# Treats and poop



## Montysmom (May 14, 2018)

Can I ask what treats You feed your goldens. For the most part Monty’s first poop of the day is perfect. He’s on pp sport. I think the treats he gets during the day for training are causing some gastric issues. I try to train a few times a day for short periods where he gets treats. Also with a few retrieving sessions the treats add up. i try to stick with the naturals varieties and blue. Sometimes he gets the junk treats milkbone etc. his second poop of the day is really wet and slimy. It has to be the treats. Any suggestions?


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## Spiderpig (Nov 7, 2019)

I mostly use boiled chicken or cut one of those tubes of dog food from the refrigerated section. I think it is natures fresh or something. If I have to use something dry I just use kibble but also like the Zukes treats because I can cut them up.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

First suggestion, quit training with treats. Your praise and the dogs pride in accomplishing the task are the best rewards.

Second, if you must use treats simply use a portion of the daily ration of whatever you feed him.


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## Miranda Gallegos (Aug 18, 2019)

I saw this on Facebook and the previous commenter reminded me of it.  










I would use his kibble and then reintroduce different treats slowly to see which ones don’t upset his tummy. I just started using zukes treats so we will see how my puppy likes them.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

My boy worked for kibble when he was young. When he got older and we started doing more serious obedience classes, handling classes and CGC, we had to use more high value treats. The freeze dried liver treats from “Pure Bites” are wonderful. We did cut up hot dogs (microwaved for a minute first), thawed Italian meatballs cut up, boiled chicken, string cheese, and Denver also likes the Bil Jac liver treats which were recommended from my trainer. I have also been wanted to try to make my own liver treats which I’m sure will be very high value.

Denver never went crazy for zukes or drier dog treats like biscuits. The smellier the better LOL. Of course I know dogs that go CRAZY and work hard for just about anything, but its different for every dog!


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## Cjm (Oct 26, 2018)

Kibble in the house and Jack's Lil bites if I needed 'more power'. I think puppies have sucj sensitive tummies so best to keep the variety at a minimum until you get 'tootsie roll' poop each time. I also used dog food moistened with water in Kong's.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

My boy has a sensitive stomach, he eats the Salmon formula of PPP SSS.
I also only buy Salmon treats because of his sensitive stomach. I buy Plato Pet Treats, they are a US based company, the ingredients for the treats in US sourced also. 

They make some very small treats you could use for training.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I was buying Blue Wilderness treats because they were on Amazon for less than $2 a bag. Price went up, I ran out. I'll go back to Zuke's probably. As puppies they LOVED Happy Howie's meat rolls.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

SRW said:


> First suggestion, quit training with treats. Your praise and the dogs pride in accomplishing the task are the best rewards.
> 
> Second, if you must use treats simply use a portion of the daily ration of whatever you feed him.


That theory works well for field work. The work IS the reward. Basic Obedience needs a reward. Food or a toy. One of mine has the best down because she got to chase a ball when she did what I asked.


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## dbrown (Nov 13, 2018)

We use kibble at home/ low distraction settings, and "turn up the volume" with Zuke's, jerky, or hot dog pieces.
For others who use food, how do you pack it up for training when out of the house? Do you put it right in your bait bag? We're using very small plastic baggies, but they're not easy to access quickly.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Abeille said:


> That theory works well for field work. The work IS the reward. Basic Obedience needs a reward. Food or a toy. One of mine has the best down because she got to chase a ball when she did what I asked.


There is nothing wrong with using treats for obedience training with puppies. Treats are very helpful for teaching things like laying down, which dogs typically don't enjoy learning. As a pup becomes solid in obedience I think the treats need to go away. A dog that obeys only for treats has not learned obedience.


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## Montysmom (May 14, 2018)

Thank you for all the great input. I have to work on weaning him from so many treats. He is very food oriented, but as some commented, when doing his favorite thing, like swimming or a ball on a beach I never need treats. the play is reward itself. I have to work on it. i appreciate some of the different treats mentioned. Will try some of them, I prefer the dry biscuit type they are easiest to store in the treat bag.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Montysmom said:


> He is very food oriented


I'm sure he is as are most pups. Part of that is conditioning, he has learned to expect it.
As your dog advances in training the sense of pride he gets from his own success will be a far greater reward than any treat.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

SRW said:


> I'm sure he is as are most pups. Part of that is conditioning, he has learned to expect it.
> As your dog advances in training the sense of pride he gets from his own success will be a far greater reward than any treat.


