What treats and toys will your dog do anything for?

Chakani

I seem to have acquired a fussy dog! I've never had one of those before and I don't know what to do with her :rotfl:

I need to find some irresistible training treats for her. She likes the freebie sample of Barker and Barker dried liver tablets, and she seems to like little pieces of cheese, but turns her nose up at lots of things (including the free bag of doggy treats from Pets at Home that my three year old blagged by charming the sales girl). I've not tried fish or meat yet (trying to keep it MSE). A friend has suggested bits of hotdog sausage. I will happily make home-made stuff, but I want to work out what she likes before I stink out my kitchen with fresh liver etc!

We're supposed to be starting our puppy training classes tonight, and the letter says "bring a selection of your dog's favourite treats and toys" - well we don't really have any - she wants to play with her lead (not allowed), but has largely ignored all the toys she was bought. The only thing she's spent any time playing with is a strip of fabric I cut off some old jeans and knotted.

So any suggestions for home made toys as well that I can try with her? I resent spending money on things that just get ignored, or ragged around and eaten.

She's only 9 weeks old, so still a tiny baby... She's currently fed Royal Canin, as that's what she was weaned on, but she doesn't seem awfully fussed on that either.

Here she is:

faerie~spangles

She's a dog and will eat when she's hungry!

The only thing she's spent any time playing with is a strip of fabric I cut off some old jeans and knotted.

^^^ Take that with you ^^^

Chakani

Well yes, but I'm rather hoping to find something she's keen to have, so it's easy for me to get her to do things I'm keen for her to do, IYSWIM. And I would like to have a few things I can rotate, so it stays interesting. I'm not worried about her mealtime eating, that will sort itself out, or I will change things if need be, once she's settled with us.

The bit of jeans is coming with us to our posh training class. I'm sure they will have seen worse :rotfl:

dizziblonde

Toywise, apart from my slippers which our little kleptomaniac greyhound keeps nicking, the big thing my two go bonkers for are Kong Wubbas - but since they squeak... not the most training class friendly material really! Tuggy type toys - like the jeans go down well but I've got one very heavy chewer so my choices are distinctly limited really!

We used to use either cheese, chopped up cocktail sausages or chopped warmed hot dogs for our training class treats - all worked - but my two will sell their soul for a bit of sausage.

She looks utterly angelic by the way! (Bet she's not!)

vicx

She is adorable!


I have two very fussy Yorkie's (6 months old), they both turn their nose up to a lot of food and treats. The only treats I have found they really enjoy are the Royal Canin Edu Training Reward Treats and Munchy Sticks.


Links here:

http://www.medicanimal.com/product/~royal-canin-educ-training-reward-treats/~product_id=101815

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/dog-food/wilko-everyday-value-munchy-stick-treats-x-100/invt/0163473/?htxt=WqIstgGzc4e%2F7DSm9PxZXCt7MuroJr9mzqvNBVbK86IvoNEHLOtPYeeTRtENMJjqOQjYrKUOTPWW%0AtGDejlL6zg%3D%3D


They also love rawhide chews but have to be careful which ones I give them as they try to swallow big pieces of the rawhide sticks and bones. They do love the rawhide shoes but they rip them apart within seconds.


ETA: as for toys, my house is like a nursery with all the soft toys but their favourite is the Kong plush toys which was the cheapest! They have two of each, the duck, frog and teddy.

http://www.kongcompany.com/products/dogs/plush/noys

krlyr

Primula squeezy cheese - every time you want to treat the dog, you squeeze a bit out and let them lick it from the tube. Remember to warn people that the tube in the fridge is not to be eaten from though!
Mine aren't that fussy but I've not had a dog refuse my liver or fish flapjack yet - can get mobbed on walks because they smell it in my pocket! I make a homemade stock by simply boiling a bone (chicken leg, lamb neck, whatever) in water - simmer for at least 10 minutes. Bin the bone (cooked bone isn't safe for dogs, but you can strip any meat off it and feed that) and add the stock to plain oats. Add in blended liver/fish (you could use tinned fish, or cook some fresh/frozen fish - I tend to buy the Fish4Dogs salmon mousse, which is a complementary dog food that's 99% salmon, when they sell it half price or BOGOF, and it's mushy so good to add to homemade treats) and spread into a lined casserole dish or similar. Bake at about 170-180 for 25-30 minutes, let cool then chop into squares. Soft treats that don't take long to chew, so good for training sessions.
If I buy treats, then I get the Natures Menu ones - teeny little semi-moist treats which I then cut into smaller pieces so they're literally tiny titbits to mark good behaviour. The cat version has the same ingredients but smaller pieces - I still cut these in half (mean mummy that I am!)

Chakani

My greyhound used to nick slippers too

Some really good suggestions, I like the squeezy cheese, it sounds very portable. And I will try some fishy flapjack - but I might offer her a tiny bit of fish next time we have some first to see if she likes it - she's such a little lady :rotfl:

She does seem bright (I am comparing her to the greyhound though....), so I'm sure(!) she will be a joy to train, she certainly has a sweet disposition. Just need to find the things that really float her boat

elsien

Squeaky toys? - mutt used to be totally obsessed by these, to the point where they were useless as training aids as she was so interested in the squeak that she couldn't care less what I or anyone else was doing.
Otherwise she can sniff out Wainwrights "dogs best friend" treats at 100 paces - she's very food oriented anyway, but these are definitely the ones that really float her boat.

Caroline_a

I used to use Frolic as training treats - it will squash into 4 sections and most dogs love it. Alternated with cheese.... then I am ashamed to admit that for Good Citizen Silver medal test I upped the ante and went for cooked Waitrose Duchy sausages. He passed with flying colours.... :beer:

elsien

Caroline_a wrote: »

Ithen I am ashamed to admit that for Good Citizen Silver medal test I upped the ante and went for cooked Waitrose Duchy sausages.

That clearly explains why mutt and I only ever achieved the bronze award - lack of suitably organic bribes. Nothing to do with my training regime at all.;)

Sagz_2

I used to have a collie cross that would do anything for a tennis ball (the more old and soggy the better!), now I've got lurchers that won't get out of bed for anything less than a roast sausage or maybe a nice nibble of some seriously strong cheddar.