in training.

I know chicken and turkey breast are good. I also know pieces of hot dog are good. 

We're going to be using chicken as our pup's "potty time only" treat, so that one will be off the table for other training for a bit.

What are some ideas for other high value treats to use for, say, clicker loading so that we can start some clicker training


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

We use cheese, salami, pepperoni, cheerios, kabanas and sometimes ham. At home I usually use commercial treats, like the crispy liver ones that you break into smaller pieces, or cat treats. Yummy human food is usually reserved for training classes and walks where there are more distractions.

I never get treats from the supermarket, they are usually full of grains and the dogs don't like them all that much. We get them from the pet store, and usually go with the most natural stuff possible. Except cat treats, they are always a big hit for some reason.


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## troglodytezzz (Oct 19, 2010)

Freeze dried liver, cheese strings. Precooked frozen meatballs are known as "puppy crack" at the training center. Just thaw a few for 20 seconds in the microwave. 

Look for what your pup likes. His idea of high value could be different. Copper's (my last dog) favorite was carrots above all other things. I have heard of another dog that loved romaine lettuce and yet another who was into popcorn.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

lil_fuzzy said:


> We use cheese, salami, pepperoni, cheerios, kabanas and sometimes ham. At home I usually use commercial treats, like the crispy liver ones that you break into smaller pieces, or cat treats. Yummy human food is usually reserved for training classes and walks where there are more distractions.
> 
> I never get treats from the supermarket, they are usually full of grains and the dogs don't like them all that much. We get them from the pet store, and usually go with the most natural stuff possible. Except cat treats, they are always a big hit for some reason.


I've always found that the cats really want the dog food and the dogs really want the cat food lol.

At this point, I have to use a medium-value treat at classes. He doesn't focus as well w/ high-value treats. He goes all bonkers if he has to think too much 



troglodytezzz said:


> Freeze dried liver, cheese strings. Precooked frozen meatballs are known as "puppy crack" at the training center. Just thaw a few for 20 seconds in the microwave.
> 
> Look for what your pup likes. His idea of high value could be different. Copper's (my last dog) favorite was carrots above all other things. I have heard of another dog that loved romaine lettuce and yet another who was into popcorn.


LOL @ puppy crack! I'm definitely going to try the meatballs


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## A&B (Mar 26, 2011)

You know the hot chickens you can get from the supermarket (can you buy them over there?) that's what I use. When it's warm it's a phenomenal treat. The pre cooked meatballs are awesome if you don't use them at home/for dinner. I also use devon (sometimes), ham, chicken loaf, raw chicken, Chicken Chunkers (an australian thing only I think), seared steak, dried liver, home made beef jerky (plain), shop bought jerky, kangaroo meat jerky, seared kangaroo meat cubes or sausage, raw or seared. I tend not to fully cook the meats, it's my dog that's eating them not me, and he prefers raw/seared meat to fully cooked meat.

Just be careful about giving too many treats as they can cause a very upset tum!


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

A&B said:


> You know the hot chickens you can get from the supermarket (can you buy them over there?) that's what I use. When it's warm it's a phenomenal treat. The pre cooked meatballs are awesome if you don't use them at home/for dinner. I also use devon (sometimes), ham, chicken loaf, raw chicken, Chicken Chunkers (an australian thing only I think), seared steak, dried liver, home made beef jerky (plain), shop bought jerky, kangaroo meat jerky, seared kangaroo meat cubes or sausage, raw or seared. I tend not to fully cook the meats, it's my dog that's eating them not me, and he prefers raw/seared meat to fully cooked meat.
> 
> Just be careful about giving too many treats as they can cause a very upset tum!


Yes, you can buy rotiserie chickens over here 

We don't eat precooked meatballs at home, so I'm definitely going to try that. But thank you for pointing that out! Gotta make sure doggie doesn't think our dinner is his 

Don't think we can get kangaroo over here though LOL


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## A&B (Mar 26, 2011)

lisak_87 said:


> Yes, you can buy rotiserie chickens over here
> 
> We don't eat precooked meatballs at home, so I'm definitely going to try that. But thank you for pointing that out! Gotta make sure doggie doesn't think our dinner is his
> 
> Don't think we can get kangaroo over here though LOL


 LOL I didn't really think of that. You might be able to get roo jerky or something like that over there. I know that some roo meat is exported. Go figure, one of the mascots on our national coat of arms is a pest.... Just googled and it's as expensive as all hell to buy for you guys, probably not an option. For what my dog eats if I were over there it'd cost me more than $1500 a month!!!

