My dog and I are due to go to training classes and we have been told to bring tasty and less tasty treats with us. I have made some tasty treats but i would like a less tasty treat recipe, can anyone help please.

Plain bread, cut into half-inch cubes and slowly dried at the bottom of the oven would work.

I'm not sure why they have asked for this? maybe to prove a point that boring just doesnt cut it? depends on how foody your dog is? maybe your less tasty could be your dogs normal kibble (if fed kibble) or as suggested the dry bread (although one of my terriers goes mad for a piece of bread :) )

My dogs love bread.

>I'm not sure why they have asked for this? maybe to prove a point that boring just doesnt cut it?

I would think it's so that you can vary the level of the reward according to the response to the instruction.

Tasty would be cheese or sausage; less tasty (not 'boring'! - that wasn't asked for ;-) ) would be dry bread.

I'm not sure why they have asked for this?

There are definitely times when a bigger reward is asked for. Say for instance a dog has finally understood something it has struggled with -big reward. Or it does something it loves doing anyway, small reward. It does something less enjoyable -big reward to make it enjoyable.

Although I can think of other reasons they may want this too. Boring treats (I'd call all treats sold as dog treats boring) to use to teach the dog to not eat something unless it is told it is allowed, to make it easier initially (walk past a boring treat on the ground, leave it and be rewarded with a tastier one), or to teach swapping with.

>(walk past a boring treat on the ground, leave it and be rewarded with a tastier one)

I'll try that with Daisy because she's a nightmare at picking up anything from the ground. You wouldn't believe (or perhaps you would!) the things I've found myself holding that I've taken from her )

I'll try that with Daisy because she's a nightmare at picking up anything from the ground. You wouldn't believe (or perhaps you would!) the things I've found myself holding that I've taken from her eek )

LOL! We do this in our training class regularly and it certainly does work.

I always mix small dry biscuits (something like Pedigree or laughing dog mixer) with the really tasty treats (hot dog sausage, cheese, ham, liver cake) for training.  I find this makes the good stuff go further and lends a bit of flavour to the boring stuff.

I routinely use plain nibbles for general rewards.  I like to keep dry biscuits in a box by the back door - it helps to get my barker indoors in a speedy fashion - and I use them when walking.  However really sharp training definitely needs the very tasty incentives! :)

I also use fairly boring stuff in the ring - anything really good makes them a bit over excited and spitty :)

I like to keep dry biscuits in a box by the back door - it helps to get my barker indoors in a speedy fashion - and I use them when walking.

Like me but the exact opposite LOL -I have two that bark when let out, so I throw a few boring treats on the ground before opening the front door, that way they are too busy searching the ground when they run outside, to think of barking.

I buy 3 kg bags of HiLife, the type that looks like dried mince. Tiny bits so even tiny dogs can take them (well if broken up) and they don't stain. All my jackets have pockets full of those.

Sorry i didnt come across right did i. Its just that no matter how many times we tell our puppy people to bring soft tasty treats to training classes they end up bringing the dogs dinner with them. We tend to use the tasty treats heavily when teaching something new and then reduce the treats using variable reward system. I have however, started mixing kibble into the treatbag so the dog doesnt know whats coming next. I like the idea of low value treats in middle for teaching "leave it" although for the lab there is no such thing as low value lol.

Smackos, chocolate drops, or just kibble?

Lot's of good idea's thank you. :)

> no matter how many times we tell our puppy people to bring soft tasty treats to training classes they end up bringing the dogs dinner with them

I used to go to a class years ago and one owner who had a med size B pup used those Markie (sauceage roll type) things but the full size ones not the mini, until the instructor realised what was going on dog must have had about 20+ in a 30-40 min class . It also had the problem of taking dog forever to eat each one! She then changed to bringing cooked cocktail sauceage but insisted on giving a whole one each 'reward'.
I think it ended with her being given a handful of 'suitable' sized bits each time and more or less banned from using her own

less tasty = bit of normal dried dog food- prefrebly stuff he normally on
more tasty- tiny bits baked liver (and it only needs to be mini as so very strong flavoured)

> My dogs love bread.

Snap! Busters 'thing' is bread - dry or fresh, it matters not!.
This thread has reminded me of an incident with Buster. On his walk, he suddenly lunged at something on the floor, as his jaws clamped around it, I spotted it was an entire loaf of stale, crusty bread (lobbed over somebodys fence - these people always chuck stale food over thier fence), despite my most stern, urgent, demanding, 'LEAVE IT' command, Buster 'ragged' it frantically trying to tear a chunk off to swallow. I couldn't get him to drop it atall, not even 'swapsies' for a chunk of fresh cheddar cheese from my pocket.
As soon as he got a chunk free, before the loaf even had chance to hit the floor, I booted it over the hedge, LOL. I was so worried he'd snaffle the entire loaf and get bloat. Bless him, he was soooo disapoitned to see his amazing feast flying away from him through the air :)
Another time in the same spot, Buster has found a chicken carcus - a 'leave it' command had him leave it alone and wait for a biccy! You'd never think that a 'leave' command would have more chance of working on chicken than stale bread!

What is a 'tasty' & 'less tasty' treat may well depend on the individual dog.

For 'highest value' treats I have used chicken & bread(!) and Bonios.

For 'tasty' treats I use cheese, chopped up Schmacos, chopped up 'Allsorts'. Any smelly, dog treat (chopped up - you only need to give them taste, not feed them  ). Chopped up left-over sausage is a very high-value treat for Buster.

Lower value/less tasty treats are dry dog biscuits (apart from Bonio's - Buster sees them as a bit of a 'jackpot' treat). Kibble can be used too, especially if you are being carefull with the dogs weight, you can use the kibble from the dogs daily ration.

Think I spoil my training groups!!I ask them to bring treats but supply sausages liver cake,chicken cheese and dry kibble!! Must put prices up!! I reckon I keep sainsburys in business!!

Higher value for stuff that deserves it, if teaching a take it/leave it command need both high and low value treats to motivate dogs and in the case of some pups lower value only as higher is too distracting.