Maximize your treat returns!

This week's Day Training Extra Credit: You probably know a lot about what treats your dog likes best, but did you know that the treat you choose can impact the success of your training? Scientists have studied how our choice of reinforcers affects training success and found that dogs prefer high value rewards (eg cheese) over a large quantity of lower value rewards and that rotating or varying the rewards you choose can help maintain motivation and interest for training.  Even if you have a dog who will eat anything that doesn't eat her first, you can add power to your training sessions by taking these factors into account.  Take a look at your treat jar this week- have you gotten stuck in a rut with rewards? Consider adding "human" food to the mix- things like cooked chicken, hot dogs, cheese (in moderation), and diced ham are generally very popular and usually even cheaper than products labeled for dogs!  If you have to use kibble because of allergies or dietary restrictions, you can increase its value for your dog by soaking it in broth to make it soft and smellier.  If you don't already have a treat pouch to hold all this delicious stuff, now is the time! My favorites are  the Doggone Good Rapid Rewards (we carry this in the Noble Beast shop!) and Starmark ProTraining Pouch.