Hello everyone! Next week we'll finally be bringing home our brand new English cocker spaniel puppy!

I've been reading a lot of books that suggest using food lures during training sessions. What have your experiences been with food lures? Are there certain things we should be avoiding?

Most importantly, which are the best things to use?


p.s. I live abroad, so if you recommend certain brands of non-homemade treats, they might not have them here. Still, if you really love them, post them anyway. I might get lucky and find it here, too! Thanks to all of you!!

Freeze dried liver worked wonders for me

OK, this might sound like a very silly question, but... did you have to freeze dry it yourself? Is it something you'd find in a pet store? I'm asking this because I haven't even seen any beef jerky in all my years here. Not enough cowboys around these parts, I guess. :) I have an insatiable desire to become the next julia child, so I am more than happy to make anything I can from scratch. But do you have any idea if it can be made without a special freeze drying machine? (I've seen those before - pretty cool.) I do have an incredible local butcher with all the beef and chicken livers a dog could dream of. Do you think I could prepare it in cubes (or mushy pieces) if I can't find a way to get some freeze dried?

I bought a bag of freeze dried liver (lamb) from the pet store and would break it into tiny bits. It drove her nuts and made her pay attention to everything I said and did

Lol, yes, I'm looking for something with that effect...

I was told to try cat food kibbles. Those worked, but the liver sounds better.

I like plain white meat chicken with the skin removed. It's tasty, easily available and can be cut into tiny chunks. I put it in a zip-lock bag and wear a carpenter's apron when clicker training or working with puppies. Since most of the fat in poultry is in the skin this is not messy and not likely to upset the dog's stomach.
The only time the dog gets this is during training sessions, so it really doesn't get that much, and I fade out the food gradually, substituting praise and petting.
Just a last minute thought... one of my Dobermans was not impressed with the chicken but would move a mountain to get a little bite of cheddar cheese!

Apparently these are fun. kong chew toy - Google Product Search

For my dog he is a very picky eater but he does love Scooby Snacks, not sure if they make them for puppies though.

OK, these are great. I was thinking of cubed chicken and turkey, bits of ground beef, and hard cheeses here it's all parmigiano-reggiano and pecorino (sheeps milk cheese), while going for the leaner stuff more often and the cheese as a little extra incentive.

There's an option that I found here that would also be perfect - perfectly sized little cubes of prosciutto cotto (basically boiled ham) - but I'm worried about the salt content.

Here in florence you can find all of the cuts that I'd never actually seen back home in the states. This means liver, kidneys, tripe, bones for broth (and roasting for marrow crostini - yum). These are super tasty and vitamin rich (well, actually they're often rich in more than that, too), and I think we'll include, but limit, these in his treats. I've also seen udders, cow noses and brains on sale, but these will not be going to the puppy.

I will look for the scooby treats, but I'm not so sure they'd have them here. In general, european dogs are incredibly well behaved. What I miss, though, are those huge and wonderful supermarkets just for pets. Next time I go home, I'll pick up some extra supplies in the states.

Carol, I love your recommendation about how to keep the goodies on hand. I have a similar system set up, so it makes me feel more confident about the ease of use.

I had a golden retriever when I was growing up, but since I was just a kid I really wasn't the one responsible for these choices. Now I just want to be a perfect mommy to our new pup!

So any and all advice is very welcome and much appreciated!