Many nutritionists recommend that you use a piece of dog food as a reward as often as possible. Since other treats may be high in calories and fat, too many can make your puppy overweight.
You can use treats and bits of food to help you train you dog. For example, you can move a treat to get your puppy to follow it into the "down" position. Get your dog to sit, then let him sniff the snack. While saying "down,' pull the treat down and out in an L-shaped movement. Your dog will naturally follow his nose "down."
When training, you want to work away from giving a food reward every time. Sometimes you will want your puppy to sit but you won't have any food. So start gradually replacing the treat with praise. Once your puppy has learned a command, give the treat every other time, then every third time. Make sure your praise is lavish every time, with or without a treat.
Pretty soon, your puppy will work for praise - and the very occasional treat. Treats can be part of a well-balanced puppy training regimen as long as they are used sparingly.
