# Food and Pockets...right or left?



## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I Much prefer a nice treat pouch instead!! I hate nasty pockets!


----------



## Teffy (Jul 4, 2010)

Treat pouches are discouraged in class, and as much as I'd like to use them...uncoordinated me has flipped the damned pouch upside down one too many times. I hate nasty pockets too. After washing, I find the crusties still in there or a smell.

Off topic story, one time on a date I was thinking "boy, he smells fishy...he didn't shower before meeting up with me...what a turn off...eww he smells" O-M-G...it was ME AND MY DAMNED TREATS crustied up from a wash and heating up because I was nervous.


----------



## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

That's hysterical! So, did you date the guy again??

Why does your class discourage the treat pouches? My agility instructor encourages them. Further, she encourages TWO of them, because in agility, sometimes we run the dogs on the left, sometimes on the right, and she wants us to treat from the side we want the dog to be on.

For training in the backyard, I often have the treats in a plastic sandwich bag. I just take out two or three itty-bitty treats to have in my hand. Right or left varies depending on what I'm training.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Both - that way they are always the right side! I don't have a problem with anything left in my pockets - Sophy pulls them out and cleans them very thoroughly every night.


----------



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Pretty embarrasing date story:scared: 

I am planning to do both sides when I dont use the treat pouch. I have to use hotdogs because your not allowed crumbs on the field. I do not want to put hot dogs in my pockets! But it will be a small price to get the results is how I must look at it.


----------



## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

Generally treats are in the left pocket and toy in the right pocket..I swear the wet spot on the pants is from the chicken in the pocket..*G*


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I use a canvas treat belt/apron thing that ties around my waist. It was given to me for free where I train and I find this much more effective than pockets. Pockets have never really worked for me. The treat apron is especially useful now that we are working on formal heeling and I basically put her meals in a baggie, drop the baggie into the apron and feed her dinner to her as treats while she heels.

When I am walking down the street or in my neighborhood sometimes I use a plastic baggie instead of the apron so I don't look so dorky. :embarrassed:


----------



## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

Could you post a picture of that treat belt/apron thingie? Do you know where they are sold?


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Beach girl said:


> Could you post a picture of that treat belt/apron thingie? Do you know where they are sold?


Well, great! I literally just searched my entire house and cannot find it. What the heck! I used it on Tuesday!

Oh well..I just did some googling and found these on the web. 

Police K9 Military K9 Working Dog Equipment - Closeout Items - scroll down towards the bottom
Amazon.com: Port Authority Waist Apron with Pockets (A515): Sports & Outdoors
Wide selection of White Dog merchandise printed with our Westie logo. - scroll down.


----------



## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

I use my mouth. I can't stand the taste of hot dogs, so use cheese or chicken. I have a bait bag, but the food does not come from there to the dog, so they ignore it. The source of the food is my mouth (sometimes spit - the dogs will catch and sometimes hand to them from my mouth). That keeps their attention on my face. It's a convenient place to stuff a few pieces of food :biggrin:


----------



## Curlydogs (Jun 28, 2010)

I used a treat pouch for a while but recently switched to pockets (I like being free of the pouch - it always seemed to flap around and get in the way). I wear cargo style pants or shorts so they have large pockets on the sides. I put a plastic baggie of treats in both side pockets - the pockets stay pretty clean and I have access to treats no matter what side we are working on.


----------



## Feralpudel (Jun 28, 2010)

So am I the only one with holes in my pockets from treats left in, and pants foolishly left on the floor where the dog can find them and excavate the treats? 

I use a big treat pouch that a friend gave me. It is wide with a hinged opening that snaps open and shut and its own belt. I wear it towards my right hip so that the dog ignores it and focuses on what appears in my hand. My bag is a Quick Draw, but I don't think they make them any more. This is similar, but deeper and narrower:

Gentle Leader Hinged Dog Training Pouch - Dog Training Supply

When we are just out in the neighborhood, or weaning off of treats in training for something, I will put dry treats (Merrick lamb filets) in my pockets. Hence the holes in my pockets...


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Feralpudel said:


> So am I the only one with holes in my pockets from treats left in, and pants foolishly left on the floor where the dog can find them and excavate the treats?


