Treat Hierarchy for training

There are any number
of food rewards that can be used to reinforce correct behavioral choices in
your dog. Your job is to figure out not
only which ones he will eat, but also the difference between those that he
loves, likes, thinks are just ok, and would sooner be neutered than eat. Once you have established this treat
hierarchy, then you must apply it judiciously.
If you get lazy, and just use the top level rewards for all training in
all places, you devalue that reward, and will find yourself struggling when the
environment presents more interesting distractions than that which your dog can
get any old time. Most dogs’ hierarchies
have kibble somewhere to the low end, and dry treats such as milk bones in the
middle to lower end. Normally, at the
top of the hierarchy are the softer treats, usually meat based. If you save these special treats for special
times, you will pack a lot more punch in your reward, and are in a much better
position to compete with that cute little poodle across the way. Use the low to middle level treats when
training at home, or in familiar places with few distractions. Use higher level
treats in harder, more distracting environments. If you are working through a behavioral
issue, such as a dog who lunges and barks at other dogs when on lead, or is shy
with people, the absolute highest value treats will always come out around
these things, and no other time. Please remember to adjust your dog’s diet if
you are doing a lot of training. Pups can get diarrhea from rich treats, if
they are given too much too quickly. If
you are planning on taking your pup to
class, get them used to some of the treats you plan to use beforehand in small
amounts. If your pup does have a bout of
diarrhea, I have found that a tablespoon or so of plain canned pumpkin, found
in the baking section of the grocery store, sometimes helps clear them up
quickly. Don’t get the spiced one, just
plain pumpkin. They can have a couple of
tablespoons each meal to help them along.
The other option for this is to spoon it into a bone or Kong and freeze
it, as a great healthy treat to keep your dog busy for a while in the crate or
when you don’t have time to work them. Finally, if you are going into an environment
such as a classroom or another setting where you aren’t sure how distracted the
dog will be, it’s always a good idea to bring 3 different treats in their own
separate baggies, so that if he gets bored of one, the others are there to keep
him going.


Good
luck and be creative in your choices….



-A recent study found that SPAM outranked weenies,
cheese, and many other treats as the dogs’ favorites. Slice it, then dice it into small squares,
depending on the size of your dog.
Microwave for about 5 minutes on med high, then another 5 minutes on
medium. I actually prefer baking it, at
360 for 60 minutes as it tends to dry out a little better when baked than
nuked, but you can do either. It dries
out to a nice easy to use consistency, slightly hard but still quickly eaten.
It is also very greasy at first, so I recommend squeezing the finished product
in your hand with paper towel to absorb the excess before you put it in your
treat container.





-For a dog with whom you want to watch
their weight, try vegetables such as raw mini carrots, cauliflower or
broccoli. You may also want to try apple
or banana. Stay away from grapes and
raisins, as they can be toxic in moderate to high quantities.





-Natural Balance is available at Global Pet
Foods or Ryan’s Pet Foods. It is sold as
a roll, sort of like a large sausage.
Dice it into small cubes for training.
It does not need to be refrigerated prior to opening, but should be
refrigerated after opening. I dice the
entire large roll up at one time, and just store it in baggies in the freezer. You may also want to leave some of the slices
as sticks, so that if you are practicing heeling or other sustained behaviors,
you can use a stick that the dog can nibble on as you work.





-I also know a trainer who uses sardines and anchovies (not dried right
from the can) when she is working on something really difficult or challenging
for the dog





-Some
prefer sweets, Froot Loops cereal works for one local dog





-If you have a dog who is particularly
distracted by people or dogs, then you need to substantially upgrade in tougher
environments, such as parks or dog classes.
Among the top level treats that I have seen, other than Spam, are plain
boiled chicken thighs shredded and placed in baggies in the freezer prior to
class. This way, you only defrost what
you need, and always have it ready.





-Along the same lines is overcooked flank
steak, among the cheapest of the steaks.
Cook it, then microwave smaller pieces to help dry it out for class.





