How to Find the Best Treat for Your Dog's Personality

When it comes to dog training, using rewards is essential for motivating your furry friend and reinforcing good behavior. However, not all dogs are motivated by the same things. The key to successful training is finding the right reward that speaks to your dog's unique personality and preferences. In this post, we'll explore how to choose the perfect reward to keep your dog engaged and excited about learning, including how enrichment activities and high-value treats can be powerful motivators.

Factors That Influence What Rewards Motivate Your Dog

Before we dive into specific reward ideas, it's important to understand the factors that influence what motivates your dog. These include:

• Your dog's breed and typical personality traits

• Your dog's age, energy level, and whether they are hungry or tired

• The training environment and level of distractions present

• Your dog's individual preferences, which can change over time

Common Dog Personality Types by Rewards

While every dog is unique, there are some common personality types that can help guide your reward selection:

The Chow Hound

For dogs who are highly food-motivated such as Labrador Retrievers, Beagles, and Pugs and will do anything for a tasty morsel. They love trying new treats and get excited whenever it's mealtime. Ideal treats are things like freeze-dried meat, peanut butter, or cheese bits that have a strong aroma. 

The Puzzler

Independent thinker dogs who love a mental challenge to get to their treats. Puzzle toys stuffed with goodies or treat dispensing balls are perfect for keeping their clever minds engaged. Self-assured, aloof, intelligent, and able to complete tasks without much guidance, these dogs include terriers, hounds, and some Asian breeds like Chow Chows and Akitas. 

They can be challenging to train using traditional methods. Reward them with puzzle toys, solo play, and mentally stimulating activities that allow them to work independently. Rewarding them with an enrichment activity they can figure out independently, like a snuffle mat sprinkled with tasty morsels.

The Worker

These hardworking, reliable, and obedient dogs thrive when given a job to do. They are usually high-energy breeds like Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds, and Border Collies. For these "Chasers", the thrill of chasing and "winning" a tossed treat can be just as rewarding as the food itself. Hiding treats or using treat-dispensing toys engages their natural drive to chase, search and problem-solve.

The Snuggler

Affectionate, people-pleasing dogs who care more about praise and pets than fancy treats. Their favorite reward is snuggle time with their favorite human after doing a good job. Small, soft training treats are best.

For cautious, nervous, or insecure dogs, gentle praise, soothing petting, and a safe space away from triggers can be highly rewarding. Calming enrichment activities like snuffle mats or lick mats with tasty treats hidden inside can boost their confidence and help relieve stress.

 

The Chaser

High-energy, playful dogs who will do backflips for anything that can be tossed or hidden for them to chase down, like small baked treats or freeze-dried morsels. Common breeds include Boxers, Bulldogs, and Labrador Retrievers. The thrill of the chase is the real reward. Playful, curious, and easily aroused dogs thrive on toy play, opportunities to run and explore, and short but exciting training sessions. Enrichment rewards like flirt poles or treat scatter hunts channel their energy in a positive way.

The Foodie

These dogs are Picky eaters with discerning palates. They'll turn their nose up at boring biscuits but can be won over with something special like bits of real chicken breast or liver morsels. Quality over quantity for these gourmands. High-quality, meat-based treats with limited fillers tend to be the most palatable and easy on sensitive stomachs.

Some breeds are known for sensitivities:

• Yorkshire Terriers can be fussy eaters with sensitive stomachs. They prefer high-quality treats with specific protein sources.

• Maltese dogs can be picky about the taste, smell and texture of treats. They do best with treats that are easy to digest.

• Cocker Spaniels can have sensitive stomachs, so highly digestible treat options are best to avoid gastrointestinal upset.

• Boxers are known for stomach sensitivities and should avoid treats with fillers, wheat, and strong flavors that could cause digestive issues.

• German Shepherds often have sensitive stomachs and can experience diarrhea and other GI problems with the wrong treats. Bland, highly digestible options work best.

• Dachshunds can be particular about the flavor and texture of treats. Avoiding anything spicy works best for their sensitive stomachs.

When Size Matters

The size of your dog also plays a role in treat selection. Treats must be proportional to the dog’s size and jaw strength. Treats should be selected with the dog’s calorie needs in mind as well. 

Gentle Giants

Large and giant breeds like Mastiffs, Great Danes and St. Bernards may be less agile and have a lower metabolism. These "Chompers" with strong jaws often do best with a larger treat or long-lasting chew like a  Himalayan Yak Cheese chew that they can gnaw on calmly, rather than quickly scarfing down smaller treats. 

Toy Breeds

Small dogs like Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and Yorkies have tiny mouths and can be prone to obesity if overfed. For these petite pups, a little goes a long way. Training or enrichment with their regular kibble as rewards or using small, low-calorie treats broken into even tinier pieces works well. Toy breed "Snugglers" also often find praise and petting very rewarding. 

