Tag: treats

Adventure Pup Mindfulness Challenge #4 – snacking

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Today we are going to enjoy a tasty treat with our dogs. Choose a food that both you and your dog enjoys. Please educate yourself on all of the dog-safe human foods before beginning this exercise. I prefer a stick of string cheese, something that’s yummy, can last a while, and is safe for Link to eat. 

Before diving into this activity, please educate yourself on dog-friendly foods so you don’t accidentally poison your best friend.

Start by sitting in a quiet location with your dog, again without distractions such as your phone or children. Begin slowly enjoying your treat. If we stick with the string cheese example, begin by removing the wrapper. Do this slowly and with intent. Pay attention to what you are doing, but also pay attention to what your dog is doing. As you unwrap the food is your dog at attention by your feet? Or are they still in their own world, ignoring you until they know the snack will be shared? Link can tell the difference between a string cheese wrapper and any other piece of plastic on this earth.

As you observe them, take note of how your fingers feel as you unwrap your treat. What do you smell? Then, ever so slowly, take a small bite of the food. As you do, note what sensations come up in your body. The taste, the texture, the smell. Continue noting as you slowly chew, and swallow. With your next bite, observe your dog. Are they watching you? Are they ignoring you? With your third bite, hand a small piece to your pup and observe them. Do they swallow without chewing? Do they savor it? Do they spit it out?

On the next bite, offer them a small piece but hold it in your hand as they attempt to take it. Feel their tongue on your skin, perhaps a tiny bit of tooth on your skin (if your dog is biting your skin, do not give them the treat as you will be rewarding them for biting you- instead wait until they have stopped mouthing you and reward them once they are no longer chewing on you). Watch their expressions: their eyes, ears, mouths, noses, and tails will all tell you something about how your dog feels about this exercise. 

You can repeat this exercise with other snacks. You can also do this exercise with your dog’s normal food, just be sure to feed yourself something comparable in size & texture so you are having a shared experience. This activity could help you learn what snacks your pup loves most, and which they just eat simply because it’s available. This can help you build a hierarchy of treats, and know which ones your dog deems high value for those tougher training activities. 

I don’t know about you, but when I eat I am often just shoveling food into my mouth without any consideration of how it tastes or what it does for my body. This exercise helps me slow down and actually pay attention to the sensations of eating. It’s night and day. Doing this exercise with Link slows me down even more, and eventually slows him down too. We are both able to savor our food more, and enjoy some quiet time together. 

Treat Testing- Finding What’s Most Desirable

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Treat testing is a fun and beneficial activity for you and your Pup! It helps you hone in on what will work to keep your Pup’s attention and keeps them always coming back for more!

Do you have a dog that is really food motivated and will eat anything?! Setting up a treat tasting will help you both learn what treats rank supreme and which ones are just ok, as most dogs have a preference. Or you might even learn that anything edible will get their attention, which is great! If you have a dog that seemingly has no interest in treats, presenting them with a treat test will help you both discover the joys of food and might result in them becoming more food motivated! If you have a Pup that is downright disinterested in food rewards, try rewarding them with affection, games, or praise… but I bet if you try hard enough, you’ll find an edible treat they love!

You can pop into your local pet store and pick up things that you think your best friend would enjoy. You could even bring them along and let them sniff something out on their own. Anything your dog doesn’t like can be donated to a friend, family member, neighbor or a local shelter. You can also set up a “treat exchange” with friends- each of you buy two packs of treats and get together for a treat tasting extravaganza! 

When you get home with your new treats, try them out by doing some easy training exercises in your living room and see what your dog is the most interested in. Perhaps they enjoy the crunch of a chicken liver, a moist peanut butter chew, or the or the stickiness of a salmon skin. Every dog is different, so go into this test without any expectations. 

This activity can be done in one afternoon, but is best spread out over several days. You can try out your new treats in a variety of locations with different distractions and see how they respond and which treats they respond to best! This will help you discover what treats will keep your dog interested and listening to you, especially when they are learning new behaviors or cues. Having them skip a meal may be beneficial to you, as most dogs are much more interested in food rewards when they’re hungry. You can either use their breakfast as their reward, or feed them when you are done with the treat test and back home.

Imagine if every time you did a “desired behavior” you were presented with your favorite treat… say every time you get home from a long day of work someone hands you a Butterfinger. The first day home you’d probably be excited “Oh my favorite candy bar! All I did was go to work and do my job and I get a Butterfinger? Awesome!” Going to work might become more exciting, knowing you’re going to get a Butterfinger when you get home (I know, this is a silly analogy but you have to pretend like you have the mind of a dog!) After a few days you’d probably get sick of a Butterfinger as your reward, but then BAM! Day four you get home and someone hands you fresh French fries! “Oh! How exciting! I was getting bored of Butterfinger but now you’ve switched it up and surprised me with a totally different treat! I should keep going to work so I can find out what my treat is at the end of the day!” Switching up the treats, and knowing what your Pup’s favorites are will keep them engaged and interested! 