-Amazing Liver Bits


½ c water ½
cup powdered milk 1 egg


1 lb liver ½
cup wheat germ garlic
powder (lots – ¼ cup)


1 cup cornmeal 1
cup or less whole wheat flour





liquefy liver and water in blender or food
processor. Pour into mixing bowl. Add other ingredients. Add enough whole wheat flour to make a soft
moist dough. Mix well. Pour onto a well greased cookie sheet. Spread evenly.


Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes. Cut quickly into large squares while
hot. Store in freezer. When ready to use thaw and cut into small pieces.


This recipe is very forgiving – if you don’t
have all the ingredients use a bit more of the others – some people make this
really thin - others make it thick. Some people cook it until it is quite hard
and others cook it less so the inside is still moist. Dogs LOVE it


Janet Ingersoll Hi-Flyers
Agility Training





-Benny Bully’s are sold at most pet food
places, such as Global and Pet Valu.
They are freeze dried liver squares that, although not cheap, are
generally fairly high on the hierarchy.
The other option is to consider purchasing a dehydrator and making your
own dehydrated meats for training. I
have done this with the liver, and the dogs LOVE it and I like the
savings.





-You could use part of her daily ration and
season it with a bit of parmesan or Romano cheese, a bit of garlic powder or
powdered desiccated liver to give it more oomph. Simply place the kibble in a zip lock baggie,
add the powdered cheese or liver and shake.





-Planters cheese balls (a bull terrier
delight!)





-Charlie Bears are a dry treat that is
available at many Pet food stores.

-One treat that handlers of toy sized dogs use is chicken broth given drop by
drop from a plastic syringe. I've seen dogs that would gladly walk over hot
coals while doing back flips for chicken broth!






-One vegetarian couple found that their dog
loved Tofu, pan fried in a little bit of garlic and oil until firm, and cut
into small squares.



-Another trick is to load a large syringe with peanut butter, which lets you
give a little dab for each treat. One 60 ml syringe lasts for 2-3 days of
intensive training.

-Another thing to try is to mix puffed wheat or puffed rice into the treat bag
to let it absorb some of the good smell.





-Get
samples of dog food that is fish flavored, such as Wellness Fish and
Potato...this serves nicely as a special treat...the dogs seem to love the
fish.





-Mighty
Dog canned dog food is reported to work wonders in anxiety provoking
situations, such as the vets. You may
spoon feed a little at a time.



-Another one is dried
sardines (you’ll have to ask around as to where to get this one, I don’t have a
clue on that)





-And
how about cat treats for really finicky dogs.





-If you’re working on heeling, or you
need to sustain attention, use treats cut into spears rather than cubes. String Cheese, Chicken Weiners cut lengthwise
and Rollover cut into long strips all work well for keeping the dog
nibbling. If you’re dog is too hard on
your hand during this type of work, put the treat in a Kong or bone and hold it
that way.






-Some dogs work for Cheerios or Goldfish
crackers. Although both are fine mixed
in with the higher grade treats, as a general rule, they are not enough by
themselves in a classroom setting if you have a highly distractible dog when
there are dogs or people around. They do
however work well with some dogs as a mid grade treat that is slightly healthier.




-I cut chicken hotdogs into tiny pieces by cutting each hotdog into four
spears, then cutting each spear into 20 or so pie-shaped bits. I nuke them in the
microwave layered on paper towels until they're rubbery. Mix with cereal, the
cereal absorbs some of the fat and a lot of the smell and dogs love it. Chicken wieners can also be baked at 350’ for
one hour. They dry out nicely and last
forever.






-Certain dogs love baked products, such as
plain Timbits or Plain donuts.
Experiment. I have a dog who
thinks that balled up white bread is the absolute pinnacle of taste that the
gods could have devised, and will happily go through walls for it.



-Cheapo bologna can be cut into strips and microwaved. The strips turn into
something resembling
styrofoam! It's easy to carry a strip and break off tiny pieces for each
reinforcer.