I am not sure that dogs feel "pride". Treats are an important training tool for many people. Obviously you can't go through life rewarding every single instance of a desired behaviour. The whole point of treats as a training tool is that they are phased out as the behaviour becomes automatic in response to the command. However, sometimes you need to keep treats (food or a toy) to reward successful completion of an overall task or sequence, especially when it's not a natural thing for a dog to do. I train for agility, which is not a natural behaviour for a dog. I use treats extensively during basic training, first to obtain the behaviour, and second to signal success - because the dog has no way of knowing my criteria for success (e.g. with contact obstacles, where he must touch the bottom part of the downward plank in order to complete the obstacle successfully). I also use them to reinforce behaviours the dog may be unsure about (e.g. the seesaw obstacle, because many dogs are unsure of it until they have understood that they are in control of the tipping motion), and to train complex behaviours such as weave poles. As the dog learns and integrates the individual behaviours, I stop rewarding every instance of them and gradually step the rewards back until they are used only for sequences. Since agility is something the dog does because I ask it to, not because it's a natural behaviour, I always continue to reward after every run, whether it's successful (i.e. perfect) or not. I reward through my behaviour - enthusiasm, praise - and also with a food treat. Some handlers use toys instead of food. It's been my experience that Goldens prefer food ...! But I do not agree that expecting the dog to be "proud" of his action is sufficient reward. I don't think they function like that. It always makes me sad to see an agility handler leave the ring after a faulted run and not reward the dog. The dog doesn't know it missed a contact by half an inch, or went in the wrong end of a tunnel, or whatever. I always make sure my dog knows I'm happy with his work. He's not a machine.

To answer the OP's question, I use cheese or cooked meat as treats.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Treats may be necessary in training for some venues. Golden's are retrievers and that is what the take pride in. My dog does not feel any pride in sitting, heeling, waiting in a holding blind, etc. He does it for the ultimate reward of retrieving a bird. If you have never seen pride in a dog go to a field trial, the only thing any of the dogs want is another bird.
There is nothing natural about running past a poison mark or a crate of live birds to pick up a blind but retrievers do it with enthusiasm at trials every weekend. There is nothing more rewarding to a retriever than returning to the line head and tail held high with their bird.


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## Spiderpig (Nov 7, 2019)

dbrown said:


> For others who use food, how do you pack it up for training when out of the house? Do you put it right in your bait bag? We're using very small plastic baggies, but they're not easy to access quickly.


I put it in a sandwich bag with the zipper top and then roll the top open once or twice so my hand doesn’t catch the edge. That baggie goes in the bait bag. It is not a perfect solution but has worked well enough for me. I have also considered using a larger bag and wrapping It around the top of the bait bag. I have also seen some bags with a removable liner for washing but seems like it might be more trouble than it is worth.


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## justo (Jul 10, 2019)

Montysmom said:


> Can I ask what treats You feed your goldens. For the most part Monty’s first poop of the day is perfect. He’s on pp sport. I think the treats he gets during the day for training are causing some gastric issues. I try to train a few times a day for short periods where he gets treats. Also with a few retrieving sessions the treats add up. i try to stick with the naturals varieties and blue. Sometimes he gets the junk treats milkbone etc. his second poop of the day is really wet and slimy. It has to be the treats. Any suggestions?


you know what "they" say, "variety is the spice of life". i try to mix it up between praise, play, special toy, treats/portion of their food, sometimes our food, etc... getting to know your dog is important 'cause what appeals to one might not appeal to an other. for example, my one dog will do ANYthing for food, but offer a toy or one of those "sterilized" bones and you've lost her. haha, the only time she'll actually chew on a sterilized bone is when she feels like teasing my other dog, just to show him whose really in charge between the 2 of them (she's not the golden, the male is the golden). my other dog, however, doesn't care: food, brushing, playtime, any kind of attention and he's right their wanting it.

to answer the part of your question where you ask about treats, i only buy from USA sources and will occasionally allow other countries IF they state that they are organic. i will NOT, however, buy ANYTHING from china or any product that does not list a country of origin. china has had too many instances of careless poisoning of animals with toxic substances being found in their products over the years.

i have found this website to be helpful in finding good info on food/recall info:
Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor


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## DeSande (Dec 29, 2019)

Montysmom said:


> Can I ask what treats You feed your goldens. For the most part Monty’s first poop of the day is perfect. He’s on pp sport. I think the treats he gets during the day for training are causing some gastric issues. I try to train a few times a day for short periods where he gets treats. Also with a few retrieving sessions the treats add up. i try to stick with the naturals varieties and blue. Sometimes he gets the junk treats milkbone etc. his second poop of the day is really wet and slimy. It has to be the treats. Any suggestions?


I would recommend staying away from Milkbones, as a main ingredient is wheat, which is know to cause allergic symptoms in our dogs. Get yourself a Food Dehydrator and make your own dehydrated treats using Chicken Breasts. In my area I get skinless and boneless breasts for $2 per pound. It’s hard to imagine a better treat, and not for much money. Dogs love them!


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## Snowy (Feb 7, 2021)

Spiderpig said:


> I mostly use boiled chicken or cut one of those tubes of dog food from the refrigerated section. I think it is natures fresh or something. If I have to use something dry I just use kibble but also like the Zukes treats because I can cut them up.


I use boiled chicken too.. Its his special treat and he loves them


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