Treat Them Right - Healthy Treat Training
Sit. Stay.
Puppies need at least basic training to ensure they have good manners. It enhances your bond, creates a positive relationship, and teaches the puppy that training is fun! Setting a strong training foundation during puppyhood is important for developing more complex skills down the line, whether it is for sporting, working or service dogs.
Basic training of puppies can be a slow and steady process - however positive reinforcement of desirable behaviours using treats can help! Treat rewards can also help establish relationships with pet parents and build positive associations to new and potentially scary things (such as car rides or vacuum cleaners).
However, during those first few weeks, everything can seem like a training opportunity! It is easy for the treats to run a little too freely. Most treats are not considered balanced nutrition and do not provide the appropriate amounts of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that puppies need for healthy growth. If a puppy starts to get more treats and less of their puppy food, they may be at risk for growth problems. If they start to receive too much food overall, they may start to gain weight too quickly, which could put them at risk for obesity when they are older.
Treats, including human food and chews, should make up no more than 10% of their daily calories. Need help figuring out what that means for your puppy? Check out our treat calculator!
10-Treat-Allocation-Calculator.pdf
The calories in treats can vary greatly, and sometimes can add up quickly. Most treat bags will have a suggested feeding amount listed, and if not, they will have the number of calories per treat so you can do the math yourself. Selecting a treat that is lower in calories means that more treats can be given! Breaking treats up into smaller pieces can also help when you're in the middle of a good training session.
Now, what if the treats have run out, but the training continues? What about keeping your puppy busy and engaged throughout the day?
Kibble as treats
Using a portion of your puppy's regular puppy food as treats can continue the treat reward, without the unnecessary calories. You may wish to reserve the real treats for something that requires a high-value reward, such as a tricky task or distracting environment, and use your puppy's kibble for regular training sessions. Training sessions right before (or in replacement of) mealtimes can also help - generally, a hungry puppy is a motivated puppy!
Play or praise reward
Some puppies are not naturally food motivated. It can take a bit of consideration to figure out what makes these puppies want to work. Praise, toys or play sessions are often motivators for these puppies, but they can also be used for food motivated puppies when we need an alternative to treat rewards.
Introducing clicker training can also be useful, as the clicker eventually replaces the treats as the puppy starts to regularly perform the training task.
Puzzle feeders
Puppies are busy, and sometimes keeping them occupied can feel like a full-time job! Instead of reaching for treats or chews, which can add those extra calories, consider finding a complimentary wet pairing to your puppy food and filling a puzzle feeder! Need an extra challenge? Consider freezing some of the wet food in the puzzle to keep your puppy busy for a longer time. Just check with your pet professional to make sure the food won't be too hard for your puppy's fragile baby teeth.
And of course, if you are a bit worried that maybe the treats have added a bit of extra weight to your pup's mid-section, it is best to speak to your veterinarian prior to making any dietary changes!