-One really useful treat tip is
this...if the dog is on a special diet from the vet...buy the diet in the
canned form not the kibble....then, open up both ends of the can and push the
food through so it is like a loaf. Slice it, and then cube it, and bake
it in the oven until hard.
This will give the dog
something yummy, but will not upset the diet. Cool eh!

-Who’s Walking Who, a training school in Toronto
sells MX liver Chiplets and
although they are a bit expensive...they break easily into small pieces, with
little waste, and the dogs love them...and they store well.

-Cheese is often a strong motivator. My
only problem with it is that it tends to get a bit soft and sticky to work with
in cubes. If your dog loves cheese,
don’t let that stop you, freeze it in cubes before handling to minimize the
softening when you work.

-Some dogs adore popcorn, particularly the extra butter or cheese flavored
sort.





-I know a trainer whose dog works for
whipped cream out of the can. A little
squirt at the end of the agility run keeps her going for a while…….and the dog
likes it too!!!! J

-It's good to have a variety of treats so that the dog is never quite sure what
the treat will be!





-You may have a fish dog. If you live near a Pet Valu, they sell a
small white cellophane bag in the cat treats section with a foreign language on
the package. Inside are freeze dried
whole fish, not pieces or squares. My
own dogs love the ‘dead fish’ when they get them.


-
Liver treats; as follows: 1 pound chicken livers, one cup rice flour 1 egg 1-3 cloves of
garlic. Blend chicken
livers, egg and Garlic~ add rice flour put in 8 x 8 sauce pan cook at 350 for
35 min cut into squares


- About flea repellent.
This is what I do and it has been successful. I make liver treats with garlic
powder in them. A pound of beef liver- I put in the blender
[sometimes add an egg] In
"another" pan I put - 1 cup of flour,- 1 cup of yellow cornmeal,- 1
tsp. garlic powder. When the liver is soupy I mix it well with the other
ingredients. [I do not mix it in blender - to much trouble washing it.
]Then I pour all of this in an 8 in. square pan [ greased and
floured] and cook it in the oven - 325 degrees for 25 or 30
minutes. When it is down I cut it in small squares right away - and let it
cool .Then I wrap 3 or 4 pieces in foil [ I get about 8 packs.]- put in
plastic bag in the freezer. I take out 1 pack. at a time and cut a
little up in each of my 3 "old "papillon's dish . - My
oldest "Panda "will be 17 come July. I have not seen a flea on them
since I started . I used to take a piece in my pocket when I showed them - much
cleaner than a hunk of plain baked liver. I do not believe in flea collars
either. Betty





-I do
make a rather simple kind of treat, on account of allergies.


I'd use a can of his dog food and mix in
either with, oats, cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, rice flour, smelt... anything
that when mixed with the moist canned dog food with turn it into a dough.
(you can add a "bonus" by tossing in some supplement too, like
Wellness) If you need more moisture them add a broth (low sodium of
course) or water will do.


Then either make it into little balls (I use
a melon baller) or roll it out flat on a cookie sheet.


Bake until it is almost totally dried
out. I prefer them semi moist and not totally dried out cause they
sometimes get very crumbly when they are too dry.


Once cooled, use a pizza cutter to cut them
into pieces (if you've use rolling out flat method).


*I've also scored the dough with a pizza
cutter before baking and that helps in case you over cook them you'll have
biscuit type treats. Toss them into the
freezer and take out a handful and drop them into your pouch, and by the time
you get to class they are thawed and ready to go.


This I found avoids extra calories, and fats
in most commercially prepared 'treats'.


You can also get very creative to this
canned food + flour method and add any protein you'd like, like a can of salmon,
or tuna. *I've even used ground lamb once (cook it first to get all the
fat out of it) some of you have experienced these treats-I call them Lamb
Lovers....