Umm the meatball things, I'd be worried if you were eating them! They're pet ones, it's steamed meat, normally with some veggies and herbs in little ball things that are in a sealed container in the refrigerated section of the supermarket.

I know a dog that will work for plain potato chips, another that will work for pieces of mango or pineapple. It's just a case of finding out what your dog adores and seeing what you can improve on there. For some it's kitty kibble (not a good idea if you're training your dog to stay away from the cats bowl lol).

Perhaps venison is an option? I don't really know much about it though. Oh! Just standard rissoles that you make at home (minus any onion) make an awesome treat too.

I'm now trying to think of less messy options too.

If you're willing to import goods http://www.happypawstreats.com.au/home.cfm I can personally recommend Lynne. The treats are phenomenal. *I'm not in any way benefitting from this as you would have to know my real name for that to happen* I've had fully trained Military Working Dogs go bonkers for these. That is an indicator on how good they are, not the training of the MWD.

If you like read the testimonials. They can be imported, there are a few people on there from the US.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

I just use the freeze dried liver treats for general training. I bought an ice cube tray just for Casbah and any time I open a can of tuna or brown some meat & veggies I pour off the liquid along with a tiny pinch of the meat into the ice cube tray to freeze and leave in her bowl in her playpen when I'm leaving. For vet visits I give her turkey bacon to distract her while she's getting her shots.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

Fuzzy Pants said:


> I just use the freeze dried liver treats for general training. I bought an ice cube tray just for Casbah and any time I open a can of tuna or brown some meat & veggies I pour off the liquid along with a tiny pinch of the meat into the ice cube tray to freeze and leave in her bowl in her playpen when I'm leaving. For vet visits I give her turkey bacon to distract her while she's getting her shots.


Where do you get freeze dried liver treats


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## troglodytezzz (Oct 19, 2010)

Freeze dried liver treats are available at just about any pet store.


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

lisak_87 said:


> What are some ideas for other high value treats to use for, say, clicker loading so that we can start some clicker training


For loading the clicker (same as for subsequent training), I use a varying mixture of treats that I can 'rapid-fire' to the dog. This mixture could theoretically consist of .. ie: ham kielbasa + cheese + kibble + wieners ... or similar.

The wieners can be cut (while frozen) with a very sharp knife, into paper thin slices. For the kielbasa and cheese types of treats, cube them into tiny 1/4" pieces. These seem to cube (and keep) much neater than chicken, or steak etc which could rather be used as rewards for heeling and such. The objective here is to have the dog 'inhale' the treat as quick as possible without chewing, lollygagging, or sniffing for derelict crumbs at his feet. As far as cheese, I find that mozzarela has a slightly rubbery texture so it keeps very well in the pocket or palm, and doesn't crumble or melt as easliy as other types are prone to. Another cheese that my dogs really seem to love is the nippy provolone ... VERY stinky ! like parmesan or even limburger *gag*, but again this one keeps well in the pocket. As for kibble, the smaller the better. I like to throw it into the mix to maintain an element of unpredictability, and because many dogs seem to respond favourably to the intermittent change in texture. Free, or nominally priced sample packs (different than your usual brand) work well for this, .. as do cheerio's.


... happy clicking !


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

I probably looked right by them yesterday then LOL

I think I'll take the puppy to petsmart (in his usual towel-covered cart) tonight to buy some treats.

Freeze dried liver sounds a lot healthier than shoving processed treat at him 

But would you call those high value or medium value??



petpeeve said:


> For loading the clicker (same as for subsequent training), I use a varying mixture of treats that I can 'rapid-fire' to the dog. This mixture could theoretically consist of .. ie: ham kielbasa + cheese + kibble + wieners ... or similar.
> 
> The wieners can be cut (while frozen) with a very sharp knife, into paper thin slices. For the kielbasa and cheese types of treats, cube them into tiny 1/4" pieces. These seem to cube (and keep) much neater than chicken, or steak etc which could rather be used as rewards for heeling and such. The objective here is to have the dog 'inhale' the treat as quick as possible without chewing, lollygagging, or sniffing for derelict crumbs at his feet. As far as cheese, I find that mozzarela has a slightly rubbery texture so it keeps very well in the pocket or palm, and doesn't crumble or melt as easliy as other types are prone to. Another cheese that my dogs really seem to love is the nippy provolone ... VERY stinky ! like parmesan or even limburger *gag*, but again this one keeps well in the pocket. As for kibble, the smaller the better. I like to throw it into the mix to maintain an element of unpredictability, and because many dogs seem to respond favourably to the intermittent change in texture. Free, or nominally priced sample packs (different than your usual brand) work well for this, .. as do cheerio's.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much!


