A lot of people use treats for dog training these days. A handy and convenient treat to use is dry cat food. The pieces are small, which prevents over feeding your dog. They are dry, so they are nice to put in a pocket for outdoor training. They seem to be much more tasty than dog kibble (I have never tasted them to find out!), but dogs seem to find them a lot more exciting as a reward.
By Kathy from Superior, WI
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You are right about the convenience. However, cat kibble contains more fat than dog kibble. All cat food does. That is why dogs like it better. So that is why I do not use it, if you use a lot of training treats you might end up with an overweight and unhealthy dog.
Giving a dog cat food is not good for them, yes they are small but you can purchase a bag of premium dog food (Blue Buffalo is a holistic food no filler & other junk in it) for treats. They have small breed adult food with the tiny kibbles, or even try Cheerios. Please keep the pets with their own foods.
Dry cat food is a no no for dogs. It has a lot of other things in it that do not agree with most dogs. Can make dogs ill and they can die from it if given too much. On the other hand dry dog food is also bad for the kitties, If they eat it on a regular basis it cause liver damage and death. Know this from my own experience. I keep the cat food up high where the dogs can't get to it.
I assume you are not attending a professional obedience class? Without speaking to the chief instructor about the cat treats, they may not be in the best interests of your dog's health. Please consult you veterinarian. Good luck.
Agree with syntoniser, so does the ASPCA website:
www.aspca.org/
Besides the fat content being higher and running a pretty good risk of making a dog overweight, the nutritional balance in cat food can also cause digestive tract issues in your dog. We've always used small bits of raw veggies like carrot slices or snap peas for beginning training ( again--in moderation).
The real trick, though, is for the human handler to switch the dog from an edible treat to either play with a favorite toy or good old-fashioned praise as reward when the dog has learned what you're trying to teach.
Sorry but professional trainers never suggest training without treats! Force free training requires treats and great timing to shape the behavior you want from any animal! You aren't working for your boss on toys or praise are you? I'm betting you expect a paycheck! There are too many people still trying to make dogs into an idealized wolf and promoting the violent alpha dog theory of dog behavior! Clicker training requires a treats! Using the dogs regular kibble after they are successfully prefoming the desired behavior is fine but using higher value treats with dogs that are first learning a behavior helps. Using cat kibble vs hot dogs or cheese and other human foods as a high value treat will not make any dog fat o sick if you use it for its intended purpose, as a higher value treat to start shaping the desired behaviors. Once the dog has begun to make the connections then you can switch to your dog kibble and no Blue Buffalo is not a wonderful dog food! Check the label for the ingredients and make your decision based on your dogs breed, physical condition, your vets advice and your own budget! Unless your vet tells you that your puppy should not be fed cat kibble as a high value treat I wouldn't worry about what people who think hot dogs would make a fine high value treats but are afraid to give your dog cat kibble! My point is it's your dog, you know it, will it learn in high stress (for the dog) situations for his kibble?
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