Oh BTW since
there are no preservatives in my recipe they go bad really quickly so make sure
that you get the leftovers out of your pouch...they tend to grow fur very fast
if left in the pouch over a few days (even in the fridge)





-If you
are lucky enough to live in the US
or have a friend who shops there occasionally, they sell the ‘Squeeze Cheese’
in a can. It is meant as a cracker
spread, but it is a wonderful treat to reward your dog right out of the
can. It is also marvelous for stuffing
bones or Kongs.





-Dog
Treat Recipes from Cheryl Bartlett





Veggie
Treats


Puree
together: 1 Banana, 1 medium apple, ½ cup natural peanut butter, 1 medium
carrot, 2 TB water, 2 TB molasses


In bowl
mix together 1 cup of cornmeal and 1.5 cups of flour. Add puree mixture and mix
well - should be a stiff sticky dough. Spread onto greased and
floured cookie sheet and prick with fork


Bake at
350F for 20 minutes. Cut into small squares. Keep in freezer or keep in open
lid container





Barbecue
Bits


Mix in
bowl: 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour, ½ c
white flour, ½ c cornmeal, ½ c wheat germ, Combine: ½ c barbecue sauce, ½ c
water, 3 TB oil, 1 egg 2 TB honey


add
to dry ingredients and mix well. Roll
out onto floured surface approximately 1/4" thick.


Cut with
favorite cookie cutter or into 2 inch squares.
Bake at 350F for 20 - 25 minutes on engrossed cookie sheet. If desired,
cut into smaller training pieces while still warm,


or leave
for large jackpot treats.





Liver
Treats


Mix
together: 1 LB of pureed liver (can be beef, pork or chicken), 1 cup cornmeal, 1.5
cups flour


Optional:
pinch of garlic powder


(This
should be a thick sticky dough) Spread onto greased and floured cookie sheet.
(I plop it in the middle of the cookie sheet, then keep my fingers damp and
spread with my fingers.) Prick with fork. Bake at 350F for
approx. 20 minutes. Cut into small squares. Keep in freezer or keep
in open lid container





Bulldog
Banana Bites


2 1/4
cups of whole wheat flour, ½ cup nonfat dry milk, 1/3 c mashed banana ,1/4 c
vegetable oil


½ cup
beef broth, 1 TB brown sugar


Mix all
ingredients together until well blended. Knead for 2 minutes on floured
surface. Roll out into 1/4" thickness and cut with cookie
cutter or 2" squares. Bake at 300F for 25 - 30 minutes on ungreased cookie
sheet. Cut into training pieces while warm, or leave as big jackpot treats.





Beef
& Cheese Biscuits


Mix together
and let stand for 10 minutes: 1 cup
rolled oats, 1/3 cup margarine, 1 cup boiling water


Add: 3./4
cup cornmeal, 1 TB honey, ½ milk or water, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1
beaten egg, 1 tsp beef bullion





Mix well
and add 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 cup at a time. Knead 3 - 4 minutes on a
floured surface. Roll out to 1/4" thickness and cut with cookie
cutter or 2" squares. Bake on


ungreased
cookie sheet at 325 for 35 - 45 mins. Cut into training pieces
while warm, or leave as big jackpot treats. Store in loosely covered container
or sealed container in fridge.





Chicken
Fingers


In bowl
combine: 2.5 cups flour, 3/4 cup cornmeal, Mix in blender and add to flour
mixture:


1 tin of
canned chicken, 4 TB oil, 1 cup chicken broth


Roll out
to 1/4" thickness and cut with cookie cutter or 2" squares. Bake on
ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 20 - 25 mins. Cut into training
pieces while warm, or leave as big jackpot treats. Store in loosely covered
container.





Ham and
Eggs


Mix in a
bowl: 3 cups whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup cornmeal, ½ cup fresh ground flax meal
or ½ cup wheat germ.


