Good morning All, This is not an issue but i thought i would ask for ideas. When clicker training with Charlie I use Wagg training treats which Charlie loves. Problem he takes an age to chew them and after a few elements he gets bored! I then broke them in half so i would get a quicker response time...it works but again after half a dozen his time is up & off he trots : Now to keep his interest going I cut up Chicken into treat size pieces (same size as waggs) Bingo, i get his attention for allot longer but then he just goes loopy for the treats & pays no attention to me (which of course he then doesn't get any)!! Is it me just expecting a little to much from Charlie as each session lasts about 5 minutes? I suppose i'm just looking for reassurance & any ideas that you guys have & favourite treats you use. Thanks as always.
Re: Dog Treats Oh bless him.Charlie having his lessons....too cute!I can only help with treat menu options ,i haven't got experience of these early weeks . Dexters treats have always been kibble,steamed chicken breast( pea size pieces)and his jackpot prize is roast chicken,skin removed.....he has got a really sensitive tummy.i haven't got any experience of food making them loopy,food focus's dexter .....His concentration span can change day to,day,activity to activity....I can tell when he's bored and we either pack it in or try something else.
Re: Dog Treats Thanks for that, at least i have the treat size right. As for going loopy, i meant he just wants all the chicken & won't listen hee hee ;D I'm off out in a bit as his Wagg stock is low so i'll have a good mooch & see what else I can use. For interest the chicken i buy Charlie is pre-sliced chicken breast from iceland & I defrost what i need for the day & cut it into small pieces...very affordable ;D If he carries on i think he'll want the roast potatoes & veg to go with it!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D & Banana for pud, which he loves :
Re: Dog Treats Dont be daft he at least wants to be pushing for a banana split ... I buy raw fillets and steam them,then the stock that comes off gets used to soak kibble in for the kongs....I did use stock cubes at one stage but someone mentioned the salt content ???....this sounds time consuming but it's not,takes a couple of minutes,its the chopping to pea size that takes the time! Chris came in the other night starving from football and eyed the 2 roast chickens( shop bought ).....he knows now to not even go there!!!! Got to stop talking dogs.....got a life to do as well!might even involve a quick ear check at the vets....hope not but better safe than sorry with going away tomorrow Have a nice day with Charlie Brown ! ;D
Re: Dog Treats I think when Riley was little our training sessions were even shorter than five minutes. It was more I thought about what we wanted to achieve and we would only do 3 or so repetitions of a couple of things and that would be it. We did lots of tiny sessions throughout the day though. Tiny cubes of cheese and toast were and are popular in our house. Careful of tiny tummies though
Re: Dog Treats Tiny pieces of sausage ( cooked ) cut it for our two , worked like a charm We also only had very short training sessions, better to finish on a high than have the little demons get bored
Re: Dog Treats Great stuff cheers...it's given food for thought!!!! I forgot about the salt content in the frozen chicken so i will prepare fresh from now on. I like the idea of using the chicken stock for the kibble It's reassuring to know that training sessions where very short. That's put my mind at rest ta. Just got back from the pet shop & managed to blag a free sample bag of sea food treats. I thought i'd break it up a little for him, again to save him getting bored. So we'll see how the day(s) pan out now. Tonight will be interesting as we have the Fun Fair in town....so lots of new noises for Charlie. Don't think he'll like the bumper cars though!!! Have a great day all....cheers
Re: Dog Treats Don't you dare....and you of all people should be able to drive a bumper car without bumping!
Re: Dog Treats i only used the kibble for treats up to him being about 4/5 month now its sausage, sardine and for the jackpot its cooked salmon
Re: Dog Treats I find smoked sausage really handy - just tiny bits - we always have it in the fridge as the kids seem addicted to it in their coming home from school sarnies I guess it depends on whether you are using a LARGE quantity of treats as to whether you worry about salt etc. I feel that if it IS just as a "jackpot-style" treat, or a high value reward, then thats fine, but if it is for regular and repeat training through the day, then the hand feeding of kibble appeals to me, as per Helen and Charlie. Not that I have done that. I think the secret is to regularly vary the treat - something nes is more appealing ;D
