My dog is picky and won't take treats. How do I train and reward her?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like you've got yourself a pretty picky Husky! As long as she does not have any food sensitivities or allergies, I would recommend boiling some chicken or ground turkey to use as a tasty treat that is low in fat. This is what I have to do for my own dog. She will likely consider this a much more rewarding treat than plain kibble, and hopefully motivate her to be trained into a sitting or laying down position. I hope this helps!

For training purposes we sometimes will give foods not normally recommended to our pups, such as SMALL pieces of cheese, tiny pieces of cooked hot dog, or a lick of a spoon with peanut butter or EZ cheese. Some dogs also really enjoy the freeze dried liver treats such as these https://www.chewy.com/stewart-pro-treat-beef-liver-freeze/dp/44918. As long as you are giving very little pieces and your dog doesn't have food allergies or a sensitive stomach these can be good choices for high value rewards. Other dogs respond well to being rewarded with a certain toy. Many dogs, for example, are in love with/obsessed with tennis balls and just getting to catch a tennis ball or hold it in their mouth can be a reward. Another way to increase treat motivation is to give a smaller meal or wait to give a meal until after your training session. Your dog may not be interested in treats if he just ate his whole bowl of food and has a full belly!

It sounds like she's trained you to give her the good stuff :) I'd first start with a vet visit to rule out a medical cause (Anxiety, intestinal parasites, an issue with her liver processing nutrients called a liver shunt). If everything is normal, then slowly start weaning her off the treats and on to food. It's ok for her to go a day or two without eating a normal amount while you're transitioning her.

Hi there. For training treats, you have quite a few different options depending on what she likes. Good, relatively low-value training treats would include kibble, Cheerios, carrots or green beans (cooked or raw), or packaged moist treats like BilJac or Blue Buffalo Blue Bits. High value training treats would include string cheese, pieces of meat (chicken, roast beef, or turkey), or cat food or liverwurst dispensed from a squeezable tube. It may take some trial and error to figure out what she likes enough to work for. Good luck!

It can be tricking to work on behavior training a dog that is not particularly food motivated. You may need to find a treat that he really loves in order to motivate him: you could try freeze dried liver treats, cutting up pieces of refrigerated semi-soft dog food into small pieces, or very small pieces of cheese. Some dogs are more motivated by toys or play time, so you could also try giving him a favorite toy as a reward. You may also want to consider seeing a trainer for tips - puppy kindergarten and obedience classes can be very helpful!

The best training treats are ones that your dog really loves and that can be broken into very small treats. This is especially important with a small dog like Bella. I have used and really like Wellness Soft Puppy Bites and Fruitables. This article also mentions a couple of other small and soft chews that would work well for Bella. https://www.rover.com/blog/favorite-healthy-dog-training-treats/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

A few general recommendations: stick with well known brands with a good reputation. Look for products made in the USA. Kibble works great for treats and I use Purina Pro Plan chicken or lamb and rice. Dry biscuit type treats usually have less calories and salt. The jerky or moist type treats are fine in moderation (they have more calories and salt usually). Lastly, many dogs really like dehydrated chicken livers and chicken jerky. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.