A trained dog is a healthy dog. Your well-trained dog will not pull on a leash, dash into traffic, or jump excitedly at other dogs or people. Your well-trained dog will be happier, because the two of you will bond during the training process and because he’ll know what is expected of him and will be calm and stress-free.
Many dogs are motivated by food because that’s a primal instinct, so food is often used in training, especially initially. There are right ways and wrong ways to use food to train your dog, but there are also right foods and wrong foods.
What NOT to use to train your dog
Don’t use human food. Yes, sometimes rescue dogs have been fed human food – in fact, one of our friends got a rescue dog that was calmed down by French fries! But this is never a good idea. If your dog has a history of human food, it’s time to carefully wean him.
This may seem strange coming from us since we use only human-grade food in our dog treats. Yes, we use the very highest quality ingredients, healthy enough for people to eat, and we stick to five simple ingredients in each snack. However, we choose only ingredients that we know dogs can safely ingest. There are many foods that humans eat that dogs should not. And sadly, there are many additives, both in human food and other companies’ dog food, that are just not good for dogs.
The right treats for training your dog
First, when training, choose a treat that is portable so that you can easily give your dog a treat when you are out and about. Our sprinkles or our chicken or beef samplers are perfect for this. You don’t want to have to break up a larger treat when you’re out walking.
Second, use a training treat that is different from your regular, everyday treat. Reserve our larger treats, such as Helt’s Honey Treat or Carnivore’s Choice, or any one of our jerky style strips, for when you and your canine friend are just hanging out, enjoying each other’s company. Or offer them as an evening treat. But stick to the smaller treats for training.
Keep track of the amount of treats you give your dog and subtract the calorie count from the overall daily calories you feed him. It’s important to keep your dog at a healthy weight.
Training a dog reaps rewards for both owner and dog. As we’ve trained our dog Cooper with Saint Rocco’s Treats, we’ve not only developed that bond but also provided him with safe and valuable skills. And yes, yummy, healthy treats!
Our belief is that five high-quality ingredients are all you need for a delicious, wholesome dog treat. Our goal is to craft dog treats with ingredients you recognize and the quality you and your canine friend deserve. All of our treats are made by hand in our Bucks County, PA kitchen, and we hand-deliver locally. Contact us today for the “paw-fect” treat for your dog!