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

I'm sure it's been mentioned but my pup LOVES hot dogs and string cheese. I cut them up into much smaller pieces so they last longer and they're generally much cheaper than a bag of training treats (I love Zuke's but they cost too much).


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## jiml (Jun 19, 2008)

pre packaged food rolls cut into small pieces.


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## Elliebell (Mar 13, 2011)

Most of the stuff I use has been mentioned before, but my dogs go bonkers for Wellness Wellbites. They're pretty expensive at my local pet store, but man, my dogs love them. They're easy to rip up into smaller pieces as well.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

I went to a new little store I'd never visited before and they had GREAT choices! (Treats w/out sugar!!! Thank heavens. Sugary treats make him bonkers after a training session.) I got freeze dried venison liver and decided to use those as potty treats. They're workin great! he looks up at me while pottying for his treat now LOL

I got some Zuke's mini naturals salmon formula (soft treats) ad some Bravo! Buffalo bites training treats (freeze dried buffalo) and then, of course, chicken. I used a mix of these 3 to load the clicker and do some simple clicker training (basically getting him to do commands he already knows, but clicking and treating for success). Working well so far! Thanks for all the ideas


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

A&B said:


> You know the hot chickens you can get from the supermarket (can you buy them over there?) that's what I use. When it's warm it's a phenomenal treat. The pre cooked meatballs are awesome if you don't use them at home/for dinner. I also use devon (sometimes), ham, chicken loaf, raw chicken, Chicken Chunkers (an australian thing only I think), seared steak, dried liver, home made beef jerky (plain), shop bought jerky, kangaroo meat jerky, seared kangaroo meat cubes or sausage, raw or seared. I tend not to fully cook the meats, it's my dog that's eating them not me, and he prefers raw/seared meat to fully cooked meat.
> 
> Just be careful about giving too many treats as they can cause a very upset tum!


Hey you're near Brisbane

How do you use raw chicken? my dogs loooove raw chicken too, but I find it too yucky to use for training...


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Sydney really likes dry cat food and shredded cheese. And peanut butter!


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## A&B (Mar 26, 2011)

lil_fuzzy said:


> Hey you're near Brisbane
> 
> How do you use raw chicken? my dogs loooove raw chicken too, but I find it too yucky to use for training...


I'm a nut lol. I don't find it gross. I usually chill it with the freezer, just half an hour or so to make it cold enough to cube up. Once cubed I put it on a tray, freeze part of it and use it defrosted or frozen.

Yup! I'm out near Springfield actually, so about 40 minutes outside Brisbane itself.


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## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

In my "circulation":

- cold cut roast beef
- string cheese
- frozen Swedish meatballs
- chicken and apple sausage
- hot dogs
- hamburgers
- chicken (ready made, they sell it in the supermarket for tossing in to salads)
- Natural Balance food rolls
- Merrick wet dog food (take chunks out of the can and let them dry on a paper towel.. dogs love it and it's low-calorie)

Occasionally she'll get pot roast, ham, or leftover Chinese food (one of her absolute favorites).


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

A&B said:


> I'm a nut lol. I don't find it gross. I usually chill it with the freezer, just half an hour or so to make it cold enough to cube up. Once cubed I put it on a tray, freeze part of it and use it defrosted or frozen.
> 
> Yup! I'm out near Springfield actually, so about 40 minutes outside Brisbane itself.


Cool, I will have to try it

I am at Murrumba Downs


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## moluno (Apr 29, 2009)

We use a loooot of different things. Recently I've just been buying cheap stuff because we've been going through a lot of treats... I can't afford Zukes or Wellness etc. lol. I like the Petco brand jerky strips (and by that I mean, my DOG likes them. ). I also get duck jerky and salmon jerky treats from Costco that Juno LOVES. I've also used hot dogs, cheese, freeze-dried liver, bison lung, lamb lung (surprisingly these last two don't excite her much), peanut butter, canned dog food.... 

