Guide
Using freeze-dried salmon at agility practice
Updated
Salmon treats for agility are easiest to use when the work is done before you reach the field: break pieces into small bits at home, weigh the day's share, and carry it in a pocket you can reach without looking. Reward at the end of a sequence, offer water between runs, and keep the pouch resealed.
How do you use salmon treats in agility training?
As the reward at the end of a piece of work, handed from your fingers or tossed to a target, the same way any small treat is used. The listing says: "The pieces are medium sized and break into small, quick rewards." Break them to a size your dog takes in one go, and break them before practice rather than during it.
The basics of handing over a piece, and how to build a short routine, live in our guide to using salmon treats. This page sticks to the field: where the reward lands, where the bits live, and how much a day uses.
Agility training treats get handled fast and often. A bit that is already broken comes out of a pocket and into a dog in one motion, which is the whole reason to do the breaking at the kitchen counter.
When do you reward on an agility course?
When your trainer says to. This is a treat page, not a handling lesson, and your instructor knows your dog and your course. A sequence, then a bit. One obstacle, then a bit, when a piece of the course is new. Where exactly the reward lands is your trainer's call, and a different trainer may call it differently.
Keep the reward quick and keep it small. Rewards at agility practice add up over a session, and a fine bit lets the same day's weight stretch across more repetitions than a whole piece would.
The bag says: "Provide fresh water and supervise while feeding." At practice that means a bowl on the sideline and your eyes on your dog while the bit goes down, not on the next obstacle.
How do you keep salmon handy at practice?
A treat pouch on your belt, a jacket pocket, or a small closed container at the start line all work. Fill it with bits you broke at home and leave the pouch itself in your bag, resealed.
The bag says: "Reseal the pouch once it is open and store it cool and dry." The big pouch stays closed in your bag, and only the day's bits come out.
The salmon is freeze-dried raw. The bag says: "Wash your hands after handling it." Between runs you will touch a leash, a toy and probably another handler's dog. Keep a bottle of water and a bar of soap in the car, or find the clubhouse sink before the first run. Our travel guide covers carrying treats on the road and on trails in more detail.
Here is the practice day in order:
- Break the bits at home, before you leave.
- Weigh the day's share on a kitchen scale, using the calculator's number.
- Put the bits in a pocket or belt pouch; the resealed pouch goes in your bag.
- Set water out at the field before the first run.
- Reseal the pouch between runs if you open it for more bits.
- Wash your hands at the end, and before you eat anything yourself.
How much salmon does a practice day use?
The same share as any other day, by weight. The treat budget calculator on our product page starts at 10 percent of the daily calories you type in. That is its default setting, not a rule, and your veterinarian sets both the real share and the calorie number. A long practice does not change the arithmetic; it changes how finely you break the bits.
The label gives about 85.6 kcal per ounce, and the calculator turns that figure and your dog's number into grams and ounces. Weigh the day's share rather than counting pieces. The label lists no piece weight, and we give no count.
Salmon is a treat or a topper. The bag says: "Feed as a treat or meal topper." The rest of the day's food is your vet's department, as is whether a trial day should be fed any differently from a practice day.
Every other page we have written about the pouch is linked from the guides hub.
Questions
Can I bring salmon treats to an agility trial?
Ask the trial secretary or the club. Trials set their own rules about food near the ring and in the crating area, and we do not speak for any of them. If treats are allowed, salmon at an agility trial follows the practice plan: bits broken at home, the day's weight, water, and the resealed pouch in your bag.
Should I offer water with treats at practice?
Yes. The bag says: "Provide fresh water and supervise while feeding." Set a bowl at the sideline before the first run so it is there when you need it, and refill it through the session. Watch your dog take each bit; the next obstacle can wait a moment.
Can I use crumbs as a reward between obstacles?
You can, if your trainer agrees and your dog takes crumbs from your hand. Crumbs are what the listing's small, quick rewards turn into at the bottom of the container. Count them inside the same day's weight, and keep the container closed between uses so they do not end up in the grass.
Does an active dog get more treats?
Not from us. The calculator works from the daily calorie number you type in, and that number comes from your veterinarian. If your vet gives an active dog a higher figure, the calculator shows a larger weight; if not, it does not. We make no claim about what a sporting dog needs.
How do I store the pouch at the field?
Resealed, in your bag, out of the sun and off the wet grass. The bag says: "Reseal the pouch once it is open and store it cool and dry." Only the day's broken bits come out in a pocket or container; the pouch stays closed until the container runs low.