Convenient dog training treats that work outside

December 31, 2020 8:45 AM

What treats get your dogs' attention when they're outside and least likely to care?

When I'm training my dogs inside, they're very responsive to treats. It doesn't have to be much, a little bit of jerky or small dog biscuits do the trick. But when we go outside, and I'm trying to work on behavior modification, they have zero interest in treats. In my dream world there would be something reasonably dryish that's convenient to bring with me, not messy, and still irresistible. Popular treats like zukes have no effect.

Thanks! I'll train these dogs not to growl at everybody one way or another.

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posted by rouftop to Pets & Animals (21 answers total)

When I really want my dog to pay attention to me on an outing, I cut up some beef fat into little chunks, freeze it, and take it with me in a plastic bag. It gets kinda greasy as it warms, so it's not perfect, but boy is it effective.
posted by Tuba Toothpaste at 8:51 AM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]

Freeze-dried liver is pretty common at dog shows and works for most dogs.
posted by eotvos at 9:01 AM on December 31, 2020 [11 favorites]

For high-value treats to get my reactive dog's attention outside, here's what worked: freeze-dried liver, string cheese (or any cheese cubes), liverwurst in a tube (lots of people use tubes like this or this to give dogs high-value wet treats without making a mess), fruits like watermelon and blueberries, stinky salmon skin treats, even (when all else fails) pizza that's been cut up into tiny pieces.

I found that over time, once he learned when he expected to get paid, I could move to healthier and lower-value treats, but I needed to start with whatever was amazing enough to get his attention.
posted by mosst at 9:07 AM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]

Oh yeah, and hot dog pieces! Forgot about that one, that was a big part of our rotation for a while.
posted by mosst at 9:09 AM on December 31, 2020 [6 favorites]

Cheese cubes worked best for my dog - dry but still stinky. My trainer swore by those tubes of dog food they sell on the refrigerator section - it's easy to cut off a slice and then crumble into a baggie and it stays mostly dry but still smelly.

A cooked sausage could be deskinned and crumbled but stay mostly dry. Just be careful with food safety - cook hot dogs or sausages and then refrigerate before outings.
posted by muddgirl at 9:33 AM on December 31, 2020

Tiny bits of cut up hot dogs and/ or string cheese worked for us (those big “farm style” cheese shreds that are now available would probably work too, and save some scissoring time).
posted by charmedimsure at 9:40 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

Seconding just about every one of the ideas already listed (freeze-dried liver, string cheese, and hot dogs have worked especially well for our pup). Additionally, when we worked with a behaviorist to help our leash-reactive dog, she used boiled/poached chicken breast, cut into small pieces or shreds, and we still do so from time to time. You can also dry it in a food dehydrator or the oven on low, if you slice it thinly. Yes, it can get a bit pricey if that's all you're using, but you want to mix your treats up (even on the same walk or training session) to keep your pup interested anyway, so you don't have to have only the chicken. Our pup is a fan.
posted by DingoMutt at 9:51 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

A jar of meat-based baby food. You unscrew the lid and they have to come to you to get a lick. This was taught to me by a trainer as the ultimate high-value treat. In my experience, it works as well as things like hot dogs but your hands don’t get all greasy.
posted by lunasol at 9:52 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

Oh! Our behaviorist also left us with recipes for treats you can make with whole-wheat flour and the meat of your choice. I've long since lost the specific recipes but still make them by feel; this recipe is pretty much what I do. I'll make it with purpose-bought liver (which, be warned, does smell pretty strongly but is a huge hit with our dog), chicken, or whatever looks good, but I also strip any meat scraps off the bones when I make a big pot of soup, chuck them in the freezer, and then use them to make treats whenever I have enough.

