What Makes a Great Training Treat?

Be sure to pick a training treat that your dog enjoys!

The number one question I receive from owners learning to clicker train their dogs: what makes a great training treat? Here are the things I recommend you consider when choosing treats to use while training your dog.

Size

You will be using a lot of treats when training your dog. In order to avoid weight gain, cut your training treats into the tiniest pieces possible. My rule of thumb is that treats should be no larger than the size of a pea; […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2022-08-15T19:43:45-04:00August 15, 2022|Helpful Hints, Training|2 Comments

Myth Busting: Dogs That Aren’t Food Motivated

We once thought Strata was “not treat motivated” when actually, he needed to lose a bit of weight and be offered tastier treats!

When dog owners find out that clicker training requires using a lot of dog treats, some express concern. They start to tell me that their dogs are not food motivated. I have good news: all dogs are food motivated!

Dogs have to eat. If your dog wasn’t motivated by food in some capacity, they would be dead. While this seems obvious, but many people don’t see the […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2022-08-09T21:11:48-04:00August 9, 2022|Myth Busting|8 Comments

How to Chop Dog Treats in 5 Minutes or Less

In our Day School program, we go through a lot of dog treats! During our busiest weeks, it is not uncommon for us to use 10 pounds or more. We’re always looking for the fastest and most cost-effective ways to prepare and store this much food in our training studio.

When it comes to food rolls, we have this down to a science. We recommend and sell Happy Howie’s treat rolls. Happy Howie’s rolls are way less crumbly than other rolls on the market, which is why they are our favorite. These are 1- or 2-pound chubs of semi-soft dog treats which you can […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2017-12-30T03:42:59-05:00September 7, 2016|Tutorials and How-To Guides, Helpful Hints, Product Reviews|2 Comments

Product Review: Solid Gold Tiny Tots Lamb Jerky Dog Treats

From time to time, we get an opportunity to test drive a new dog product. This time around, we were sent a bag of Solid Gold Tiny Tots, which are described by the manufacturer as a “lamb jerky” dog treat.

The first thing I noticed after opening the bag of Tiny Tots (which contains 10oz of treats – not bad!) was the smell. These treats have a very particular scent. I don’t know how to describe it, but it does not remind me of lamb at […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-03-23T19:24:11-04:00March 23, 2016|Product Reviews|Comments Off

How to Teach Your Dog Self-Control Around Food: VIDEO

In one of my previous blog posts about self-control versus imposed control for dogs, I explained that I do not teach “leave it” to my dogs. Instead, I train my dogs to wait for permission to take food, objects, or anything else they want.

Here is a quick video demonstration of how I train dogs to have self-control around food.

Keys to Training

One of our students demonstrating self-control around food. Great job, Willow! (Photo: Smiling […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2020-05-27T14:14:45-04:00December 28, 2015|Training, Tutorials and How-To Guides|Comments Off

The Power of Peanut Butter

Behold! One of the most versatile dog training tools known to man. (Photo Credit: Victoria Chilinski)

What’s your favorite training tool? Dog trainers are always looking for the latest and greatest items to add to their bag of tricks. My answer can be found at any supermarket or convenience store: peanut butter!

For Agility Dogs

My passion for peanut butter began while attending agility classes with Tessie. She is a whiner, and would anxiously await her next turn on the equipment by making all sorts of strange noises. Springers are capable of making […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2015-12-15T21:18:55-05:00December 17, 2015|Group Classes, Helpful Hints, Reactive Dogs, Training|1 Comment

Stop Free-Feeding: How to Feed Your Dog Regular Meals

Is there always a bowl of food on your kitchen floor? If so, you’re free-feeding. (Photo by JnL on Flickr.)

One of the first management recommendations I make to my clients is to stop “free-feeding” their dog. Free-feeding means leaving a bowl of dog food on the ground for hours at a time, if not all day long, rather than giving the dog regularly scheduled meals which need to be eaten immediately.

Here are some of the problems with free-feeding:

Free-fed dogs are harder to housebreak. Scheduled input of food means […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2015-12-02T16:00:02-05:00December 7, 2015|Helpful Hints, Training, Tutorials and How-To Guides|Comments Off