Training And Rewarding With Healthy Dog Treats
Dogs are now treated as friends and less as pets. Although man and dogs were together since time immoral, dogs have started living indoors as part of our families only now. While many people give out dog treats to their pets for the dogs pleasure as well as their own, dog treats are also useful training tools.
A pocket full of dog treats can be used while training a dog to heel, sit, stay, or any other such command. But you have to make sure that the treats are appetizing to the dog. If you give treats that are dried out, bland and crumbly, dog's treats won't incite nearly as much enthusiasm in training as a juicy good piece of meat or a scented cheese.
There are lots of dogs treat available in shelves of supermarkets and pet stores, discount stores etc. They stock an amazing variety of treats right from beef treats to bulk products. Some treats come with treatments for heartworm, antibiotics etc. They are carefully prepared by veterinarians to treat various ailments. Treats are also designed so as to clean the teeth as well as aid in digestion.
You need not depend on buying treats available in market. You can make some for your pets at home also. Right from sliced steak, chunks of cheese, rice, hamburgers, will serve as great ingredients. But it's always a good idea to consult a veterinary doctor, before you decide on feeding your pets with your homemade treats. Never feed dog's chicken bones as treat. It's not good for their health.
Treats are excellent methods to train them. Ideally, the training treat should be very small, so that you can give the dog a large number of rewards without filling him up or adversely impacting his diet. If you have an average built dog, a 1/3 inch square treat should be just right. It is believed that soft treats (say hot dogs) are better than hard treats (like biscuits) because the dog can eat them and get on with the lesson more quickly. But too much of soft treats should also be avoided.
If you are confused at times as to what will be the best treat, try picking raw hot dogs and bologna. Most dogs adore theses treats. These treats are soft, inexpensive, and can be chopped into small bits. Bologna is especially easy to prepare as you can easily slice it. With this treat you can simply crosscut it into small squares right in the package. Cheese is also other good treat. Most dogs love cheese.
There are certain dogs who are quite active and might not prefer simply food as treats. For such animals, try using the tennis ball instead of the food treats. They may like to go after it play and retrieve it for you to throw again in different direction. Sometimes play a tug game with it. That ways you will also come closer to the canine where as dog will also be happy.
Treats can be just food or some playful games, it depends on what kind of animal you have and what mood they are in. Generally you must mix both kinds to keep a healthy mix.