# Sausage treats?



## Dakota's Pal (Sep 9, 2012)

Iv'e been reading a lot about people using bits of sausage as treats, but I'm wondering what kind. Is it a dog treat that you can buy at PetSmart? Or is it a human sausage (raw) from a grocery store. If it is the human kind what brand do you recommend?:wavey:
Thanks


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I would not recommend sausage cooked or uncooked as a treat. At the very least, you might get diarrhea, at the worst, pancreatitis. You can get dog treats like that at the pet stores.


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## Dakota's Pal (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks! 
Is blue buffalo good for treats?
Or just use his kibble?


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

*What I have observed…*

Most Trainers recommend a soft and stinky treat during training sessions. Stinky for motivation and soft so they hurry and swallow it and get back to focusing on you and the training. I have dehydrated chicken at home. Some folks use food that comes in a tube and kinda looks like summer sausage. This way you can keep the empty calories down when you are doing a lot of training or “loading” a clicker. I would definitely say no pork sausage due to the risks associated with pork. Nutro has really good natural crunchy treats and my dogs love the apple or the peanut butter best. A crunchy treat gives a dog a lot of satisfaction. If you want to reward an individual event like a successful outside trip, crunchy is best. I always recommend getting treats that say “Training” on them because they are usually lower calorie. Side note; I would not give a puppy under 6 months any treat that says “Dental” on it since their teeth are developing. I would stay away from raw hides if for no other reason it teaches your pup that leather is theirs and you could lose a wallet or your best shoes.


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## Dakota's Pal (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks! About how many calories should a bag of treats be (like, what should it say on the bag) I am looking at the Blue Buffalo Blue Bits Natural Soft-Moist Dog Training Treats and from what I can see it doesn't say anything about calories. For training at home would I also have to use those or can kibble work too?


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

A good kibble is good treat. I would make it salmon if you feed chicken or venison if you feed fish so it is novel to them. Blue Buffalo's web-site might have the calories and the consumer line should be able to tell you. I feed pups 1000-1200 calories /day. My dogs when working or training intensely can get 1600 calories. I don' t think calories alone can dictate though. Many foods have sugary ingredients or fillers that can add calories that are "emptier". Treats typically have ingredients that are less nutrient dense and are there just for flavor and enjoyment. Anyway, I base those calories on the nutrient dense food that I feed.


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

desi.n.nutro said:


> Most Trainers recommend a soft and stinky treat during training sessions. Stinky for motivation and soft so they hurry and swallow it and get back to focusing on you and the training. I have dehydrated chicken at home. Some folks use food that comes in a tube and kinda looks like summer sausage. This way you can keep the empty calories down when you are doing a lot of training or “loading” a clicker. I would definitely say no pork sausage due to the risks associated with pork. Nutro has really good natural crunchy treats and my dogs love the apple or the peanut butter best. A crunchy treat gives a dog a lot of satisfaction. If you want to reward an individual event like a successful outside trip, crunchy is best. I always recommend getting treats that say “Training” on them because they are usually lower calorie. Side note; I would not give a puppy under 6 months any treat that says “Dental” on it since their teeth are developing. I would stay away from raw hides if for no other reason it teaches your pup that leather is theirs and you could lose a wallet or your best shoes.


For God sakes, can't you make one post without hawking Nutro products? Please take your spam elsewhere.


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## Swede (Oct 31, 2011)

We use pieces of cereal (Kix, Cheerios) as treats for our Annabelle. They have next to no calories, gives her something to crunch on, and a box lasts a long time. We also use cherry tomatoes and small pieces of lettuce. She especially loves these.


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

artbuc said:


> For God sakes, can't you make one post without hawking Nutro products? Please take your spam elsewhere.


Thats not fair considering someone else on this forum hawks about Dr Tims and Annameat in every thread and I dont see people harping on him.

As for training treats I use soft treats from the store. I usually buy Zukes


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

A1Malinois said:


> Thats not fair considering someone else on this forum hawks about Dr Tims and Annameat in every thread and I dont see people harping on him.
> 
> As for training treats I use soft treats from the store. I usually buy Zukes


You don't "see people harping on him"? Better get your glasses changed. I see a difference between someone coming on here and sharing their personal experience vs someone who advocates products from their employer in virtually every post. Dr Tim's has been a major find for my dog and I am very thankful that I learned about it here.


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

A1Malinois said:


> Thats not fair considering someone else on this forum hawks about Dr Tims and Annameat in every thread and I dont see people harping on him.
> 
> As for training treats I use soft treats from the store. I usually buy Zukes


 
You have some nerve. How many private messages have you sent me looking for advice? Shall I count them?


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## Lilliam (Apr 28, 2010)

Allrightythen....back to the OP.....

What I like to use for training is roast chicken. It's easy, I control everything about it, and he gets something yummy.

If I'm trying to get something REALLY important done, I use chicken livers that I sautee myself. Stinky, yes, but he LOVES IT. It's SPECIAL!!!!!

Sometimes I use Swiss cheese.

With so many treats hurting dogs these days - I'm thinking about things like jerky treats and such - I prefer to give him something REALLY SPECIAL that I cook myself. I have a trainer's bag and I put the treats in a baggie inside the bag. Yeah, your fingers get messy, but when I want his undivided attention nothing works better for him than chicken livers.


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