Training treats?

BowWowWonies.  I got them from Clean Run and the dogs LOVE them.  They are basically liver treats but you don't have to deal with the raw liver.    It's a mix that I buy and add water and butter I think, then bake!  They come out softish so you can cut them to any size.  Plus withholding breakfast or dinner helps too. 

The other thing I use is the Natural Balance dog food rolls.  They have Turkey, Lamb, Beef and I think Chicken flavored.  I buy these at a local independant pet store and cut them up into small pieces for treats.  The first 4 or 5 ingredients are (ie-beef) Beef Heart, Beef Lung, Beef , etc.  Can't go wrong there!

I mix it up between the different flavors and the liver treats so they don't always get the same thing.

How about Solid Gold jerkey treats--they have lamb, beef, or turkey varieties.  You can break them into small pieces easily. I usually break one into 4 pieces for training.
 
Also, Wellness has a new line of treats called Pure Rewards--95 percent meat--lots of varieties: beef, lamb, chicken, venison, and venison/chicken.
 
Wilderness real meat jerkey treats are great as well.
 
Hope that helps.

Zuke's makes awesome mini treats. They're smelly and wonderful.

ORIGINAL: tashakota

BowWowWonies.  I got them from Clean Run and the dogs LOVE them.  They are basically liver treats but you don't have to deal with the raw liver.    It's a mix that I buy and add water and butter I think, then bake!  They come out softish so you can cut them to any size.  Plus withholding breakfast or dinner helps too. 

 
 
Dogs love these but boy do they stink when they are cooking! 
 
Clean Run ([linkhttp://www.cleanrun.com]www.cleanrun.com[/link]) sells lots of great treats.  I really like the Simon & Huey treats and the Zukes treats.
 
My dogs love chicken cooked with a ton of garlic powder on it.  I usually take the skinless breasts and coat them with garlic powder and the grill the heck out of it. 
 
I second not feeding your dog before class. 

I'll third taking a hungry dog to class, and mention something nobody has, yet. Liverworst makes my dogs CRAZY[]

Ok, so they came crazy, but they really do like it!

Yup, don't train on a full tummy!

The dehydrated liver is expensive but what I used to do was mix them in with treats of less value. The other treats would absorb the smell to some extent and I'd have the liver on hand for mega-bonus treats when plateaus were crested.

I also dehydrate cheddar cheese - you grate it, grease a flat pan or griddle, drop by tablespoons, and cook on low heat until it's lacey and turning brown. Drain on a paper towel or paper plate and store in the fridge. This takes a while but it's another very high value treat.

Do you microwave the hot dogs or dehydrate them in the oven? This makes them both shelf stable and about ten times more appealing. Try it if you haven't yet.

I second the solid Gold jerky. I think Kong makes a squeeze can treat also - I've seen trainers just let their dogs lick a little squirt right from the can. I have one dog who would turn back flips for that even though he's not food motivated!

Make sure you are not feeding more than a tiny taste each time, no matter what you do.

If your'e not into baking, the Natural Balance rolled foods make great training treats.  Just cut them up into small pieces.  I normaly buy and slice a couple of sample sized rolls, then frezze the slices.  If you're into baking, Mick would have turned himself out for home made Liver Bread.  Caleb loves them, too, but I can't take them to puppy class- any pups near us want them as well! 
 
 
Liver Bread

Mix Jiffy cornbread mix, a pound of raw liver (pureed), an egg and some garlic powder, put in greased 13x 9 inch pan, bake according to corn bread directions on box, and voila! Dog treats!

For very high-value treats I use tiny cubes of cheese, chicken, and/or steak.  Cheese usually is the easiest for me since I always have some around.  I just chop it into little cubes, put them in a baggie, and keep it in the fridge in between outings/classes.  Ace likes Zeke's treats too, and yummy chummies (which are fish-based), but nothing seems to beat out fresh meat and cheese. 

Liverworst makes my dogs CRAZY

 
I've never used liverwurst for training, but I use it to hide pills in!  Kato would woof down a ball of liverwurst with 10 pills in it, everyday for 30 days when he had Lymes's!  Works great for that! 

Try the train-me treats. I got the bacon kind, he goes crazy over them.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Shelby goes to Rally class on an empty stomach but she's nuttier than a Payday bar. I'm going to try the suggestions and see what works. []

Oh!  Also they sell strips of dehydrated chicken, they are crazy expensive at Petco but pretty affordable at Costco.   My friend calls it doggie crack and it's true.  They loooove it. The disadvantage is it comes in strips the size of bacon, so it's way too big for a training treat unless you break it into a bunch of smaller peices.  But it is very enticing and it keeps well.

I like to use mozzarella cheese, just as a tube of string cheese. Its really easier to carry around (has own wrapper) and you can stick it in your pocket with no worries. Also its fairly easier to pinch a piece off since its stringy, and if they do something REALLY good you can give them a chunck. Zoe goes absolutetly gagaa for cheese. PLUS its cheap!

I second the votes for the NB food roll, and for diced chicken breast! Can't be beat.