Cheap Dog Treats?

[lilr1ch]

I was wondering if cheesesticks would be good for training. As we train we would use many dog treats to treat the dog when they do something right. I bought some dog treats from the store and it says max 3 a day or something. So would pieces of cheese be a good way to treat my dog while i train it? Any other advice of dog treats would be greatly appreciated. I am picking up a 2 month baby this saturday so I am preparing for him. :) thanks ahead of time.

[Catillac]

I used Zeke's brand. They are tiny so I didn't feel bad about giving Daisy a few during training. I don't know that they are cheap, but one bag lasts a long time.

[Westwood]

When Henry was little I used the freeze dried liver treats cut up into tiny pieces. I think the big container is like $25 here at petco but it lasts a long time.

For puppy kindergarten we used actual chicken pieces cut up really small to keep his attention. We use cheese on occasion at home but I would worry a bit about tummy troubles giving a ton of it - in our class we went through a TON of treats!

[Bobbie]

Cheese is good but not too much of it, so if you use it, take one cheese stick and cut it into a whole bunch of bite-size pieces. I like it for Jack as if he isn't paying attention to me I get him to look and then I eat the piece of cheese- that's usually enough to get him back to work!

A cheap treat is to take turkey hotdogs, slice them thin, and microwave them until they are little cooked rounds. Do it on a paper towel so the oil drains out, and you have some treats you can safely keep in your pocket (not forever.) Dogs love them. Not recommended for dogs with epilepsy, though, so we don't use them.

[midgesmom]

I like Zukes too. The size is just right.

I have also used cheese sticks cut up into tiny (about the size of a pencil eraser) pieces and I've even mixed the tiny pieces of cheese with Charlie Bear treats to make them go farther and reduce the calories and richness of straight cheese. Once they've been mixed in the same bag for awhile, they all taste like cheese to the dog!

[Jespah]

Cheerios are cheap and cheerful and they can share them with you! :LAUGH:

[taflar]

I was wondering if cheesesticks would be good for training.

Oh, you bet they are!! I've used string cheese, as well as other cheese sticks or even other cheeses, right now the bag I have is Mickey Mouse shaped. (hey, it was cheaper than the others and the dogs don't care!)

Any other advice of dog treats would be greatly appreciated. I am picking up a 2 month baby this saturday so I am preparing for him. :)

Cheerios work great too, and low calorie. Although with a puppy you don't need to worry about calories so much.

Charlee Bears are very good too. My guys also like the Itty Bitty Buddy Biscuits ( http://www.cloudstar.com/ )

Peggy

[lilr1ch]

thanks for all your imputs guys. so 1 cheese stick a day is fine? i'll also be using cheerios since they are yummy :)

[taflar]

thanks for all your imputs guys. so 1 cheese stick a day is fine? i'll also be using cheerios since they are yummy :)

I don't think a puppy would need a whole cheese stick a day. Cut or break pieces off. They go farther than you think. They only need tid bits!

Peggy

[Dillydoodle]

I agree, cheese sticks are fine but one stick should last a good long time. I would take ONE mozzerella cheese stick to be used for an hour long training class where there was nearly constant feeding and only would use about half a stick... pull off tiny pieces- it is not the size of the treat as much as the frequency of the treating that matters...

I also found the cloudstar itty bitty buddy treats worked well. For classes, dry treats did not work well... but what did was taking cooked meat ( i used lamb, beef or chicken) and cutting them into 1/8 inch cubes and using that for treats. My boys will do ANYTHING for that kind of a treat. these worked well for the class as they have to be able to eat something that goes down quickly... anything that involved too much chewing was a distraction.

Also , some puppies will work for their kibble. Dillon had a relatively sensitive tummy as a puppy , so i couldnt feed a lot of different store bought treats. I found that Dillon was willing to work for his kibble as treats.

I try to stay away from treats that have added sugar, artificial color or flavors, corn, soy, meat by products . I also tend to limit their wheat consumption as well- most of the treats i use are either grain free or all natural ingredients...

[dcole]

Here's another vote for Charlee Bears. Limited ingredients (I buy the cheese & egg flavor), sourced and produced in the USA and only three calories apiece.

[mtoy]

Here's another vote for Charlee Bears. Limited ingredients (I buy the cheese & egg flavor), sourced and produced in the USA and only three calories apiece.

They're our favorites too. Another plus is that they don't crumble too easily in the pockets (and don't bleed grease). I have them in all my jacket pockets! Sometimes I put on a jacket I haven't worn in months, put my hand in the pocket and pull out old Charlee Bears. It's also funny when I meet up with a tall dog, like the neighbors' German Shepherd. They can always smell them so it's not long before they're nosing my pockets.

[thebeach.corgi]

Charlee bears are a good treat. Cooper likes them but for serious concentration, it's cheese! I use the mozzarella sticks, too.

I'd try the puppy kibble as treats first so you are not introducing different things into his system. Trained my first corgi with cheerios, he love them.

[Bobbie]

I forgot that I also like to use meatballs. I buy frozen meatballs (turkey is best) and take them along- the dogs will work really hard for a bit of a meatball.

[Kassie]

Charlie bears, cheerios, cheese sticks all go over well here as well as the Zukes. My girls also will do anything for Natural Balance rolls cut in tiny pieces. Sometimes for classes I would put a mix in my pouch so it was a surprise!

[Dillydoodle]

Kassie,
I did the same thing, i had my treatbag filled with about 4 or 5 different things so they never really knew what they would be getting... it was a big surprise.. that made them work more consistantly as they never knew what exactly they would get ...

I found something that i bought recently - it is called Plato thinkers and they are natural duck... i actually take these long pieces out and use scissors to cut them into bite size treats... the dogs are WILD about these. Dillon will do anything for it.. no digestive issues with my two on this either... i just never know... they are far from cheap...but they are all natural and apparently delicious! ( the do smell good). here is a link to see what they are.

http://www.fidodogtreats.com/plato-thinkers-natural-duck-sticks

[~WelshStump~]

I use cheese sticks (my father brings home bags of them from work). I get out a plastic baggie and cut each stick up into bite size bits for training. They work great for obedience because cut bits can be given quickly and require minamal chewing. They are also a bit healthier than hotdogs which some people use (I can't, because they give Jinjo the runs, they have poultry in them).