New puppy--taking name suggestions! Also a few questions.

[D'Elle]

Try different treats. The ones you are using could be too rich for her or otherwise not suited to her constitution. See if she likes carrots or other veges that are safe to feed dogs and if so that's a great alternative. You can also make your own treats and that way you know exactly what went into them. I do that a lot. 

Also, as Gentle Lake suggested, you can use part of her meals. Each morning, unless I am too tired or rushed, I reserve some of the kibble they will get for breakfast and dole it out one piece at a time while training. When I have a brand new dog in the house, such as a foster dog, sometimes the whole breakfast is given in this manner.

[dumdum]

I'm feeding wet food so it's a bit tough to serve up as treats. For treats, I tried a) chicken and b) salmon. I know a) gave her diarrhea, and suspect b) also gives her diarrhea. Heh.

[GentleLake]

You can bake or dehydrate bits of wet food to use as treats.

Or even if you're primarily feeding wet food, you could still consider buying some kibble to use as treats. I feed a raw diet but I still get some high quality kibble from time to time to use for less messy treats when training.

[D'Elle]

Definitely try buying a small bag of kibble just to use for treats. Other things I use: cut up chicken pieces, bits of cheese, especially string cheese, or make my own using the pyramid mat method (just google "pyramid mat dog treats" to learn how). Try carrots, some dogs will work for that. Just keep trying things, and remember that all treats must be cut up into tiny pieces, about the size of your little fingernail, no bigger.

 You only want to give the dog a tiny bit because that makes them want more, and you don't risk giving the dog too many rich treats or getting the dog full.

[Lawgirl]

Here in Australia, I buy bags of a product called ZiwiPeak, which is actually from New Zealand.  It is an air dried dog food, with only meat, organ meat and green lipped mussel in it.  The pieces are small and very light, so you get hundreds of pieces in a one pound pack.  It is very high quality and expensive because of this, but perfect for treats.  It comes in various varieties including lamb, beef, venison, lamb and mackerel and lamb and tripe.

My point is that you can sometimes buy a small bag of really high quality dried food and use it as treats. You can even often email various companies and get sample packs to try, which can be your treats until you find one your dog likes.  Other alternatives like cheese, or some form of vegetable that your dog likes can work too.

[urge to herd]

I've had great luck freeze-drying some moist foods - mostly Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls ~ got a 3.5 lb roll on sale for $8 a couple weeks ago!

I slice it into 2-3 inch chunks and freeze those separately. Then I take a smaller chunk, slice/dice into pretty small pieces, spread them on a cookie sheet and leave them in the freezer for several days. They come out crunchy and don't spoil. Evidently the freeze-drying doesn't affect the taste.

It is labor-intensive and does take that week of freezing, but the results are great.

Ruth & Gibbs