Mix in
blender and then add to flour mixture: 1 can flaked ham, 2 eggs, 4 TB oil, 1
cup chicken broth


Roll out
to 1/4" thickness and cut with cookie cutter or 2" squares. Bake on
ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 20 - 25 mins. Cut into training
pieces while warm, or leave as big jackpot treats. Store in loosely covered
container.








Cheese
Bites


1 cup
flour, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1 TB soft butter, ½ cup milk, 1 ts garlic
powder optional





Mix
flour and cheese together. Add butter and then gradually add milk until
you have a stiff dough. Knead
on floured board for a couple of minutes. Roll out to 1/4" thickness and
cut with cookie cutter or 2" squares. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at
350 for approx. 15


minutes. Let
cool in the oven with the door slightly open until cold and
firm. Keep refrigerated.








-NOTE:
If you have a dog that is wheat (gluten) intolerant, fresh ground flax meal can
be substituted for wheat germ and you can substitute the whole wheat flour and
white flour with triticale flour, which is designated as "gluten"
free. This can be done for any recipe.




-Ask your own vet but what my vet told me was that so long as 80% of the dog's
diet is a good, balanced food, 20% can be junk.





-Sue Trout’s Magical Bait Recipes!!


Salmon
Bait: 3 cans of salmon (either oil or water), 1 container of bread crumbs,
Enough milk or water to make moist. –
mix all ingredients and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes or until
it’s a texture you prefer. Can be frozen and used later.





Homemade
Dog Cookies: 1 ¼ cup of grated cheddar
cheese, ¼ lb softened corn oil margarine, 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour, 1 crushed
garlic clove, milk -


Mix well, add enough milk to form dough
into a ball, then c over the ball and put in fridge to chill for 30
minutes. On a floured board, roll out
the dough to a ½” thickness. Cut out or
form shapes and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375’ for about `5 minutes
or until slightly brown.





Liver
Muffin: 1 lb of liver, pureed, 3 eggs, 3
tbs molasses, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 to 2 ½ cups of whole wheat flour, ¼ cup
bran, ¼ cup wheat germ, ½ cup whole oats, 3-5 tsp garlic, ¼ cup parmesean
cheese -----Mix all together and spread
onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350’ for 20
minutes. BEWARE: It stinks when it’s
cooking! - can be frozen for future use.

Thanks for that Blanche! It's something a lot of people are clueless too (I was before finding it out on forums) that dogs do have a hierachy for certain types of treats.

Yup, a great article, there is a huge difference in what your dog prefers, just like there's a huge preference in what we each prefer.

Usually when someone tells me "my dog is not very food motivated" the owners have not experimented and have been giving their dogs dry dog treats which are usually about a 1 or 2 on most dog's treat hierarchy. But that being said, I have had a few dogs that loved dry dog biscuits and that they were a 9 or 10 on the treat hierarchy.

Some other things to add to the list:

If your dog is on a special diet and you don't want to stink the house up baking dog food, take some of the dry kibble and put it in a tupperware container with something stinky, like tuna fish or salami and leave it in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. The kibble will absorb the smell of the stinky stuff and it will soften somewhat from the moisture.

Dogs don't care what the treat looks like, they care about how it smells. Most commercial dog treats are way too big and I break them into 1/4" cubes. If you really want to bring it home that your dog has done a good job, like an awesome recall, you can "jackpot" the behavior by giving the dog a bunch of treats, but deliver them one at time instead of letting the dog eat them all out of your hand for maximum impact.

For at home, low distraction training, I use my dog's kibble. If I'm working with a fearful/aggressive dog on socialization, I use high value treats. Most dogs adore the food in rolls, like the Natural Balance or Pet Botanics. We jokingly call this doggie heroin. Cheese works well, I'm working with a boxer now who loves American cheese, and many of the professional confirmation handlers use string mozzarella cheese.

I had an dog-aggressive pit bull that I was working with and we had to use diluted canned cat food in a turkey baster that I had to squirt through his basket muzzle.

And I had this goofy golden retriever who would do anything for cucumber slices.