Sophy waits until we've gone to bed and the lights are out, then jumps down and turns all my trouser pockets inside out to check them for treats. She does the same with my coat, if it is anywhere she can climb up to reach. She is so quiet about it that it took a while before I realised why my clothes were always on the floor with the pockets turned out come morning.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Teffy said:


> Hello,
> 
> I was wondering which pocket you place your treats in when training for obedience. I have been told to keep them in my right but I am not coordinated enough to juggle this, I've also heard that the right pocket encourages the dog to forge and go slanted. What are your experiences with this?
> 
> If any of my non-dog sport friends read this thread they'd :fish:, they would commit me I swear. :wacko:


OH, also thought I'd add, that while I do use a treat apron, I keep the treats on the right side pocket. Well, sometime I have some in both pockets in case I am feeling uncoordinated that day. Millie really does not focus on the apron, which is great!


----------



## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

Feralpudel said:


> So am I the only one with holes in my pockets from treats left in, and pants foolishly left on the floor where the dog can find them and excavate the treats?
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> Yep been there..went to grab some shorts to wash before packing for a trial..huge hole..useless to fix..


----------



## markfsanderson (Oct 25, 2009)

*Treats, bribery, and other strategic concerns . . .*

Neither . . . I put a bait pouch on my belt behind me so that they don't associate a 'side' with a treat. This is particularly important in non-obedience competition where s/he could be on either side. I use hot dogs (pre-cooked) or string cheese and try never to have a treat in my hand when issuing a command. I also try to keep a visible chunk of goodies in the mouth so s/he will tend to look at my face instead of my hands. I'll a piece of a treat at my feet where I want them to be at during certain lessons or as 'surprise' treat during drive/motivation lessons.

Mark, Jamie and The Poodle Gangsters


----------



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

The treat in the mouth is a great tip and I can see what a difference this may make. I am going to use this.


----------



## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

> I put a plastic baggie of treats in both side pockets


I did this too and then my agility instructor told me not to do it, that the rustling of the plastic bag would be confusing to the dog, since I'm also doing clicker training. Have the rest of you ever heard of an instructor objecting to plastic bags?

I quit using them in her class, of course, but I still use them on walks and in the privacy of my own back yard where instructor doesn't know about it. ;-) Am I undercutting myself by using plastic bags? 

I like the mouth training thing. 

You really have to be coordinated to do dog training - between one hand for the leash, the other hand for command motions, the clicker in your third hand - well, you can see the problem!! ;-)


----------



## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

LOL!! Ive tried the mouth tip! Riley will only look up at me when sitting/laying. He will NOT catch any food either, so i had to use my hands regardless (he doesnt trust thrown treats). He cannot/willnot physically look up when walking!! I have tried everything! So the mouth thing just doesnt work for us. If i Must use a pocket i find that sample food bags work great!! You can empty the food and put whatever treats in instead. Most are long and more narrow to fit into the pocket. Also is plastic so nothing will get on your pants!


----------



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Beach girl said:


> I did this too and then my agility instructor told me not to do it, that the rustling of the plastic bag would be confusing to the dog, since I'm also doing clicker training. Have the rest of you ever heard of an instructor objecting to plastic bags?


I line my treat bag with plastic too, and its vinyl.hwell: I am anal, I don't like messy and because I have to use "crumbless" treats they get moist because I get hot! But the trainer has not said anything....yet - she has changed up on me a couple times.


----------



## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

I personally use my right pocket. I have dog clothes that I don't care if they get a gross pocket in (though I've never had a problem cleaning it out after training and it's fine; even though I never use dry foods!)

I do competition obedience, and when I'm in the ring Paris needs to work for me, even though I have no treats on me, so in other words I need to TRAIN as if I have no treats (even though I do, cos I'm training!) so that when we transition to the ring, she doesn't get savvy to the fact no treats are coming and blows me off!

So yes, that means no plastic bags for me, and food in the right side pocket (her nose is pocket level, so she knows if my left pocket has no food in it or not!) I generally have a handful of food in my right hand (along with my clicker) and when she's clicked at heel position, I pass food across to my left hand, where it can then be fed to her (so the food comes to her from my left hand, but I don't CARRY the food on my left)

Often I'll have treats on me, but I won't use them; I'll have a container stashed somewhere (kitchen bench or something) where after doing a short burst of training, we run and get her treat from the bench (or where-ever I've stashed the food) cos that's what we have to do in the ring too. The place food is stashed, varies a lot too.


----------



## Teffy (Jul 4, 2010)

Wow thanks for all the input! I am going to try the food in my mouth and the mad dash for food in a container. 

I like the pouch idea, I've just flipped it upside down one too many times. 

No, there was no second date, I was mortified. He wasn't a dog person anyways so it was for the best.


----------



## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

Ah. Golden Rule of Life: If you are a dog person, never, ever, date a non-dog person. It won't work and you will both be annoyed with each other.

