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| sliced cheese and some flavored bone |
When you have dogs, especially if you want to train them to do something, there's only a fail safe way to do it. Do it with FOOD!
Before I would buy these branded dog beef jerkies and flavored bones for Harvey and the gang, but it reached to a point when they don't want it anymore. The flavor probably is not sustainable. Plus, it's damn expensive! There were times I resorted to FITA crackers. They'd taste it, sure, but they'll look at me with judging and discriminating eyes.
When Bruce enrolled in his obedience class, the trainer did some "treat-tests" to see which treat he would greatly respond to. It's an exercise of finding out which food you could bribe him to do something fast! There's no question that Bruce could be bribed with anything edible! But he swiftly responded to CHEESE. It was like seeing him display extreme military focus.
Yes, Cheese, the normal processed cheese you buy in groceries. He could finish a whole regular bar cut into cubes. We tried it with Harvey, Chivas and Papo and they go crazy as well. I didn't know we could give cheese to dogs or that they really love it! So since that day they've discovered it, hearing the word "cheese" would immediately get their attention. It's like calling their names to salvation. And the funny thing is, they never get tired of it...ever!
I tend to mix up cheese and a piece of bone from time to time as their afternoon treat. I only give it to them after we've played or if they've done something good and funny. I also only give them treats once a day to give them something to look forward to. And it's been really effective. It's been a year now since I've included blocks of cheese in my weekly grocery budget and it's worked wonders (Get Danes and Quezo, they are tastier and much cheaper) And it's something I can definitely share and eat with them!
**Word of caution, the grocery cheese I am talking about is processed. Too much processed food is not good for dogs especially if they are already on a strict diet (like Bruce who suffered from Acute Renal failure). Try to just give them a couple of small cubes proportionate to their weight.
Below are other worthy treats (aside from CHEESE) that dogs really love and never get tired of:
1. Apple with yogurt.
-Dip a slice of apple in yogurt. Bruce, Papo love it to bits. Harvey and Chivas, not so much, but they never say no to it as well. If you're having a hard time making them eat fruits, dip it with yogurt.
2. Boiled liver
- Boil liver (preferably pork/beef) and cut them to strips. Don't put salt anymore. You can dip it in unsalted butter if you want to be generous with the flavor, but that's really not necessary. They love the taste of plain liver. It's also effective if you're having a hard time feeding them their usual meals. Just add liver to their meals to break the monotony.
3. Egg Whites
- Something about this that they love. Hardboiled egg is always the best since it's not oily. It's high in good allowable protein too. Bruce and the rest of the pack enjoy egg whites in their meal once a day.
Fruits (except grape) always work, but preference may vary from dog to dog. Dogs like humans can be very weird and eclectic of their food preference. Bruce might love vegetables, but Harvey hates them. Harvey might love spaghetti noodles, while Chivas doesn't give a damn. Chivas might like tuna, but Bruce just lets it pass. Let your dogs try some treats and see how they respond. Rule of thumb is not anything oily, salty or the "danger" foods for dogs (e.g.: Grapes, chocolate etc.) while everything else is okay in moderation.
What I'm just listing down are foods that works for my dogs ALL the time. There's no harm in trying them out :)
Before I would buy these branded dog beef jerkies and flavored bones for Harvey and the gang, but it reached to a point when they don't want it anymore. The flavor probably is not sustainable. Plus, it's damn expensive! There were times I resorted to FITA crackers. They'd taste it, sure, but they'll look at me with judging and discriminating eyes.
When Bruce enrolled in his obedience class, the trainer did some "treat-tests" to see which treat he would greatly respond to. It's an exercise of finding out which food you could bribe him to do something fast! There's no question that Bruce could be bribed with anything edible! But he swiftly responded to CHEESE. It was like seeing him display extreme military focus.
Yes, Cheese, the normal processed cheese you buy in groceries. He could finish a whole regular bar cut into cubes. We tried it with Harvey, Chivas and Papo and they go crazy as well. I didn't know we could give cheese to dogs or that they really love it! So since that day they've discovered it, hearing the word "cheese" would immediately get their attention. It's like calling their names to salvation. And the funny thing is, they never get tired of it...ever!
I tend to mix up cheese and a piece of bone from time to time as their afternoon treat. I only give it to them after we've played or if they've done something good and funny. I also only give them treats once a day to give them something to look forward to. And it's been really effective. It's been a year now since I've included blocks of cheese in my weekly grocery budget and it's worked wonders (Get Danes and Quezo, they are tastier and much cheaper) And it's something I can definitely share and eat with them!
**Word of caution, the grocery cheese I am talking about is processed. Too much processed food is not good for dogs especially if they are already on a strict diet (like Bruce who suffered from Acute Renal failure). Try to just give them a couple of small cubes proportionate to their weight.
Below are other worthy treats (aside from CHEESE) that dogs really love and never get tired of:
1. Apple with yogurt.
-Dip a slice of apple in yogurt. Bruce, Papo love it to bits. Harvey and Chivas, not so much, but they never say no to it as well. If you're having a hard time making them eat fruits, dip it with yogurt.
2. Boiled liver
- Boil liver (preferably pork/beef) and cut them to strips. Don't put salt anymore. You can dip it in unsalted butter if you want to be generous with the flavor, but that's really not necessary. They love the taste of plain liver. It's also effective if you're having a hard time feeding them their usual meals. Just add liver to their meals to break the monotony.
3. Egg Whites
- Something about this that they love. Hardboiled egg is always the best since it's not oily. It's high in good allowable protein too. Bruce and the rest of the pack enjoy egg whites in their meal once a day.
Fruits (except grape) always work, but preference may vary from dog to dog. Dogs like humans can be very weird and eclectic of their food preference. Bruce might love vegetables, but Harvey hates them. Harvey might love spaghetti noodles, while Chivas doesn't give a damn. Chivas might like tuna, but Bruce just lets it pass. Let your dogs try some treats and see how they respond. Rule of thumb is not anything oily, salty or the "danger" foods for dogs (e.g.: Grapes, chocolate etc.) while everything else is okay in moderation.
What I'm just listing down are foods that works for my dogs ALL the time. There's no harm in trying them out :)
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