So you finally succeeded. You acquired a dog. Not just any dog owner, though… Now that you have a great Miniature Schnauzer, you may be a proud dog parent. Congratulations!
You need to establish certain ground rules if you want to enjoy a long and fulfilling life together. There are several dog training techniques, but one thing is certain. You’ll require some enticing and inspiring goodies! No, for the dog, not for you!
But there are a few factors to think about when selecting a training reward. While your dog has to be motivated during training sessions, you also need to be mindful of its health. The majority of pet store training treats resemble potato chips.
Although they could taste fantastic and inspire your dog, they are harmful.
Here are some fantastic reward suggestions for your Schnauzer.
When considering a training treat, however, you need to consider a few things. While you want something tasty enough to keep your dog motivated during training sessions, you also need to be health conscious.
Most training treats found in the pet store are like potato chips. They might taste great and they might motivate your dog, but they are unhealthy. Here are some great treat ideas when training your Schnauzer.
Carrots
For some reason, most dogs love carrots. Many dog owners use carrots as their main training treat. Simply slice up 2 or 3 carrots into bite-sized amounts. You don’t need to go too big here, just large enough so your dog will beg for more. Not only do dogs seem to love them, but they are also a much cheaper and much healthier alternative to many store-bought training treats.
Hotdogs
Of course, typical meat-based treats work wonders as well. The “go-to” treat for many dog owners is small pieces of hotdog. Want to kick things up a notch? Nuke them in the microwave or cook them up first, then cut them into very small pieces (about the size of a pea or a little larger). Most dogs will do just about anything to get a piece!
Cheese
You normally can’t go wrong with cheese! It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of cheese you get, dogs love it. For the most part, you should avoid spicy cheese like pepper jack as sometimes, the spices can cause the dog discomfort. It is also helpful to buy string cheese because it can be easily cut up into small pieces.
Again, you don’t need to overdo it here. Very small pieces cut up to about the size of a pea are generally enough to be motivating. It’s better to start small and increase the size if necessary than the other way around.
Liver Treats
Liver treats can be considered chocolate for dogs because it is extremely rare to find a dog that doesn’t like the taste of liver. For us humans, liver treats are smelly and can be a little messy, but for dogs, a liver treat will cause a dog to stop everything and focus on doing whatever is necessary to get that tasty treat!
A great option for liver treats is to get freeze-dried treats. Freeze-dried liver treats are usually already cut into convenient sizes, they last a LONG time, and you can buy big tubs of them for relatively cheap.
Unbuttered Popcorn
Not all dogs take to unbuttered popcorn, but if your dog likes it, you’ve got a huge winner on your hands. Since unbuttered popcorn is so low in calories, you can give a lot to your dog without much worry. The only main consideration here is to make sure your dog has no allergies to corn.
Most dogs don’t, but corn is one of the main allergens for many dogs, so make sure you watch for any digestion issues or abdominal discomfort.
The Two Things To Watch For Sodium and Calories
While treats are almost mandatory for successful dog training, there are two things you should be careful of. The first is the sodium content in any treatment you decide to use. High amounts of sodium are not good for dogs and can even cause dehydration, so try to choose a low-sodium option.
Another consideration is the number of calories your dog is receiving. Training treats, even given in small quantities, can cause weight gain in your dog if you’re not careful about the number of calories your dog is consuming.
Caloric limitations
Although miniature Schnauzers are adorable little dogs, their small stature makes diets and rewards more difficult. By the time they are 2 months old, Mini Schnauzer puppies weigh between 3 and 5 pounds.
Your tiny Schnauzer weighs between 6 and 8 pounds at four months of age, which is around half of what he will weigh in adulthood.
Puppies develop rather fast up until this four-month point, but as your dog approaches his adult weight, this rapid growth starts to decrease.
While miniature schnauzers do not experience rapid growth syndrome like their gigantic breed counterparts, they still need to grow up healthy and in line with daily dietary recommendations.
Puppies of mini schnauzers require between 600 and 800 kCal daily. Although this amount might seem large, your puppy is building bone density and muscle tone that will last him a lifetime. Even as puppies, vital organs and neurological functions continue.
The calories your mini Schnauzer consumes must be nutrient-dense because of this significant development. A system’s ability to work properly is not greatly supported by empty calories.
No more than 10% of your dog’s daily diet should consist of puppy treats for miniature Schnauzers. Limit calories from snacks to 70 kilos Cal or fewer overall, taking into account all treats, for a Mini Schnauzer on a 700 kilo Cal diet per day.
Alternatives for training Miniature Schnauzer puppies
Although they provide a delightful kind of positive reinforcement and respect the demands of dogs in terms of weight control, training treats are not the only approach to keep your little guy working towards his training objectives.
When used in place of rewards during training, some dogs particularly like carrots or apple slices, but even these calorie-rich alternatives. Alternately use these non-caloric reinforcers and treats:
The words “I love you!” and “Good dog!” work very well to encourage your dog and increase his level of excitement for the task at hand. When we were motivating our Chow, our family adopted a distinct speech that was chirpier and more animated than any other voice we had ever used with one another.
Regardless of what we said or when the tone was utilized, she eventually learned to interpret it as encouragement.
Hugs and cuddles provide dogs reinforcement without adding calories. Schnauzers in miniature adore their owners. Anywhere you go, they’ll follow you all day long. These lovable little fellas enjoy additional affection from their owners when they achieve a training objective.
A fun substitute for training goodies is training toys. Choose a toy that your dog genuinely appreciates, and only use it during training sessions. Give the training item some time to work for you as a reward for excellent behavior or for accomplishing the training objective. Just bear in mind to store the training item while you aren’t using it. They stop working if your dog has unrestricted access.
The mix of edible and non-edible rewards is the key to effective training. We compiled a list of our favorite treats for Mini Schnauzer puppies to aid you in making the right choice.
We provided you with our top recommendations for dog treats for Miniature Schnauzer puppies, ranging from training treats to goodies you may simply eat because they look wonderful.
Keep Training Fun!
The most crucial thing is to always have fun while teaching your dog, regardless of the kind of reward you use! That cannot be made up for by a treat. No treat can ease your frustration if you or your dog are both frustrated. Time to simply take a short rest.
Know when to keep going and when to give up while training your dog since we may all get a bit upset from time to time. And don’t forget to finish strong with an extra-large piece of your dog’s preferred training reward. Treats will soon become unnecessary, and you’ll have a well-behaved Schnauzer that you can take almost everywhere!
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