I know Cairn Terriers are prone to obesity,so I should limit treats,but how do I train her? I give lots of praise and rubs when she does good,but nothing gets her attention like food. I’m wonder what other people do to train overweight dogs.
I don’t know if she’s OVERweight,but I want to avoid it,if I can.
In addition to the good suggestions so far, I’ll add low-fat mozzarella string cheese and turkey hot dogs. I use veggies a lot with my dog, but dogs love their meat, so sometimes nothing rewards her for hard work quite like hot dog.
Cut any treats you use into the size of a pea (I can get about 40 rewards from a piece of string cheese) and you’ll be able to train more but put in fewer calories. And training will go faster, since you aren’t waiting for her to finish chewing!
Frozen peas are AWESOME, you’ll save a ton of cash if you buy a large bag and keep it in the freezer, it’ll last you a year!
I use Zukes salmon treats, which are also very small (and very healthy for your dog), I even cut them in half for training so that I can use more treats if needed.
Add: “painted..” is right, I have also used my dog’s kibble as reward in training…. he responded very well at first, but then I think he got the feeling he was being ripped off lol. It’s definitely worth a try though 😀
MuttMommy that is an awesome idea… I’m going to hit up my trainer for some of his samples for sure, don’t know why I didn’t think of that before lol.
you can use baby carrots, apple pieces, or sugar snap peas for treats. But when you train you want something soft so their focus stays more on the training, so you can use blueberries if you can afford it or banana pieces. although if you exercise her enough, you shouldn’t have to worry about a few treats a day. I like the Natural choice treats for my dogs. another way to avoid obesity is no free feeding.
lol my dogs eat better than me too.
oh just a warning about the fruits, i’ve read not to give fruits like oranges, tangerines, and of course grapes. My one dog drools over oranges though, but i read their stomachs need to be very acidic to kill the bacteria they’re always taking in their mouths and oranges upset that balance.
Fruits and vegetables work great, especially when chopped into bite size pieces, but you may want to incorporate and move toward clicker-training. Then you wouldn’t have to always give a treat for training. Any dog trainer can advise you on how to add clicker training to your routine.
You can use part of your dog’s food ration. I actually did have a lady that would stop at sonic on her way to class to pic up a cup of ice. The dog went nuts over it. It is difficult to carry around tho. Also try animal crackers.
If you have to press in to feel her ribs then she could probably lose afew.
Raw apple slices and green beans.
carrots, green beans, peas, apples, bananas, blueberries
A treat the size of a pencil-top eraser is plently. Cut the treats or friuts/veggies into that size.
Carrots.
Often, I’ve seen people using the dog food itself, as ‘treats’ for training. 🙂
I have a 1 1/2 old beagle- they love to eat as well! I buy the bags of baby carrots at the grocery store and snap them in half for a reward. There is also a brand that makes all natural dog food and treats, without any added fat. Most dog food has lots of added fat to make it more appealing. The brand is called “Bill and Jac” and I pick it up and their “liver treats” at Pet Smart. It’s manufactured on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, so I’m not sure about the availability. (I do mix in an occasional “real treat”- if they don’t know what you’re going to give them they’ll obey everytime with the hope that you’ll give her a real treat!) My dog loves the carrots too and she was so easy to train!
dogs love ice cubes!
Ice cubes are a good choice
i use these treats called liver treats they are very small and soft so that you can pull them apart and just give tiny pieces to the dog.
ooo I can answer this one – I have two dogs on diets right now. I do use kibble as treats, but other types of high quality kibble (not the one I feed them). I get it for free – the little trial sized packets from my local dog boutique.
Zuke’s are good, but they gave my dogs bad gas. Baby carrots and green beans are also great options.