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Good Training Treats?

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Pookie plush destroyer     Barked: Sat Feb 11, '12 9:47pm PST  So I'm rather picky about what I give my dogs treat-wise. For Kaiser it's rather easy to choose since he's a big dog, but for Pookie I'm having some trouble. I like healthy, soft training treats that are easy to crumble into smaller pieces in my hand when I work with her in class. I don't like having to cut them up beforehand because I give her such small amounts. I used to use the Natural Balance rolls which worked really well, but then I realized they add sugar so I stopped using those. Right now I'm using the Vital Pet food rolls at Petsmart, but they are too wet for my liking. I haven't found anything else though that matches my criteria. Wondering if anyone else out there knows of anything I might like? my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Maxwell I'm triple- superior MAD- now!     Barked: Sat Feb 11, '12 10:54pm PST  String cheese and cooked chicken breast work well. Pork loin is a little harder to pinch off but maybe I over cook it. Cutting the strips thinner makes meat easy to pinch off. Treats that are a little less nutritious would be making a cheese sandwich, squashing the bread flat and melting the cheese and cutting into strips and peanut butter could work too. Deli meats are easy to give in small bits and are highly flavored. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Rexy I dig in mud- puddles!     Barked: Sat Feb 11, '12 11:43pm PST  I know someone who makes crumbly treats using a pound of ground chicken, several eggs, garlic powder, and flour. It's then baked until she gets the consistency she wants and cut into small pieces for class. It's very easy to crumble into smaller bits and smells delicious because of the garlic powder! I've been using small bits of garlic sausage for Rexy lately. If need be I can pinch them off into smaller pieces. I also have a container of mixed kibbles for larger treats. For Pookie, what about using cat kibble? It's generally smaller than dog kibble, and tastier too. I'd use it in moderation, but it could be an option to mix things up... my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dr. Watson Not a wiener- dawg!     Barked: Sun Feb 12, '12 11:06am PST  What about Zuke's minis? You can even break them up with your thumbnail! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Pookie plush destroyer     Barked: Sun Feb 12, '12 11:18am PST  Well, I prefer to buy stuff off the shelf if possible, but if need be I'll cook up some chicken. Never even occurred to me to do that, lol. I actually bought zuke's mini naturals last week, but it's too difficult for me to break apart with just my hands and I just tried with my thumbnail right now... no luck! You must have tough thumbs! lol my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Maxwell I'm triple- superior MAD- now!     Barked: Sun Feb 12, '12 3:28pm PST  They aren't soft but BBQ dried lamb or beef lung is easy to break up. Be sure to get the flat kind, fillets. There will likely be crumbs though. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Maggie 986662     Barked: Tue Feb 14, '12 10:03am PST  We used Zukes Mini Naturals and really liked them. They are very small so we never broke them up. We gave them whole. We used them for our yorkies and maltese, and our neighbor used them for his shihtzu puppy. No problems at all and they loved them. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Cowboy Yee-haw     Barked: Tue Feb 14, '12 12:18pm PST  For indoor training we use kibble or Blue Buffalo treats. They have chicken flavored squares(I think they are called Blue Bites) that Cowboy loves. They are soft and easy to pinch off a tiny bit. Blue Buffalo also has Sticks. We get the beef and lamb flavors. Again, soft and easy to pinch a tiny bit off. For class and leash walking we use poached chicken breast. We get the club packs at the grocery store. After I cook it, I cut it up into cubes and nuke for a minute or two; this gets some of the excess moisture out. Then I just tear up the cubes in my fingers as needed. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Mandy 1190801     Barked: Tue Feb 14, '12 1:27pm PST  I wanted something smaller than the Zukes too, so I found Real Meat treats (that's the name of the company). I chose the venison ones and Mandy went nuts for them. They're soft and easy to break into little pieces for training. The Cloud Star soft & chewy buddies are easy to break apart in one hand as well. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Bruno magnificanis     Barked: Tue Feb 14, '12 1:59pm PST  my trainer suggested using a pill cutter to chop up treats for little dogs. It works really well on Zukes minis. I use a recipe kinda like Rexy (I think?) mentioned, I basically make "cookie dough" with savory instead of sweet ingredients (cheese, tuna, garlic, meat, liver, whatever) plus flour and eggs with garlic for seasoning. It makes a soft, chewy treat that is easy to tear or cut up, and doesn't make your hands greasy or slimy like hotdogs or liver. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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