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Many times we are asked what kind of treats we use because most dogs we work with, even picky eaters, eagerly gobble down our treats! The treats we regularly use are turkey and liver. Yes, real turkey and liver. We use them because they are single ingredient, low calorie and, more importantly to your dog, tasty and smelly. The turkey we use is the Kirkland Oven Browned Turkey Breast from Costco (usually found in the aisle with the bologna and cheese). We like this because it is boneless, pre-cooked, and when cut the pieces hold their shape. The beef liver is from Stewart Dog Treats (they also have chicken liver, salmon, and chicken breast) and are available from Amazon, Chewy, Petco, and PetSmart.
Because the Costco turkey is pre-cooked we simply cut them into pea-sized pieces. The liver, however, is freeze dried, so the pieces are very hard and nearly impossible to cut without them crumbling, so we take a handful of liver treats and put them in a bowl of water. We find that hot water works best (from the tap is fine). In less than 10 minutes the liver pieces absorb the water and become very soft which can then be cut into pea-sized pieces. We now have very wet, sloppy pieces of turkey and liver.
We then put our wet dog treats in our toaster oven and bake them for 10 minutes at 250 degrees (depending on your oven these settings may vary). When finished, the treats are firm but soft and ready for your dog to work for! Troubleshooting: If your treats are hard you baked them too long or used too high of a temperature. Training Tip: We use the liver and turkey because most dogs find them high value in the majority of situations. However, you may find that in very distracting environments a higher value incentive is needed. This could be boiled chicken, hot dogs, cheese, or peanut butter, to name a few. Some of our clients' most unusual motivators have been pizza crust and frozen green beans. Experiment and find out what your dog loves to work for! |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
June 2025
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