My dog’s are not perfectly trained. Luna still loves pizza more than she wants to listen to me and Ralph sometimes isn’t brave enough to tackle the tasks I’d like him to do. Sometimes I’m a little jealous of dogs that appear overall perfect, but then I remember my dogs’ imperfections are what make them so amazing.
No matter what we are still constantly training. Whether it’s working on perfecting a command or at least trying out something we may never perfect, we try to have mini training sessions every single day. Plus, the dog blog model life is a tough one. Luna can’t count on her paws how many times she’s had to sit and stay for a photo shoot. Let’s face it. She’s really only in it for the treats.
So obviously, it is absolutely critical that I have a proper training treat for our training exercises and for our photo shoots. Over the past four years, I’ve come up with my check list for finding the perfect dog training treat to keep your dog’s attention and interest.
5 Characteristics of a Quality Dog Training Treat
Small Sized
During training sessions or photo shoots, you will go through a bunch of treats for your dog. It’s all about positive reinforcement and the treats are just that. You want to make sure the treats are small enough that you can spread them out, but big enough that they satisfy your dog and they feel like they received an actual reward.
Low Calorie
Again, you’ll be giving your dog SO MANY treats, so make sure each one is low in calories. Also, if you do a longer training session and give your dog a few treats more than normal, keep in mind you might need to adjust their meal calories so they don’t gain weight.
But, hey at least your dog is lucky to have you determine what they can and can’t eat. Don’t mind me as I go off and eat this donut…
Smelly, But Not Gross
It is so crucial that training treats actually help you get the attention of your dog and keep it. It’s also important that the treats feel like they are really getting something good. One of the best ways is to use a smelly treat that grabs their attention as soon as you open the bag. But, of course the treat can’t smell so much that you can’t stand it.
Easy to Transport
Training treats that come in easily portable packages are the best. After all they are TRAINING treats and you’ll need to have access to them whenever and wherever you are with your dog. I always try to keep and small bag or treat pouch with me on walks or car trips even when I don’t plan to do a full on training session. You never know what your might run into and it’s always handy to have something to help get your dog’s attention.
Not Messy
Some meaty treats can be pretty messy or leave your hands feeling greasy. For me, this is a no-go. I want to feel good about giving my dogs the training treats, so I’m encouraged to do training sessions as well. If I cringe or have to wipe my hands on my pants (or a napkin, if you’re fancy) every single time we train, I would not be happy and the time spent training would be a lot less successful.
Right now our current go to the brand new Training Treats from Full Moon. These launched back in April with two tasty flavors – Duck and Organic Chicken. As soon as I opened up the bag, I immediately had both Ralph & Luna’s attention.
I’ve been a long time fan of Full Moon, so I wasn’t surprised when another one of their products was a huge hit in my house. Each one of Organic Chicken Training Treats are 2.5 calories and the Duck are only 2.25 per treat!
The treats are bit sized and can actually be torn a bit smaller if you want to spread them longer. They have a reasonably strong smell that caught my pups’ attention right away. Although they are soft and moist treats, I didn’t find them to be messy to deal with or leave my hand covered in a greasy or oily residue. And the bag is only 6 oz, so it is small enough to throw in a purse or even stick in a back pocket. The treats can also be super easily transferred to a small Ziploc bag or a treat pouch.
So all in all, I would say the new Training Treats from Full Moon hit the nail on the head!
What makes a treat the perfect training treat for you?
Disclosure: Full Moon provided product free to review. I am being compensated to help spread the word about Full Moon and their new Training Treats. I received no other additional benefits for mentioning the brands or products in this post. The opinions and ideas in this post are my own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business.
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