Homemade treats work well too if you know what your dog likes. Juno for some reason is obsessed with apples, so I've made her apple cinnamon treats before and she would given me the world for one of those treats. "Fishy Fudge" is an easy, stinky, yummy treat too; recipe as follows:
2 - 6 oz. cans tuna OR 1 - 14 oz. can salmon (do not drain either)
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or Brown Rice Flour
1 Tbsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
2 eggs -- lightly beaten
grated parmesan cheese, about 1 handful

Mix all together in a mixer or food processor, grease a 9x9 pan, bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. ( I would use parchment paper) The treats have sort of a putty texture--chewy. Freeze, thaw as needed. 


Another cheap idea is to make your own liver treats. I can get 4 good sized slices of liver for $3. Heat even to 350, place liver on cookie sheet (use tinfoil!!), lightly sprinkle with garlic powder if you desire, bake on each side for 15ish minutes. Makes a soft and chewy treat. 
I also like to buy various meats (chicken, beef, pork, lamb, buffalo, etc) and make my own meatballs. 

ALSO--haha--leftovers are great. We don't throw away any meat around here, because even if it's been halfeaten already, I can save the other half for the dog!


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

lisak_87 said:


> I'm trying to compile a list of different high value treats I can use in training.
> 
> I know chicken and turkey breast are good. I also know pieces of hot dog are good.
> 
> ...


String cheese. But remember to take it out of your pocket before washing your jeans! I also like to make a doggie trail mix: hotdogs, cheese, cheerios, whatever is lying around. That way they never quite know what they are going to get. When I am training at home, I use their kibble. Save high value stuff for high distraction environments. Oh, and I find most dogs really don't need to have the clicker "loaded". I start with an easy behavior like the name game or finger targeting.



troglodytezzz said:


> Freeze dried liver, cheese strings. Precooked frozen meatballs are known as "puppy crack" at the training center. Just thaw a few for 20 seconds in the microwave.
> 
> Look for what your pup likes. His idea of high value could be different. Copper's (my last dog) favorite was carrots above all other things. I have heard of another dog that loved romaine lettuce and yet another who was into popcorn.


Had dinner with Ian Dunbar tonight (okay, a little name-dropping) He was telling a funny story about his dog whose favorite treat was lettuce.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Grab a couple contaiers of Chicken Livers next time you're at the grocery store, bring them home and bake them up with a little sprinkly of garlic POWDER (not salt), cut them up into small pieces and put them in the freezer for training treats. Works great and if you want to 'stretch' them throw a few pieces into a bag of plain cheerios, the cheerios absorb the smell and work JUST as well as the liver! I use the snack size bags for this, it works perfectly and fit into my fanny pack (which I use for a treat bag on walks)


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I made some homemade treats last night, I got the recipe from Karen Pryor's site.

One can undrained tuna (I got the one with water)
two eggs
some parmesan cheese
light sprinkling of rice flouer (the recipe says wheat flouer) I reckon the flour can be left out.

The recipe says to use garlic seasoning too, but I didn't.

Mix it all up and put in oven for 20-25 minutes on 170C. The dogs and cats all go crazy over it, but it seems a little TOO yummy because the dogs can't seem to think clearly when I use it around the house. It worked well for our high distraction training class this morning though.

I don't like that it's crumbly. I have to experiment with the recipe to get something less crumbly, maybe add another egg or two or something. It cut up ok after it had cooled in the fridge, but as soon as it's put in a bag/treat pouch it all mixes together to one big lump, so that was kind of annoying.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

For store bought treats I like Natural Balance treat rolls and Omega Salmon treats. I like to make my own, though. I dehydrate chicken breasts, liver, beef heart, sweet potato, bananas, apples, and blueberries and he loves the variety. Not sure about the fruits and veggies, but I know you can dehytrate your own meat in the oven if you don't have a dehydrator.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

lil_fuzzy said:


> I don't like that it's crumbly. I have to experiment with the recipe to get something less crumbly, maybe add another egg or two or something. It cut up ok after it had cooled in the fridge, but as soon as it's put in a bag/treat pouch it all mixes together to one big lump, so that was kind of annoying.


The wheat flour has gluten, which has a net like structure to bind baked goods together, Rice flour doesn't and that's why the treat fell apat, if you're dealing with allergies try Oat flour instead, it works MUCH better as it has a higher protien content.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Good point. No allergy issues, I just generally like to avoid wheat.

I leave flour out of quiches as well, and they hold together fine, so I will try it with an extra egg or two and if that doesn't work I will try oat flour. Thanks for the tip


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