Rex and Isla morning walk

When going on walks with your dog, is your dog triggered by different things? Things such as other people, dogs, scooters, skateboards, bikes? If this is the case for you, bringing along training treats on your walk can be extremely helpful. We always have them on walks!

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Training Treats For Your Walks

Rex lamb week lone walk

Walking with Rex

When I first started walking Rex, he was sometimes a little reactive when he saw other people or dogs. But using treats was a simple trick to help calm him down! Now when we’re out and someone’s approaching us, I’ll distract him with a treat. It works like a charm! Sometimes I’ll even hold the leash in one hand and treats in the other so I can lead him with them. Although this is sometimes a little tricky when Isla is with us, but we make it work. Overall, it’s made our walks more enjoyable.

 

Today’s walk was a good reminder of why we do this.

 

Unfortunately, Isla didn’t feel like walking with us because she heard some loud boom noises and was convinced the world was ending. So, it was just Rex and I that adventured out. 

 

We came across a man who was walking fast, and we had to dart right in front of him. Before I could even whip out a treat, Rex decided to bark at him!

 

After that, I kicked it into high gear with our training. Anytime I saw someone else approaching us on our walk, I gave Rex a treat to help him stay focused and ignore the other people. Consequently it was a good reminder of why we do this training, and I think Rex did well.

Your Pup is Comfortable Now

So, once you and your furry friend get comfortable around new people and situations, you can start praising them instead of always using treats. The idea is to get to a point where you don’t need treats all the time, but you still use them every now and then as a reinforcement. Just keep in mind that every dog is different and if your pup starts barking again after cutting back on the treats, it’s fine to go back to using them more often for a little while.

Rex and Isla cute walk
Rex and Isla walk 1 - Insane dog blog cover
Rex and Isla walk - break - splash pad week

Considerations When Using Training Treats

First off, if your pooch is prone to packing on the pounds, it’s important to pick low-calorie options. Don’t worry, I’ve got great suggestions listed below. You can also consider swapping in some of your pup’s regular kibble instead of treats and adjust their meal size accordingly.

 

Even if your furry friend isn’t prone to gaining weight, it’s still important to keep an eye on how many treats they’re getting versus their regular meals.

 

Additionally, if your pup has food allergies, make sure to double-check the ingredient list on any treats you’re considering.

 

Variety is the spice of life, so we like to mix it up and have some distinct kinds of training treats on hand at once.

 

Finally, not every dog is a treat fanatic. Do you have any alternative training ideas for non-treat motivated pups? Comment and let us know!

What Treats to Buy??

We are major fans of Chewy’s treats, and we wanted to share some of our favorites with you. Some are soft, which are great for breaking apart into smaller bites, while others are perfect for those crunch lovers out there.

Soft Breakable Treats

Here are some bigger soft treats. They are nice and soft, which makes them perfect to break into smaller pieces. And, of course, they are a big hit with our furry friends. Give them a try and let us know what you and your pups think!

Bil-Jac Gooberlicious Peanut Butter Flavor Soft
Bil-Jac Gooberlicious Peanut Butter Flavor Soft Dog Treats
Blue Dog Bakery Softies Peanut Butter
Blue Dog Bakery Softies Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Bocce's Bakery Mud Pie Oh My Soft & Chewy Dog Treats
Bocce's Bakery Mud Pie Oh My Soft & Chewy Dog Treats
Bocce's Bakery Soft & Chewy Salmon Recipe Dog Treats
Bocce's Bakery Soft & Chewy Salmon Recipe Dog Treats

Small soft treats

If you’re looking for some smaller training treats that are soft and chewy, we’ve got you covered. Check out our top picks below:

Merrick Power Bites Big Bites Real Beef Recipe Grain-Free Soft & Chewy Dog Treats
Merrick Power Bites Big Bites Real Beef Recipe Grain-Free Soft & Chewy Dog Treats
Merrick Power Bites Real Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Soft & Chewy
Merrick Power Bites Real Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Soft & Chewy Dog Treats
Bil-Jac PBnanas Peanut Butter & Banana Flavor Soft
Bil-Jac PBnanas Peanut Butter & Banana Flavor Soft Dog Treats
Merrick Power Bites Turducken Recipe Grain-Free Soft & Chewy Dog Treats
Merrick Power Bites Turducken Recipe Grain-Free Soft & Chewy Dog Treats

Low calorie treats

Next, check out these awesome low-cal crunchy training treats we recommend! If you’re keeping tabs on your pup’s calorie intake, these are a great option. And hey, our furry friends have tried ’em out and gave them two paws up – they think they’re pretty darn tasty!

Charlee Bear Cheese & Egg Flavor
Charlee Bear Chicken Soup & Garden Veggie Flavor Dog Treats
Charlee Bear Natural Bear Crunch Grain-Free Bacon & Blueberry Dog Treats
Charlee Bear Natural Bear Crunch Grain-Free Bacon & Blueberry Dog Treats
Fruitables Skinny Minis Apple Bacon Flavor Soft & Chewy
Fruitables Skinny Minis Apple Bacon Flavor Soft & Chewy Dog Treats
Charlee Bear Natural Bear Crunch Grain-Free Turkey, Sweet Potato & Cranberry Dog Treats
Charlee Bear Natural Bear Crunch Grain-Free Turkey, Sweet Potato & Cranberry Dog Treats

Small crunchy treats

And finally. These crunchy goodies are paws down, some of our doggie’s faves!”

Nutro Crunchy with Real Mixed Berries Dog Treats
Nutro Crunchy with Real Mixed Berries Dog Treats
Nutro Crunchy with Real Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Nutro Crunchy with Real Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Fruitables Pumpkin & Blueberry Flavor Dog Treats
Fruitables Pumpkin & Blueberry Flavor Dog Treats
Nutro Crunchy with Real Apple Dog Treats
Nutro Crunchy with Real Apple Dog Treats