Sardines - do it for Charlie every time. Best training treat ever. Plus, I don't like giving him stuff with additives in it - I like treats that seem good for him. Sardines fit the bill. Boy, they are messy. I use freezer bags (carry wet wipes and kitchen roll) and little tupperware containers. I'm getting tired of the whole bag of mini containers and stinky hands though.... So, can we harness the collective brain power of the forum to come up with a way of dispensing sardines that is less messy? I have two ideas so far. First idea - stuff sardines into a big plastic syringe. Then I can squeeze a blob out at a time. It's going to be fiddly to work the plunger though. Second idea - get an empty toothpaste tube (the plastic ones, not metal ones), cut the flat end off it and wash it out. Stuff with sardines and tape the end back up. Hmmm....toothpast tube worth a try, I reckon. Or try buying tubes of anchovy paste? ;D ;D ;D ;D
Re: Sardine dispenser What about something along these lines? Something we are looking at too, as a less messy way of giving high value treats http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/2813...f11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0
Re: Sardine dispenser Or this one called the "baby squirt!" ;D ;D http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Boon-...rg=20140407115239&rk=8&rkt=20&sd=251568349815
Re: Sardine dispenser Oooo - looks very promising. How do they work (sorry, don't have kids!)? One says it works with "standard food pouches". Is a food pouch something I can buy or is it pre-packaged baby food? (I don't mind buying something I can clean out - although I'm sure Charlie will give baby food a try! ;D ;D )
Re: Sardine dispenser You can buy plastic squeezy bottles with nozzles for putting sauces in. Maybe you could cut a bit extra off the nozzle so that the hole is wide enough to dispense mushed sardines? The only drawback might be that the cap might no longer cover the end on the nozzle, but a piece of tin foil might do the job
Re: Sardine dispenser Yep, plastic tomato sauce bottle Even better, one of those tomato shaped ones, like on The Goodies.
Re: Sardine dispenser I love the idea of a tomato sauce dispenser! The sardines would have to be quite runny though....like sauce (don't want to have to shake the bottle too much ;D ;D ;D - not sure that's a good look, stood in a field banging a sauce bottle ;D ;D ;D) A quick whizz in the blender might do it....
Re: Sardine dispenser I was going to say 'blender' but then I got to your last sentence We get some of our groceries delivered and tonight we had 40 tins of sardines arrive on the doorstep.
Re: Sardine dispenser [quote author=Oberon link=topic=7045.msg96142#msg96142 date=1405942636] tonight we had 40 tins of sardines arrive on the doorstep. [/quote] Lucky Obi! ;D
Re: Sardine dispenser Hi Julie, found this. Might be helpful for you. Good luck. Sometimes you need to use a really high value treat when training a dog, for example, if they lunge at people or other dogs it needs to be something pretty tasty (and smelly!) to get all of their attention focused on you. I have found that the best treat for this is sardines, dogs LOVE them, but I dont – mainly because after a training session I smell like the sea, actually I smell like a fishery, and that is not good. My inspiration came when my housemate, who is a personal trainer, decided to start eating baby food prior to working out….apparently it contains only organic ingredients, no preservatives or colourings, and provides the perfect amount of sugar and carbohydrates to fuel a workout…I still think its wierd. Anyway, this baby food comes in little foil packages with a tube at the top so the baby can suck the puree out, but if you turn it upside down, it doesnt spill. So here was my thought, what if I use a hand blender to blend a tin of sardines with water, cut off the end of the baby food packet and stuff the mixture inside, then seal it up with a clip or masking tape. The result, a sardine dispenser! It actually works really well. I can squeeze a little of the sardine paste out when I need to distract and reward the dog I’m working with, but it doesnt spill or leak, and there is a lid so I can seal it up and pop it in the fridge. Plus, I no longer smell of fish. Excellent. If anyone was wondering, I tried using the actual baby food with Bosco when doing his retrieve training (I believe it was spinach, apples and swede) as to not waste it, but he wasn’t a fan. I think it was too sweet!
Re: Sardine dispenser You can certainly buy empty squeeze pouches for putting your own baby food into....there are quite a few options like this: http://fillnsqueeze.co.uk/our-products/ You might want to blend sardines with yoghurt to make it squeeze enough
Re: Sardine dispenser If you are going down the mush route........how about the disposable piping bags for icing. The whole thing could be thrown away (or licked out ) on your return.
Re: Sardine dispenser How would Charlie feel about smoked salmon paste or tuna paste in a tube? www.thefishsociety.co.uk not cheap but it depends how long a tube will last. Salmon £2.90 ??? Put Smoked fish pastes in their search box. Cheaper alternative primula cheese with shrimp.
Re: Sardine dispenser What a brilliant idea! If I use a cat food pouch, I am then stuck with what to do with the rest as I normally wouldn't use it all, and unlikely I would need 2 jackpots withing 24hrs. Having a look on Amazon I thought these were good too, but there are quite a few producing similar products. http://www.amazon.co.uk/BooginHead-SqueezEms-Reusable-Pouches-Children/dp/B00F7PXANW/ref=pd_sim_by_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=014B4Z54VD5CZKMGGQWW Really good idea......
Re: Sardine dispenser [quote author=lablover link=topic=7045.msg96156#msg96156 date=1405943946] I have found that the best treat for this is sardines, dogs LOVE them, but I dont – mainly because after a training session I smell like the sea, actually I smell like a fishery, and that is not good. [/quote] Haha - that's so me! I stink of sardines! I picked visitors up from the station in the landrover after training Charlie and everyone immediately opened the windows! ;D ;D ;D
Re: Sardine dispenser Right, fantastic, thanks all. I've ordered some reusable baby food pouches! I'll report back!
Re: Sardine dispenser http://www.amazon.co.uk/KOKO-Baby-P..._sim_by_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=05Q1YWRWYC4AHEY99CCF I've just ordered these. I must thank you for this thread. I am planning Cupars big day and had made up my mind to use tins of sardines but had thought I would be using freezer bags and having a pup that never left my side as he was too busy trying to lick the smell off my fingers. Hopefully problem solved. Pureed sardines in baby pouches. Brilliant. Only £4.19 including postage. Not spent much if they don't work.
Re: Sardine dispenser Well... Mashed sardines, with a bit of water... image by julieandcharlie, on Flickr Stuffed baby food pouch... (Or rather my long suffering friend did while I took photos... ) image by julieandcharlie, on Flickr Da-dah! Ready to use for bouncy ball steadiness training.. image by julieandcharlie, on Flickr Meh. Didn't work. . All that happened was the water squeezed out all over my hands and Charlie (Charlie didn't mind) leaving all the sardines in an unsqueezable lump.... image by julieandcharlie, on Flickr What do you reckon? Try with yoghurt or tomato purée? Would the liquid in the yoghurt just squeeze out the same? Do I need something oil based so it doesn't separate from the sardines? I tried a bit of olive oil but concluded I'd have to use a ton of it! Which defeats the point - I'm trying to use sardines. The fish pastes I can buy are more oil than fish...
