Feeding treats in cold weather

Discussion in 'Labrador Chat' started by Snowy, Nov 1, 2017.

  1. Snowy

    Snowy Registered Users

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    So I've had good success with cooked chicken thighs during our walks - I get to reward the really good behaviour with something better than kibble.

    But now as the weather cools, (it's been -4°C all day and is a few degs lower now), I'm wondering how to handle and give small pieces of chicken. At the moment I can still use thin gloves, but soon it will be too cold to do so (at least if one wishes to retain their fingers).

    I know some other forumites live in places with real winters, so would be happy to hear if anyone has come up with a clever solution? :)
     
  2. QuinnM15

    QuinnM15 Registered Users

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    I was just thinking about this problem this morning, my first with mittens again. The worst is your fingers get wet from slobber/treats and then even colder...I can't remember what I did the past two winters :eek: I'm pretty sure I have dedicated dog mitts, that I take my left hand in and out of for treat giving (treats in baggie in my pocket). There are the mitts that fold down and have the tips of your fingers showing, which I might look into this year.

    In the winter, I use the ball as a reward more often (mittens stay on!), and when it's completely frigid, walks are a bit shorter (a short early evening and a short late evening versus our long evening walks in the spring/summer/fall).

    Looking forward to tips from others!
     
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  3. Ski-Patroller

    Ski-Patroller Cooper, Terminally Cute

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    Our labs think dog biscuits are "High Value Treats" and we don't want to correct their thinking.
     
  4. Atemas

    Atemas Registered Users

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    Just bought some fingerless gloves and wore them on tonight’s walk. Admittedly Red only get kibble on this walk but new mitts worked a treat - excuse the pun :rolleyes:.
     
  5. lucky_dog

    lucky_dog Registered Users

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    I also use fingerless gloves, here it gets down to -7 usually, so then I use proper gloves and end up taking them on and off the whole time! I always lose them though.

    You could buy a squeezy tube to fill? You can make fish paste from tuna/mackerel and yoghurt/cream cheese, or wet food mixed with a bit of water so it's easy to sqeeze out.
     
  6. Oberon

    Oberon Supporting Member Forum Supporter

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    I was also going to suggest a squeezy tube. If you keep it in a warm pocket it should stay ‘squeezable’.
     
  7. Snowy

    Snowy Registered Users

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    Thanks all for the suggestions.

    Yes that is very important. When proper winter arrives, if you go out doing some activity, and have a water bottle in your rucksack, by the time you come to take a break, you can find the water has frozen. :(
     
  8. snowbunny

    snowbunny Registered Users

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    I live in the cold and I find fingerless gloves not warm enough. I wear mittens and just take my hand out to treat. On really cold days, I use a heat pack in the mitten.
     
  9. zrinka

    zrinka Registered Users

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    does anyone know a good decent size squeezy tube to recommend? I have a problem finding a webshop/seller with international shipping.
     
  10. lucky_dog

    lucky_dog Registered Users

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    I'm not sure about online. They sell them in my local pet shop. Or you can buy squeezable travel tubes, not specially designed for pets, that are ok for storing food, like this one: http://www.humangear.com/gear/gotoob
     

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