When a doggo, especially a pup gets a hooman home, they can be confused and nervous initially, and take some time to get accustomed to their new surroundings. Apart from this, doggos are also not naturally programmed to respond to your commands without any prior training.
Obedience training is usually for puppies so that they can understand their role in the hooman family and learn the necessary skills to interact with other hoomans and doggos. This training is important because it will be helpful to tackle behavioral problems in the long run.
Training your furry friends the basic commands can prove to be overwhelming, without any help. In the training process, dog training treats can prove to be a great tool to help you and your doggo stay motivated in their obedience training sessions.
How to choose healthy dog training treats?
Training treats for puppies are not just to teach your dog obedience and commands, but it also has an impact on their overall health. This is why choosing healthy dog training treats is very important for your furry friends. Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing training treats -
1. Small size treats
It’s better to use dog training treats that are small in size that can be eaten quickly, without hampering their training sessions. Soft training treats for puppies like Dogsee Puffies are healthy and nutritious that will be over quickly and your doggo would not be distracted from the training sessions. Moreover, these treats are nutritious too and also help maintain good dental hygiene.
2. Lesser ingredients
Training treats can be considered as snacks for your doggos, but that doesn’t mean they shoudn’t be healthy! Treats that are made from minimum ingredients, without additional fillers, colors and preservatives tend to be the ideal choice as it also provides the required nutrition. Moreover, if your doggo suffers from gluten intolerance, lesser ingredient treats are more likely to be gluten-free.
3. Variety
Just like we may get bored of having the same food everyday even though it may be our favourite, even doggos may get bored having the same training treat regularly. This way, they may also lose interest in the training sessions as treats work as a great reinforcer. Hence its better to include variety in healthy dog treats. For example, you can give them cheese treats for 1-2 days and then switch to fruit or veggies treat for the next couple of days.
The Role of Dog Treats in Training
Dog treats should never be used as bribery, as doggos would never actually learn obedience training in that case. Treats should rather be used as rewards and reinforcements in different ways to keep your puppy motivated while they learn basic skills. Here’s how healthy dog treats have a major role when it comes to dog training -
1. Helps to build a connection
Dog treats prove to be highly effective in the initial stages of obedience training for puppies. This is because when you start training your doggo, it takes some time to build a connection and establish a good relationship. Rewards like praise or a walk may not be a good enough incentive for a puppy. However, a physical thing like food is more relatable for them and proves to be a better motivation in the training sessions.
Since puppies would need quite a few of such training treats to get accustomed to their training sessions, it is important to choose healthy dog training treats for the same. It would not only keep them motivated but also provide the necessary nutrition in the growing up years.
2. Lure and Reward to teach basic commands
Training treats are also very useful in the ‘lure and reward’ method of teaching basic commands to dogs. For instance, if you want to teach the ‘down’ command to your doggo, you can start with -
- Keeping a treat in your hand but in your fist. Bring your hand to your doggo’s nose so that they know you have a treat, but they can’t eat it yet.
- Pull your hand with the hand from your doggo’s nose to the ground, and give the down command.
- The pup will follow your hand with their snout, move your hand further away and let the snout follow your hand.
- Once your doggo is completely in the ‘down’ position, pat and give them a compliment (like well done or good boy) and reward them with the treat that was in your hand.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that when your doggo is accustomed to these commands and knows how to respond, you must gradually stop the ‘lure’ method for their training.
3. Establish training and reward patterns
Offering a treat to your dog while they are at the position you have commanded them to be is also a good way to establish why are they being rewarded. For example, if your doggo is in a sitting or down position and keeps maintaining it till your next command, give them a treat as a reward. This would make young pups understand exactly why they are being rewarded.
The best way to do this is to go down to your doggo’s eye level and give them the treat. This is because if you dangle their dog treat from human height, your doggo has to get up or change the position to get the treat - meaning they will be actually rewarded when they do not hold the position any more - and can create confusion in your obedience training.
Dogsee - 100% Natural Dog Training Treats
Dogsee’s range of dog training treats are completely natural, grain and gluten-free treats that are handcrafted to provide the best nutrition to your furry friends. All Dogsee treats are human-grade and completely free from artificial colours, flavours and fillers. The training treats range include -
- Puffies: Dogsee Puffies are handcrafted and sourced from the Himalayas, made from cheese that are smoked and sun-dried to perfection for the right flavour and texture. These healthy dog training treats are high in protein and low in fat that helps in weight management and are ideal for training sessions.
- Crunch: Dogsee Crunch are single-ingredient, free-dried treats made from real fruits and vegetables, which are sourced from the freshest farms and fat separated to retain all essential nutrients. Dogsee Crunch is available in 4 flavours - apple, banana, coconut and beetroot.
Dog training treats are an integral part of dog training and one of the best ways to build a relationship and provide the necessary motivation during the process of obedience training. Natural and healthy dog training treats provide your doggo the best nutrition, even in their training sessions.
Choose Natural, Choose Dogsee - as pure as your love!
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