Skip to Content

6 Ways to Use Training Treats Even When You’re Not Dog Training

By: Author Paris Permenter

This post is sponsored by Wellness. All statements and opinions are entirely our own. As always, we only share products that our own pets enjoy!

This has been a big month for our little Bärli. Since his adoption on March 13, he’s left the shelter that had been his home for three months, moved to a new house, gained a big canine sister and three feline siblings, visited six city parks and one state park, had his first visit with his new vet, swam in two lakes, and, soon, he’ll head off on his first overnight trip.

That’s a lot of changes and new experiences for a five-month-old puppy! Bärli is quickly adjusting to his new life, and is a joyous little fellow. Every day, we work on his socialization and his training–always with a good supply of training treats–but we also use training treats in other ways.

Here’s a look at six ways we’ve used training treats with Bärli when we’re not training!

Temperament Testing

When we traveled to the Hill Country SPCA to meet Bärli (then Baby Bear), I took along a bag of Wellness® CORE® 100% Freeze-Dried Treats for dogs to do a little temperament testing in the meet-and-greet.

I was looking to see if Bärli was food motivated (making training easier) and if he showed any signs of resource guarding around Tiki or us.

I also wanted to let him know that good things happen around us and the training treats did the trick!

Calming Your Dog at the Vet’s Office

To help distract Bärli during his first vet visit and to show him that the vet’s office is a friendly place, I gave him treats in the waiting room and as we waited in the exam room.

I had treats on the table so they were easy for the vet techs to grab as they came in to get Bärli‘s temperature, too.

Luring to Get Your Dog’s Head Through a Collar, Leash or Harness

Wearing a harness is a new experience for Bärli so I held a treat out with the harness between us so, to reach the treat, he put his head through the harness. Once on, he earned some more treats. Wearing a harness now equals fun!

Helping Your Dog Enjoy the Outdoors

After three months at the shelter, it’s understandable that Bärli feels most comfortable indoors. We love the outdoors, though, and we want him to share our love of being outside.

He’s getting more and more comfortable being outside and exploring the yard with Tiki, but we try to make it even more enticing when we can. At Easter, he and Tiki enjoyed an Easter “egg” hunt to sniff out some treats (and some carefully hidden servings of Wellness® CORE® RawRev™ which combines high-protein, grain-free kibble with freeze-dried raw meat. They had so much fun “hunting” for their breakfast so I’m determined to repeat this exercise every few weeks!

Luring Your Dog

As I mentioned, Bärli‘s not always eager to run outside–even when we know it’s potty time. I grab a couple of training treats when I open the front door–and, if needed, use them to lure him outside for a bathroom break. Whether you need to lure your dog into the car or the bathtub, training treats can be a fun way to convince your dog to move and help show that this is going to be a good experience.

Showing Your Dog Some Love

As we continue to help Bärli get to know Tiki–and us, we’re doing what families do: helping each other feel good. Along with plenty of love and fun activities, that includes tasty treats enjoyed not only during training but just because…

Paris Permenter
Latest posts by Paris Permenter (see all)
This post originally appeared on DogTipper.com and is the sole property of DogTipper.com.