You’ll want to use puppy training treats when;
- you‘re teaching your puppy something new
- introducing new equipment e.g harness or brush
- training around distractions
- when situations arise your puppy finds challenging
But, every new puppy parent has their own approach.
Here are 3 examples;
- happy to buy and give the puppy lots of treats
- conscious of feeding the puppy too many
- willing to use only the puppy’s kibble
There needs to be a sensible balance.
You don’t want to feed your puppy too many treats or substitute their main food. This isn’t healthy.
And you’ll want to choose training treats that are nutritious and of high value to your puppy.
In this blog post we’ll share how to prepare your own puppy training treats in less than 5 minutes, discuss what treats are best, and give you 3 tips for choosing puppy training treats.
Please note: There are affiliate links in this post. If you click a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only give recommendations for items I feel will truly benefit my audience. Thanks for supporting our blog!
What are puppy training treats?
Puppy training treats are generally bought in a store.
You can pick up a pack of puppy training treats with your weekly food shop.
They’re usually dry and small. A crunchy biscuit or hard bone shaped pellet.
But, did you know…
…these training treats are likely to be nutritionally very poor?
In fact, when searching on the all about dog food website I found 6 packs of puppy training treats with the nutritional value of 10%!! Which is shocking!!
The main ingredients are stated as ‘other’ and ‘carbohydrates’.
“According to the National Research Council and compared to the other two major nutrients — protein and fat — no carbs are considered essential for a healthy canine diet” (DogFoodAdvisor).
These aren’t the kind of treats you want to be using for your puppy’s training sessions.
The dog food industry is unregulated in the UK and in many other countries. So, my advice is to do your research.
Easy puppy training treats – less than 5 minutes prep time
Here‘s a suggestion for a puppy training treat using JR Pet Products pate.
J R Pet Products say their pate “is deliciously tasty and natural, it is not only healthy but totally irresistible too. Made from the finest cuts of 100% fresh meat…that’s it! These irresistible Paté’s are also grain and gluten free”.
My own dogs LOVE J R Pet Products pate. It’s a product I use regularly during puppy training sessions and it’s suitable for puppies from 4 weeks of age.
They’re handy for us humans too because;
- you can store them in your cupboard
- they have a long shelf life
- once opened, you can pop any leftovers in the freezer (defrost before use)
***Don’t forget to gradually introduce your puppy to a new food.
Step 1
Cut off the end of the pate to remove the wrapper and slice.
Step 2
Stack the slices on top of one another and slice again.
Step 3
Hold a few of the slices together and cut horizontally to make cubes.
Step 4
Divide your cubes into freezer bags and seal. Place one bag in the fridge (to be used within 3 days) and the rest in your freezer. Defrost your puppy training treats in the fridge the day before your session.
Boom! There you have it!
I buy this J R Pet Products variety pack.
If you’d like to trial smaller pate rolls, check out this selection of 5 different flavours or this pack of 3.
Which puppy training treats are best?
This is a commonly asked question, and I’d love to tell you brand X is best. But, because all puppies are different I can’t give you an answer. It will take some trial and error on your part.
You might find different training treats work best in different scenarios or for different behaviours.
As I mentioned earlier, look for puppy training treats with a high nutritional value. And are suitable for your puppy’s needs. You want to choose a soft, easy to eat puppy training treat. If the treat isn’t the size of your fingernail, break it into two or four pieces.
Smelly foods are often a favourite with puppies. And if you’re delivering treats into grass, your puppy can find it much more easily.
When training your puppy at home, use a portion of your puppy’s daily food allowance to reinforce behaviours you like.
Top tip – “cook it in the fridge“.
Using a Tupperware tub, add some of your puppy’s kibble and a few pieces of chicken or hotdog sausage. Pop it in the fridge overnight.
The smell and juices from the chicken or hotdog get soaked up by the kibble. Making it much more tantalising!
However, this doesn’t work well for all kibble, so try a small amount. And should only be used occasionally.
Again, check the all about dog food website for the nutritional rating of your puppy’s food.
Top tips for choosing puppy training treats
1. Start with the all about dog food website to search for puppy training treats with a high nutritional value.
2. Search online for human foods that are safe for dogs. Medical News Today suggests carrots, apples, dairy products (in small quantities), fish and chicken to name a few.
Forget the myth that you shouldn’t give your puppy human food.
3. Conduct a “treat taste test” for your puppy to find out which foods they enjoy the most. You can find the step by step process here.
And follow this advice when introducing a new food to your puppy.
This blog post has suggested easy puppy training treats – less than 5 minutes prep time using J R Pet Products pate. I hope I’ve helped some readers to rethink their view of puppy training treats and conveyed the importance of doing your own research.
Here’s the links for the all about dog food and dog food advisor websites.
I’d love to know if you’ve tried these puppy training treats.
Please let me know in the comments section below.
If you’d like to learn how to become a puppy training pro, build trust and your puppy’s confidence. Be proactive instead of reactive.
Click the image below to learn more about our Puppy Wise Academy membership. It covers all of this and sooo much more!
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Happy training!
Lindsay xx
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