How to Save Your Hands from the Cold This Winter While Walking Your Dog
photo credit: Tiffany Score at Compassionate Connection Dog Training
Dog Training Experts Weigh In:
Force-free trainers use treats and praise as their primary motivation in training. One of the first topics I cover with my clients is that dogs need to be paid for their hard work and effort. It is much like humans showing up to work to receive a paycheck. If you do not get paid for your job, why bother showing up?
Giving treats for a job well done is especially important when dogs are first learning new behaviors. Treats are the feedback loop that tells dogs that they are correctly doing what is being asked of them. That is why it is oh-so-important to treat dogs each time they correctly perform a behavior. The more consistently we give them treats, the faster they will catch on to the new behavior. This means paying for behaviors indoors as well as outdoors.
A few clients recently have asked me if I had any clever tips for saving their hands from the cold while dishing out repeated treats while out on walks.
The first idea that sprung to mind was using food in a squeeze tube. Here are a few suggestions:
The next idea that came to mind is using food that comes in a Cheez Whiz like container:
I have polled other trainer friends and here are some the creative ideas they came up with:
Jane Wolff of Good Wolff Dog Training says, “I’ve tried all sorts of gloves and treats and my favorite solution is a waist leash so I can keep my hands in my pockets between treat delivery. I also like to use treats that won’t freeze or get cold (so no chicken, hot dogs, etc).”
Kristi Benson of Kristi Benson Dog Training says, “I like wearing tiny gloves inside mittens. Then I pull the mitten off to deliver treats. That way it doesn’t matter as much when the gloves get a bit damp from dishing out the treats.” She then goes on to say she has a nice Gwich’in mitten string so the mittens can dangle or be tossed behind her back when they are not in use.
Lisa Skavienski of Dog Educated suggested the following, “kid food pouches filled with things like liver pate, cream cheese, soft goat cheese, peanut butter, and wet foods of high-value protein (salmon, rabbit, venison), etc.” Lisa also gave us a couple pro tips: The pouches are dishwasher safe. Unused portions can be stored in the fridge until the next outing. And most importantly, she recommends folding the zip locked bottom up and clamping it with a medium sized binder clip. That makes it even more secure and you can continue to roll up to push food out as you use it (like a toothpaste tube).
Jodi Beedell of Raising Fido, CPDT-KA says pre-packaged baby food pouches are a great option for folks that do not have time to food prep. She also uses gloves that have a “little mitten house” that go over the top, so fingers come out to give treats and then go back in after.
