Quenya had a wonderful day in my classroom today! She was a little nervous at first and barked a few times when strange noises echoed down the hall, but quickly adjusted. She loved the children--she's always loved children (and adults, and teens, and well, everyone). When I took her out at recess all the kids from the other grades wanted to come and pet her too--she loved every minute of it. Photos are poor as I only used my cell phone, which has a half-broken camera anyway.
They loved watching her solve her puzzle toy, laughing and giggling as she figured out which pieces to slide to get the treats I'd let the kids the place.
At nap-time, she quickly figured out where the most cozy, comfortable spot was.
Tomorrow Quenya goes to her "school" in the form of our first real agility class! In honor of the Tasty Tuesday bloghop I'm showing how I prepare my training class treat jar to be as high-value, varied, and nutritious as possible.
I start out by putting in several different varieties of treats.
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| Fruitables Salmon, Orijen 6 Fish, Primal Beef/Salmon Freeze Dried, Chicken/Beef Liver Baked Treats, Freeze Dried Raw Chicken, Alligator Sweet Potato Treats, Stewart Beef Liver Freeze Dried, and Zukes Pumpkin Turkey treats |
I layer the treats in the treat jar, usually starting with firmest texture and working my way up to the softest. For training I always like to top the treat mixture with two tablespoons of her liver-flavored Glucosamine supplement powder. On training days she gets it entirely through her treats rather than sprinkled on top of her kibble.
I then put the lid on the jar and shake the contents to get an even mixture and to spread the glucosamine powder evenly. It doesn't look nearly as pretty afterward, but it does spread the scents and flavors of the treats to each other. This way if Quenya ever wants a particular treat, say Alligator based, she'll be able to smell a little of the alligator on each treat which will create a higher value.