One very important reminder: the more expensive the behavior you are seeking, the more payoff should be rewarded for the behavior. If your Pup is a pro at sitting when asked, you wouldn’t give them an entire wheel of cheese just for performing a sit in your quiet living room with no distractions would you? So then on the other side of the spectrum, would you give your Pup a piece of everyday kibble for recalling to you in the midst of chasing a rabbit? The reward has to match the effort of the behavior!

And one side note: you may hear some trainers say that treat rewards are lazy, but building a relationship based on positive reinforcement helps your Pup feel safe and creates a trust between the two of you, so they are much more willing to do what’s asked of them. Using positive reinforcement means you are always on the lookout for those positive behaviors and keeps you involved in your Pup’s life, which makes your bond much stronger.

Some treat examples (these may be deemed low or high value, depending on the individual Pup):

  • Kibble
  • Boiled chicken
  • Baby food
  • String cheese
  • American cheese slices
  • Hotdogs
  • Dehydrated meats
  • Carrots
  • Apple slices
  • Training treats
Link will run to the smell of an In-N-Out burger from miles away, but cheese will also work 🙂

Over Prepared

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As a dog hiker & walker I have to be prepared for anything, and thus I have to carry a lot of gear. I’ve gone through several different packs, and a lot of back pain, to find the right system for my day to day. People often approach me and ask me what I’m carrying around in my pack, so I thought I would layout exactly what I carry around all day!

Click on an image to enlarge and see what’s what!

A few things I would like to note:

  1. I keep a full size first aid kit for dogs and humans in my car.
  2. I carry the full fanny pack for long treks, and the smaller blue one for dog park trips and shorter neighborhood walks.
  3. The dog deterrent spray is for dog attacks/fights only. Please educate yourself on this spray before using it.
  4. My full sized fanny pack has two water bottle holders. I will sometimes leave one empty to carry full poop bags in.
  5. I like to keep paper and a pen around in case I need to write myself or others notes. I like to limit my phone use while out on Adventures so I can focus on the dogs and prolong my battery life for any emergencies that may arise. (the portable charger only holds so much juice!)
  6. Bandanas make dogs look cute, but are also great to soak in water on hot days! They can also be used in first aid emergencies, or any instance where you might need a rag.
  7. Packs differ in cold weather by adding gloves, headgear, extra socks, hand warmers, yak tracks, and snow booties for some dogs. In hot weather I carry two water bottles with ice added, a bandana for each dog and one for myself, sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses.
  8. You don’t have to carry a pouch around to collect trash and glass. It’s just something I do as a way to give back to the dog community.

I like to keep my packs stocked and ready for Adventuring at the drop of a hat! It’s also helpful for overnight trips. Just have to grab his bed and food and we’re off!

I would also like to give a quick shout out to everyone who helped make these packs! Thanks to City Thrift for having an old park ranger’s fanny pack for $8, thanks to Humane Society Thrift for selling the treat pouch for $1, to Sticker Mule for making some incredible stickers and magnets, Moo for always making the best quality business cards, and of course Amazon for selling first aid kits, portable dog bowls, and an endless supply of poop bags for super cheap! Shop local, but also don’t throw your money away! Most dog supplies get lost or damaged.

Hound for the Holidays

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If you are lucky enough to spend the holidays with your dog, here are a few treats to keep them happy while you stuff yourself full of non-dog-friendly foods and drinks! More can be found at Rover.com

dogcookies

  1. Dog Nog
  • 7oz plain greek yogurt
  • 2oz baby food (organic sweet potato & chicken)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 egg (free range)
  • Peanut Butter Buddy Biscuits (use as a topper)

Combine yogurt, baby food, water, and egg in a blender until frothy. Top with a dog treat such as a Peanut Butter Buddy Biscuit

2. Frozen Pup Cakes

  • 1/3 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 ripe banana
  • splash of unsweetened almond milk (or water)

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add almond milk (or water) to get the desired consistency. Pour mixture into muffin tins and freeze until fully solid. Pop them out of the muffin tray and serve em up!

3. Sweet Potato Treats

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (make 2 cups sweet potato puree)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 3 Tbsp peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and cube 2 medium sweet potatoes and bring to a boil in a pot of water. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes (until soft). Drain and puree. In a separate bowl mix flour, oats, and cinnamon. In a separate larger bowl whisk egg, puree, and peanut butter. Mix wet ingredients with dry. Pour onto a flour surface and roll dough out to 1/4-3/8″ thick. Cut out cookie shapes using your choice of cookie cutter shapes. Dough will be slightly sticky. Flour helps! Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool and harden, then serve!

It’s always nice to treat your pet, but make sure they don’t over indulge this holiday season! Keep human dinner scraps clear from your furry friends reach! If you choose to share your bounty with your pets, make sure you set aside unsalted & unseasoned portions for them!