Avoiding Weight Gain

It’s critical to consider your dog’s weight and body condition when selecting treats in order to avoid weight gain. Similarly, it’s also important to adjust treats to your dog’s chewing style and dental health. Don’t forget to adjust your treat selection as your dog’s body composition changes over their lifetime.

Choose Low-Calorie, Healthy Treats

• Opt for treats that are low in fat and calories but still appealing to your dog. Good options include small pieces of cooked chicken breast, freeze-dried treats,, or even small pieces of your dog's regular kibble.

• Avoid treats high in fat or sugar, or people food like cheese or peanut butter, which can pack on the pounds quickly.

• You can also use healthy fruits and veggies as treats, like green beans, baby carrots, or small pieces of apple (without the seeds).

Use Tiny Treat Pieces

• Break treats into pea-sized pieces, or even smaller for little dogs. Your dog will still be thrilled to get a taste and it will keep calories in check.

• Use part of your dog’s meals as treats. Kibble may not be a high value treat, but can be effective when used in enrichment activities like snuffle mats, kongs, and puzzles.

Measure Out a Daily Treat Allowance

• Determine how many treats your dog can have per day while still staying within a healthy calorie range (your vet can help with this). Then portion out that number of treats and stick to it.

• As a general rule, treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog's daily calorie intake. The rest should come from a complete and balanced dog food.

• If you're doing a lot of treat training, cut back a bit on your dog's regular meals to account for the extra calories from treats and prevent weight gain.

Use Non-Food Rewards Too

• Incorporate plenty of verbal praise, petting, and toy play as rewards in addition to treats. This helps keep your dog from becoming too treat-obsessed.

• Reward with a game of tug, a tossed ball, or a belly rub to mix things up and reduce the total treat intake.

Adjust as Needed

• Monitor your dog's weight regularly. If you notice any gain, cut back on the treats and increase exercise.

What Does Muenster Recommend?

Dogs who have food sensitivities or sensitive stomachs may do best on a single ingredient treat such as Muenster Freeze-Dried Beef Liver which contains only beef. Our meatballs are limited ingredient treats.

Breeds prone to obesity do best with low-calorie options. From our freeze-dried line we recommend the Liver, Bites or Meatballs depending on the quantity you intend to feed.

Picky Eaters may benefit from the protein and flavor in our Freeze-Dried Bites or Meal Toppers. Either product works well when mixed with either kibble or used in enrichment. Our Freeze-Dried Bites are Complete and Balanced and can be fed as a meal, treat or topper. Our protein granule toppers can be mixed with kibble and water to make a gravy as well as adding protein and flavor. Toppers can also be used for enrichment items such as frozen treats and lick mats or even baked goods.

Treat Calorie Guide

Treat	Calories	Per
Beef Liver	3	Cube or treat
Chicken Bites	97	¼ cup
Beef Bites	101	¼ cup
Elk Bites	89	¼ cup
Chicken Toppers	37	Tablespoon
Beef Toppers	38	Tablespoon
Elk Toppers	34	Tablespoon
Beef Meatballs	25	meatball
Chicken Meatballs	11	meatball

 

How to Determine Your Dog's Favorite Rewards

To figure out what rewards your dog loves most, try the following:

1. Make a ranked list of everything your dog enjoys, from most to least exciting, including their favorite treats and enrichment toys.

2. Offer your dog a choice between a few rewards and see which one they pick most often.

3. Notice which rewards perk up your dog's ears, relax their body language, and get them eagerly offering behaviors.

4. Test out different rewards in various environments to see if your dog's preferences change. Convenient, non-perishable treats are great for on-the-go.

Tips for Using Rewards Effectively

Once you've identified your dog's favorite rewards, keep these tips in mind:

• Use higher value rewards for more challenging training sessions or to make enrichment activities more exciting. 

• Reward frequently enough to keep your dog more motivated than environmental distractions.

• Deliver rewards quickly after your dog performs the desired behavior.

• Place rewards in a position that reinforces the behavior you want (e.g. in a "sit" position).

• Keep track of added calories from treats if your dog is prone to obesity or not at ideal weight.

Conclusion

Experimenting with different types of rewards based on your dog's personality type is the key to unlocking their motivation and accelerating training progress. Whether your dog is a dedicated worker, a goofy entertainer, an independent thinker, a social butterfly, or any of the other unique personalities, there's a perfect reward out there to light up their world.

Enrichment activities can be powerful rewards that satisfy your dog's natural instincts. Pairing them with tasty, high-quality treats can make the experience even more exciting and rewarding for your pup.

Have fun trying out new things and discovering what makes your dog's tail wag with joy! With the right rewards in your training toolkit, you'll be amazed at what your dog can learn. And if you're looking for a convenient, nutritious treat option, give Muenster's freeze-dried treats a try - your dog will thank you!