# Grain-free treat suggestions (and how a 2lb dog is playing me for treats!), please?



## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Oh, the potty has been SPECTACULAR! I was shocked that even while Christmas visitors were here, this girl stuck to her potty pad. Perfectly! Once all left and we restored the house, she is back going potty on the carpet. 

In my effort to help her, I decided we would award a treat when she went potty on the pad. I really was mostly concerned about her feces, but she does not care or know about my preference. Potty on the pad=treat. So, I had the Merrick Lamb treats (mmm...lamb lung) but those are large and because they are dehydrated, really hard to break up so I went and got Wellness Pure Jerky and Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Bison mini biscuits. Both grain free.

By far, she prefers the Lamb treats and the Natural Balance. 

She will hop on her pad, dribble 3 drops, hop off and jump around and prance and then run to the treat cabinet! Often, she will return to the pad after gobbling her treat and complete her business and then the prancing ensues. It cracks me up!!

So, because I understand the game, I just give her a tiny piece of each treat otherwise the girl would eat half a bag of treats a day!

Are there other grain free treats that your babies have enjoyed that you'd suggest?
Thank you!!!


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

I wouldn't give treats for pottying. I would praise her very excitedly every time she goes saying "Oh, what a good girl; That's my girl" & stuff like that, but you got to act all excited & happy when she does it so she feels like she's doing the right thing. I don't mind too much when my chi poops in the house but I still look at her & say "What did you do; bad girl! You know better!" I don't dwell on that tho. She doesn't pee in the house, thank goodness. She asks to go out.
I wouldn't feed treats for rewards, cause they can constipate & cause weight gain really fast. They're o.k. once in a while.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Thanks! 

We were doing the potty praise (I even made my totally a guy's guy husband practically do cartwheels since she adores him so) but she was starting to go on the carpet. I am actually fine with urine on the carpet because I can get it right out. Puppy poo (my girl still has soft-ish stool) stains my carpets and requires Resolve and Nature's Miracle to get out and I am afraid our house will smell like a kennel! 

I have some 3/4" biscuits and we break them into 6-8 pieces so she is actually getting perhaps 1 small biscuit a day. I have noticed that her stools are easier to pick up since she has had the treats for 2 days. From what you have said, it must be the treats. They are a hard little biscuit. She has also not missed her pad once since she knows there is a reward. 

I cannot wait until Spring so that we can take her outside to potty and have the pads just for emergency!!


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## rache (Nov 10, 2009)

IMO i think if its working dont knock it!

You wont have to treat her for going potty forever jut till it clicks that that is the right thing to do!

You sounds like a right cheeky madam x


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## LovesMyPups (Apr 18, 2010)

I would agree. If you're aware of how many snippets of treat you give her, then you can adjust her meals accordingly if you suspect you've given too much that day. 
I do this too though, maybe twice a day I will stick a half a carnivore crunch ball in my pocket when we go outside, and split it between the three pups when I call them to come inside. If they always think I have something for them, they have amazing recall. LOL


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I don't think there is anything wrong with treating when they potty in the right place. We do it too and its been one of the absolute most effective ways to teach them where we want them to go. Eventually we phase it to treat/praise/treat/praise/praise/treat/praise/praise...you get the idea.


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

I also did treat and praise with Godric with training treats, but I just tore off a smidgeon each time (enough for a taste) and it worked fabulously.

I have some excellent grain frees that my dogs love but I don't remember the name, i'll dig them out after work!


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## 18453 (Feb 6, 2010)

I think its great I'd treat her whilst your training her once she's perfect start slowly weaning out the treats if it works don't knock it

Ziwi do good treats they are little jerky squares, plus boiled chicken etc works as does bits of cheese peanut butter etc


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Thank you all! Yes, once Spring arrives and we take her outdoors to potty, the treats will go away for potty. Going outside to play will be the reward!

For now, it is working and I have no indoor clean up and that is worth it to me!


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## TillyHeart (Jan 1, 2011)

ohhh i will have to pick some of those up, because all the treats i've bought are so big for tilly and she isn't wild about them. I bought ones that friends suggested. She does really well with her potty training, but I'd like some for trying to teach her to sit and stuff, she gets sooo distracted when I'm trying to train her.


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

I use these when Gretel was having tummy sensitivities 

Sojos Grain-Free Dog Treats

She preferred the duck and cherry, but she didn't dislike the other.

**Note, my Gretel isn't super hep on crunchy treats so being that she ate them was satisfying.


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## mrsmdressup (Feb 7, 2011)

Newbie here, but I'm using Zukes Peanut Butter treats to train my chi puppy. They are grain free, organic and are 2 calories each. They are a soft pea-sized treat and Ziggy Stardust LOVES them.


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## mamabear (Jan 1, 2011)

Jasper loves Pro-Treat 100% Beef Liver. It's Freeze Dried. I take a cube and cut it up into about 8 pieces. Loaded with protein. No additives of preservatives.


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