Is it true that some treats work better than others when training a dog?

I've made progress with my dog training this evening. I got him to lay down. Twice. And he is finally going outside when I tell him to instead of pouncing on me. Yes!Anyways, I've read (or maybe seen on a show) once that strips of meat work better when training a dog than biscuits. Is this true?Thanks in advance! :DProgress! :D!!!Thank you all very, very much! I'll definitely take these with me next time that I go to town!

Yep. Why? Because meat/tripe/cheese smells so much better and tastes so much better than biscuits do.When a dog knows you have a nice piece of ham in your hand they are willing to do more for you than they would if you were holding a generic dog biscuit.Congrats on the progress!

The best treats are meat or cheese no fillers. Cut up a chicken breast into tiny pieces and put a sprinkle of garlic on it your dog will go nuts.

I use cut up hot dogs, cheap and effective.

Im sure it does...its much more tasty! I give my puppy small soft and chewy treats. Those work better than biscuits. They have more flavor (at least I think...I havent tried them myself lol). Boil a chicken breast (one per week). Shread it with a fork. Keep a bowl in the refrigorator and treat him with tiny strips for going outside. I used chicken with my puppy too and he loooooved it. It worked very well.

The gal that trains on the TV show out of England called "It's me or the dog" uses chicken. We use Hollywood Stars Liver Treats that you can get at Walmart. They go nuts over them and my husband has trained 8 dogs to go leash free on our farm. They stink to me like liver but they have a lot of protien and I can't see any junk so I prefer them over some. Meat is hard to keep fresh.

OOOOOOOOO yes. Don't WE all have favorite foods? What's yer poison? Um, gimme a Bil Jac liver treat with a little cheese on the side!

Absolutely! Just be sure to reserve that specific type of treat that is working so well for training. Good luck and congrats.

Sure, dogs have food preferences. One of my dogs will do anything for peanuts or peanut butter in a Kong; the other one can take it or leave it. The other one loves cheese. The best ones I've found are cut up wieners.Pieces of cheese.Begging strips (I break it into smaller pieces) they have a strong smell that gets the dogs attention.If I'm doing allot of training I just use the dry dog food that I would give the dog as her breakfast. I measure out what she would get into a plastic bag or the pouch I clip on my waist that is made for dog training and use that.I've even used cold pizza.I think my older dog would do cartwheels for strips of meat.

YES! I gave my dog Milk Bones and they didn't work and then I gave him some other kind my neighbor makes and they work like a charm!

a dog does not have discriminating taste. Think about it dogs like garbage and kitty and other dog poop. Are those the tastebuds of a discriminating dog? A dog will eat anything and he will do anything for a treat. We think it is better and we transpose our feelings onto the dogs

The more motivated your dog is, the more obedient he will be. He'll be most interested in learning obedience if you give him a compelling reason to focus on you and the task, and meat is a compelling reason. Other dogs like cheese, peanut butter, or other (safe) treats. It really depends on the dog too -- some will be fine with just biscuits whereas others will only really focus with "higher-value" treats.

Yesa high value reward often works better. Dogs do have some concept of value.. peices of meat or cheese are much better than dry biscuits.Thats like asking if you'd rather work for $5 an hour, or $10 an hour.. of course if you're getting paid more, you're going to feel more motivated to do your job! A dog is going to feel more motivated to learn and obey if he feels the reward is well worth it.If your dog is working well for the biscuits tho, I'd save the high value rewards for the expecially tricky commands, or the ones that you want to strongly enforce (such as the recall command)

Not necessary a *specific* treat, but yes some do work better than others.Say you were being trained, as a human. If someone offered you say a carrot stick compared to chocolate cake (or whatever your favorite food/dessert is) which would you be more motivated to work for?My dog personally *loves* hot dogs, cheeses, and this peanut butter muffin. Compare that to normal biscuits, crunchy treats, etc. she behaves so much better and is actually excited to do training sessions.Try some *smellier* foods, such as sandwhich meat. (Note that with sandwhich meat, break into small bits, and don't over-feed.) If your dog doesn't respond well (should be highly interested, trying hard to work for you to earn it) then just keep switching until your dog finds something he loves. Also, treats get old after awhile. So be sure to rotate, so find a few treats your dog adores. It might be a good idea to save your dog's most favorite treat for public training only. That way your dog will work extra hard and be on better behavior. Use less enticing treats for home.Good luck!

Yes, some treats will work better. However, you have to keep in mind that the dog is doing it for the treat, not for you. If you don't have a treat, the dog will not do what you want. If the dog doesn't work for a piece of kibble, you give a moist treat, then he won't work for that and you give a hotdog, then chicken. So he will want steak just to sit. I would avoid using treats. Your dog should do what you tell them because he wants to please you, not because you have a hot dog.