To Bait or not to Bait, that is the Question...

[Roux]

Just wondering: what do y'all use for treatos during shows? Roux is a huge fan of peanut butter, but it's messy!

[Kembe]

My breeder uses cooked chicken breast with Iko when she shows him.

[tanza]

@Roux - I make my own, chicken in the dehydrator... I use white meat only (dark is to greasy)... pound it thin and dehydrator for 12 hours.... it is great bait and I always use bait. And easy to carry in your pockets... LOL!

[Roux]

Two votes for chicken breast! I shall try it!

[Zande]

@Roux Good question. Cheese, chicken too, but mostly I boiled ox liver up with garlic, dry it, chop it into small squares and freeze it. That does in the show ring and as a reward for returning to Mom in the woods.

[tanza]

@Zande - Agree, but since I put the bait in my mouth and I HATE Liver... LOL.... I do the chicken, taste much better. Cheese is a good option but if a warm day, it will get soft and therefore messy! The dehydrated chicken is well cooked so never gets messy.... but that is just me... I have always had a habit of putting it in my mouth and depending on what I was using when I first started showing, I put some really nasty stuff in my mouth! Also it works well for lure coursing, as some (sighthounds including Basenjis) will run off after the end of the course.... having taught mine they get a treat to "stay" were they are works wonders.... mine have never wandered off at the end.

[Roux]

Hahaha well so far I've had various dog treats in my mouth, which is kind of ok since I buy high quality stuff. My mouth has this habit of chewing whatever I hold in there, so yep, I ate a few of them :grinning_squinting_face:
Thanks for the input guys!

[tanza]

@Roux - LOL Roux, been there done that...

[Micah]

My 7 month pup I have to stack before showing her a treat, but works without the treat anyways;

My male is not food motivated in the slightest; luckily he is a very serious boy in the ring and does what he needs to without giving me any problems so I don’t take bait in the ring with me for him.

[tanza]

@Micah - That is great and I have had ones that do not respond to "bait"... also... while I don't offer it to them, I still have it "just in case"... LOL... And most of mine I treat only after they are stack... we only have two hands... LOL!

[JENGOSMonkey]

I've tried bait and no bait in the ring. I think bait works better for Logan, but not for me. He likes it and responds to it well, but as a new handler it's a pain in the butt. I know what I'm expected to do. Doing it once in the ring is hard. I get caught up in the minute and then forget what I'm supposed to do the next. I once stacked Logan backwards on the table. D'oh! Logan is SUPER food driven and he knows if I have cookies in my pocket. That's all he'll pay attention to. Jumping on the handler is frowned upon.

Yes, I know training and time will cure it. Not there yet. Too many hobbies. Showing, breeding, MGBs, stereos, astronomy, motorcycles, family, friends, travel, house, etc. I need more time.