(also, your dogs are adorable!!)
posted by DingoMutt at 10:01 AM on December 31, 2020

We used to get beef or pork liver, cut it into tiny chunks, salt it, and dry it in the dehydrator, and then store it in the freezer. Makes the house stink for a day or two, but it’s VERY popular.
posted by rockindata at 10:13 AM on December 31, 2020

Liver paste in a tube! Dogs go crazy for it but it doesn't stink up your hands and pockets.
posted by mmmmmmm at 10:17 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

I've never seen a dog not respond strongly to pepperoni. When I'm watching a friends dog and am unsure how they'll be in the off leash park, I'm sure to have a ziploc of pepperoni slices in my coat pocket.
Also, it seems to last near forever without refrigeration in a baggie in a coat pocket.
posted by newpotato at 10:54 AM on December 31, 2020

Bits of hot dog. I've read that you should vary the number of treats given, because otherwise the dog may engage in the math of This thing I'm smelling/ chasing is better than 1 piece of hot dog but the possibility of 4 pieces of hot dog, even small, is quite alluring. When I have taught recall(come when called), though, it has always had to start in a fenced area.
posted by theora55 at 11:10 AM on December 31, 2020

my dog's favorite was cut up pieces of frozen raw chicken, but hot dog and other novel, interesting human-grade meats are also up there (think the deli section), and whipped cream or cream cheese (my trainer brought cream cheese in these tiny to go packets and the dog loved it). you can test different treats to figure out what your dog goes nuts for! the other big thing is to use something special they do not get at any other time -- especially if it's novel, dogs love that! and, if there's one thing i learned from all the trainers/behavioralists i've worked with, it's to be really really generous with your treats - like feed constantly if you have to to start getting the behavior, then start dialing back.

oh the other thing is: one reason they might not be taking food might be because they're overstimulated? i'd shove a whole hot dog right in front of my reactive dog's nose and if she was too close to a squirrel she'd completely ignore it -- so if you're working on reactivity make sure you get enough distance from the trigger before you feed! good luck! you've got two wolfy-cuties!
posted by lightgray at 11:21 AM on December 31, 2020

Nthing try the freeze dried liver if you haven't yet. My dogs are not super food motivated but they know the sound of that bucket opening and come running. It's dry (the pieces can be kind of big for training, I chop them up into much smaller bites) although a bit stinky. I recommend a belt clip treat bag or your pockets will have liver dust in them for all time.
posted by misskaz at 12:58 PM on December 31, 2020

Bacon.
posted by Jubey at 3:58 PM on December 31, 2020

I worked on a project with a TV dog and he is paid in boiled chicken bits, stored in a ziploc bag. They’re very effective, a bit messy though!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:49 PM on December 31, 2020

Hot dogs, boiled chicken and freeze-dried liver... but more importantly if they're losing interest in treats they normally love, it usually means you need to make the situation less challenging for them.

My dog is reactive/constantly overexcited so I get it's easier said than done, but increasing distance from the trigger and planning strategies to reduce trigger-stacking go way further than increasing treat value. This is especially true when you're already using treats your dogs love when in a less exciting environment.
posted by randomnity at 6:10 PM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

Easy Cheese (or generic equivalent; my favorite was Cheesy Does It but my grocery doesn't carry it any longer), if your dog can tolerate it in a digestive sense.

Helped me corral a neighbor's two missing dogs tonight and keeps my doofus dogs from charging across the street to say hi to every passing dog.
posted by minsies at 7:34 PM on December 31, 2020

The dogs are adorable! Nthing most of the ideas above, but came in to forward advice my cousin gave me once when I was desperate: make a third of your dog's daily feed the treats, so he is quite hungry. It has made a huge change, though he is still not the most obedient dog -- I can't stop him from herding cars, no matter what I have in my pocket.
posted by mumimor at 8:03 AM on January 1, 2021

Squeeze tube or something as simple as a kong filled with peanut butter. It's easier to have out & ready to give a dog, big enough to get their attention where a small treat wont. I used to fill it with part of their canned food meal so they didn't get too fat.

Also look into clicker training, it would be perfect for such a situation as you can exactly mark the moment you want to reward them for. We used a similar method with our reactive dog & bikes. There are a tonne of great clicker training videos out there on YouTube.
posted by wwax at 11:28 AM on January 1, 2021