My first hint that the guy I was dating might become my husband: when he loved my dog Killer at first sight, and Killer ran up to him and wagged his tail enthusiastically at first meeting. Big K did not do that for everyone, and had totally ignored the previous guy I had been dating. Smart dog, that one. ;-)


----------



## markfsanderson (Oct 25, 2009)

*Cheats, treats, bags and other goodies . . .*

From what I've read, only humans and dogs (not wolfs, pigs, dolphins or great apes!) are the only creature born with an innate understanding of what 'pointing' means. Using your arms, a dog understands that it can point in the direction of something interesting. To take advantage of that skill, try pointing at your mouth (with the treat on it) before doing a specific exercise. 
To train you dog to catch a treat, make the treat that they are to catch the highest value treat you have. For instance, if your dog likes hot dogs, so so for biscuits but is nutso for freeze dried liver - use the latter. Then make a rule that the ONLY way that s/he gets that treat is if they catch it. You must start small, from the top of the dogs head, etc and drop it. If it falls on the floor - get it first! No catch - no treat! Make sure they get a good sniff of what they might be missing before the exercise starts. This will work in most circumstances for even the most stubborn.
Oh - yes an alternative to the yucky-treat-in-the-mouth routine is to fabricate an arm band that has a short piece of dull plastic (*not metal*) protruding from the arm band. Put the armband on the left side (for obedience - or two for non-obedience) and push a treat onto the protruding plastic piece. Leather working aficionados will find this the easiest . . . or have friend do it for you? Make sure you point at the treat before/during/after an exercise and pop the treat off the holder when on the ground close to your left side when its reward time. Or just pull it off and hand it to them . . . mix it up! I haven't found any for sale, and a lady that I knew in Austin trained her dobermans this way. Very cool stuff - and no yucky treats!

Mark, Jamie and The Poodle Gangsters


----------



## Rocketagility (Apr 27, 2010)

I think a treat pouch is a start but as soon as I can I also work with the treats off my body. I will put them in a bowl or on a table or plate and show the dog where they are and when the dog does something then I will mark it with a click or a yes and say lets go get that treat so he knows the treat is coming and sometimes he has to walk over to a table to get it. I hope this makes sence.

I do agility and I show my dog where his treats are left for him and after the run we can go and collect them for a good job. Same thing can be done with obedience.


----------



## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

one thing about running to get your treats from a table or crate area...make sure that your dog knows putting the leash back on is part of getting the treat..where we use to train the crates where in the same area as the setup so we would run back to our crates to treat the dog..well you can probably guess what happened a time or two..once in an obedience ring I had just taken the leash off for the stand for exam..dog was sitting next to me..looked at me looked at the gate (our setup off to the side but near the gate)..looked at me again..then the gate and took off running to his crate where the chicken was sitting..arggggggggggghhhhhh.. happened at an agility trial to..unfortunately he had the zoomies in the ring and finally ran out of the ring to his crate sitting there patiently waiting for his treat. 

So now I always take them in and out of the practice ring on leash too and their last command in the agility ring is "leash" so they run to their leash and we can get the leash on before we run back to the crates for the good dog treats.


----------



## Teffy (Jul 4, 2010)

debjen, sorry your furbabe running off for the crate is too funny! I can see my girls doing that, great anecdote!

Sorta related to this topic, I found another item for food storage. My girls, especially Tessa won't play with toys outside of home so agility training has been difficult with the reward line. I bought the 'Tug It', stuffed it with liver/chicken/stinky stuff and presto! They'll drive through the obstacles now towards the toy, mind you they STILL don't grab the toy but at least they go towards it. I then take a piece out of the velcro meshy thing for them. 

Here's the link for anyone interested
Tug Training Dog Device -"Tug It" to teach dog to tug.

I got the link from Susan Garret's blog, I just started her 2x2 method and can I say wow, entry is not a problem anymore. Gotta work on the weaving now.


----------



## Vibrant (Dec 7, 2009)

Treats are in my right pocket (cause I'm right handed), but after the treat is removed from my pocket it is put in my mouth. If I'm rewarding a signal I've given with my left hand the treat is removed from my mouth and offered with the left hand, and vice versa for the right. If I'm rewarding a front I take the treat out with both hands and offer it with both hands at one time....keeps the focus on the face and not on one hand or the other. Rewards in heel position are always offered with the left hand.
I often find soggy pockets when I've been lazy and left my pants where they fall in the evening. Troy doesn't miss an opportunity to get food!! No holes yet, though!!


----------

