Training Your Puppy

Getting a new puppy is such an exciting time – but it comes with a lotttt of training. And this means you need the best training treats for puppies.

Using positive reinforcement training rewards desired behaviors, creating a positive correlation between those behaviors and good outcomes – a.k.a. food!

 

 

This form of training helps to build the bond between you and your pup, allowing you both to have fun with it. It’s important to use a positive form of training, so your dog responds to you out of respect rather than fear.

Positive reinforcement training is key for all behaviors, but especially for those you really want to stick. This includes recall, leave it, and drop it – which once mastered, can save you both a lot of trouble.

Since most dogs are food-motivated, a great reinforcement tool is a really good treat. In this blog, we will discuss what to look for when choosing a treat and what options we love best!

 

The Best Training Treats for Puppies Have…

 

When choosing treats for training, you want to focus on two factors: nutrition and value.

Empty calories are never great for your dog, but especially for growing puppies. Giving them the nutrients they need in their training treats will help their development.

If we’re using food as a reward, it goes without saying that it should be really good food. A treat that doesn’t have a high value will get you nowhere.

NUTRITION

 

When you’re training, it can feel like you’re giving your puppy an excess of treats – and sometimes you are – so it’s important to make sure they are nutritious!

Puppies need about twice the amount of calories as adult dogs their body weight. Due to this, you most likely won’t be overfeeding while training. Nevertheless, it is important to keep caloric intake in mind.

One of our favorite ways to ensure our treats are nutritious and don’t exceed daily caloric needs is to utilize food!

Freeze-dried raw is our favorite food to use as training treats. It can be subtracted from your puppy’s daily meals and used during training sessions easily. Since it is raw and minimally processed, these will provide value and nutrition to your pup.

Since puppies normally eat 3 meals a day, we love to use at least one of those meals as a training opportunity – make them work for their food! 

Plus, when you use treats that also double as food, you don’t need to worry about your puppy missing any key nutrients as they grow. This way, you will have a healthy AND well-trained dog when they reach maturity,

VALUE

 

Of course, you also want your treats to be high-value. The better the treats, the more your puppy will focus on you while training. Whether you’re teaching commands or on a walk, having their focus is key.

The good news is, puppies require more protein and fat for their growing bodies and developing brains. And these two tend to offer up the most delicious treats!

If you are using freeze-dried food, as mentioned earlier, it will definitely have high value. Most freeze-dried raw is made with 80% meat content or higher, with muscle and organ meat. This provides a tasty incentive for your dog.

When choosing treats – that are not complete meals – value is a crucial factor. We love to recommend single-ingredient protein treats to ensure your dog is super focused on their reward. The best training treats for puppies are ones that keep their focus on YOU!

Always opt for a freeze-dried raw or dehydrated dog treat when you can, as it will maintain more of the protein and the taste. These will also be easy to keep in a treat pouch without getting too messy!

Work With What Your Pup Loves!

 

 

Finding what your dog loves most can take a little, but it’s worth experimenting! Some dogs prefer red meat, while others are more fish-driven. The best training treats for puppies are also whatever works best for your dog!

 

Variety is also great when training, so your pup doesn’t get bored or feel the task is becoming monotonous. We love to fill our treat pouch with a few varieties of treats so your dog has the excitement of not knowing what flavor could be next.

While we always suggest small bites for training – so focus isn’t lost while they chew – some dogs do prefer crunchy versus soft. As long as they stick to a couple bites per treat, we approve!

Barkfield’s Best Training Treats for Puppies

 

Some of our favorite foods to use as training treats include:

Badlands Ranch: The air-dried texture makes it mess-free, yet it is still packed with protein and superfoods to promote healthy brain development.

Green Juju: Their freeze-dried gets most of its vitamins & minerals from organ meats, which provide a ton of nutrients for growing puppies.

Open Farm: They had a puppy-specific freeze-dried blend that combines multiple proteins and doesn’t require adjusting the amount for their age!

If you want to keep mealtime separate, some of our best training treats for puppies are:

Northwest Naturals: The Raw Rewards line has freeze-dried proteins (and cheese!) that are single-ingredient and suuuuper high-value.

Tuesday’s Natural Dog Company: Their training bites are tiny yet mighty. We love mixing these into training sessions, plus they have great protein options like venison and rabbit.

SmallBatch: The Superboosters line is packed with protein and superfood produce & oils to support brain and organ development. Due to the high protein content, they are super high value!

 

Not food-motivated? We can still help!

In the case of a dog that’s not food motivated (not looking at you, labs), we suggest a high-value toy. This would be a toy that only comes out during training sessions that your dog expresses extreme interest in.

We find tug toys work best here, and really love the whole Tall Tails line. Their durable toys make for a perfect play-centered reward to train with!