Dog Community

Food as a treat?

Posted : 12/26/2010 9:16:19 PM

I need to work on something with Nikon for several weeks, an aspect of our training that will require a LOT of food. I can't afford to use commercial dog treats for the amount I need (think - several times a day, I'd like to use use his meals for training) nor do I think it will be healthy. Straight kibble won't really work either, I need something in larger chunks that is softer (not something that needs to be crunched, or will be constantly hacked up if inhaled). I'm wondering if there's a way to somehow take the dog kibble, soften it, maybe add a few things to make it more desirable (though he will work for kibble, but being hard/crunchy just doesn't work)? One time I baked this liver treat that was pureed chicken liver, egg, and flour. Basically it came out like a flat brown that I could cut into any size treat I wanted. I want to make something like that, but maybe somehow using kibble so that he can work during meal time and get a balance diet. I use California Natural kibble. The consistency of NB food roll is perfect, but that's just too expensive for him to be eating a large food roll per day. Any ideas?

dynamobt

Posted : 12/26/2010 9:38:45 PM

I feed my dogs raw, so don't know if this is even possible with kibble. What about putting plain dry kibble in a blender to pulverize it. Then using the results as base with other ingredients to make the kind of product you want. I do understand about not wanting a hard dry treat for your dogs. My dog will also choke on a hard treat when I use it in training. Either that, or he stops and takes time to chew it. And that's not what I want either. If I use hot dogs or sausage, I cut them in nickel thin slices, then microwave a whole plate of them on paper towels to absorb the fat. But, talk about fattening!!! So, I tend to use treats sparingly.

My "grinding up" idea might not be of any help. But it's all I could come up with!

Liesje

Posted : 12/26/2010 9:42:20 PM

That's what I'm wondering but I don't know what to mix it with, how to bake it, etc...

micksmom

Posted : 12/27/2010 9:17:26 AM

I've made a simple "pumpkin brownie" treat using a big can of canned pumpkin and oatmeal, spread thin on a cookie sheet and baked at 350. I use enough oatmeal to make it workable (maybe 4-5 cups, I can't remember). It makes a huge amount. After it's cooled, I break it in large pieces (about the size of a gallon freezer bag), and freeze with parchament paper between the layers. Then I just pull out what I want and break it into smaller pieces for training. You can pull it out of the freezer right before you train- it thaws fairly quickly. I've done the same thing with canned dog food and oatmeal, too.

Sophie45

Posted : 12/30/2010 2:11:28 PM

What about drizzling something onto the kibble, like the water from a tuna can? My dog goes nuts for that, and I drizzle a bit over her kibble for dinner sometimes as a treat. Just a little bit, to flavor it, but not enough to make it soggy and gross.