Hey everyone!

my puppy Cash is doing great around the house and in training. I just have a few random and pretty unrelated questions that I would like some opinions on. They are all pretty general, just a few things i've been wondering, and anything you can add to the conversation would be greatly appreciated. So here goes it:

1. What do you prefer to use as treats for training?

Obviously there are a lot of factors to the best treat, including the individual personality of the dog, but Cash is highly food motivated and not very picky. For the first month, I was just using individual pieces of his food as treats, and that worked wonderfully. He still enjoys his food, but became completely uninterested in it as a training reward. I have been experimenting, but I'm sure others have as well and can help me along on my search.

2. My puppy is a UABR puppy because that's what his parents are  (also, i believe the AKC classifies black GSPs as a mixbreed) What are the implications of this? I have tried researching this but have not found very much info. I am pretty clueless to this aspect owning dogs, so any info you can throw my way is probably new info and much appreciated.

3. What do you expect from your puppies at 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 1 year, etc.?

Again I know that every dog is different and not to compare my dog too much to others, but I am just curious. Basically, what kind of expectations do you have from your dog at different ages? 

thanks everyone!

# 1 When max as well as my first shorthair Jax were "infants" I would use liverwurst . Break off little pieces & it worked great.

#2 I know (NOTHING)  about the competition world. However when I see some of the fine specimens posted on here with their accomplishments I do enjoy it !

#3 I say it's all up to the pup & let them decide how far we can go. Keep it fun. Let them be puppy's & always end on a good note. Keep a cool head & everything comes together.

Not sure what you are looking for

this is a good guide for beginners

http://www.swanvalleypress.com/pages/gundogs/gun_dogs.html

Jeezo, picking bananas in your own garden - sometimes i forget this forum is international, then a post like that stops me in my tracks  we're lucky we're not still picking icicles off  the trees. 

Sorry, back to the thread.  I just use the usual things as special treats eg chicken, liver, cheese, garlic sausage (recommended by a trainer), and i've found all of these things to work well.  Another high value treat i've found to work well are fish flavoured treats and dried fish skins you find in some pet shops.  Obviously they are rather smelly (oh happy dog!) and not every dog likes fish but for the ones that do, the fish treats can be pretty convenient for when you dont have time to prepare anything.  But i think dogs react to fish the same as humans do, they love it or hate it so you'd have to try it first.  Oh, and i think i'll give texas belle's banana treat recipe a go too, Keely's got a sweet tooth!

 in florida it's basically beach weather all year long , I'm actually taking Cash to the beach tomorrow as long as the weather allows. 

The banana treats are amazing! The recipe is not only extremely easy to make, but Cash absolutely loves them. I made little bite size ones for training. Another great thing is that I can tear them apart very easily or keep a few in my pockets without getting messy or smelly hands and pockets. (not to mention that the minimal smell also allows Cash to focus on something besides my pockets ) Also, they don't seem to cause soft stool  like a lot of other store-bought treats. I will definitely be making these again.