I’ve been struggling with my dog’s health recently. After months of dealing with giardia and diarrhea, my vet believes allergies are the cause. We’re now on hypoallergenic food, and my dog can’t eat anything else until his intestines heal. He also has to wear a muzzle more often because there’s been a lot of poison bait around, and he tends to eat anything he finds on the street. He hates the muzzle, and I can’t even use his favorite treats to make it a positive experience anymore. Anyone here have tips on how to make this easier? Especially for training him without using high-value treats like cheese or liver pâté? 
You could use toys or affection to reinforce the behavior. You can also check the ingredients in your dog’s food and make homemade treats using a single animal protein. If that doesn’t work, you can always use the food you’re feeding him as treats during training.
@TheK9
Thank you. I’ll definitely try using play-based rewards for training, especially for recall. It’s a bit tricky with the muzzle, though.
Mark said:
@TheK9
Thank you. I’ll definitely try using play-based rewards for training, especially for recall. It’s a bit tricky with the muzzle, though.
Try playing chase, hide and seek, or tag, and maybe even some gentle wrestling if that’s something you both enjoy. Physical affection and praise can work well too. A massage every time he wears the muzzle might help him associate it with calmness and relaxation.
@TheK9
I’ve noticed he responds well to physical touch near his face and temples when he’s stressed, so I’ll try incorporating more touch when he’s wearing the muzzle. He likes the new kibble, so I’ve been using that to help him associate the muzzle with something positive.
@TheK9
This is a great idea, but make sure to check with the vet if the meat in the food was processed in a way that might destroy allergens. If so, you might want to avoid using the unprocessed meat.
You mentioned giardia, but has your dog been recently checked for it? If not, you might not get rid of the diarrhea until the giardia is completely cleared. Also, if your dog doesn’t like the muzzle, you could try a foxtail guard. It’s a mesh bag that fits over the head, less intimidating than a muzzle, and it works well because it stops dogs from licking at things like liquids.
@CanineCoaches2
The giardia test came back negative a while ago. I’ll definitely check out the foxtail guard. Thanks for the suggestion.
If the hypoallergenic diet works, it might point to food allergies, but I’d suggest going for the actual allergy testing to figure out exactly what your dog is allergic to. For treats, you’ll likely have to stick with kibble for now, but you can also use toys or other non-food rewards to keep training exciting.
@Melanie
My vet said the allergy tests aren’t very reliable, and they’re pretty expensive; around 400 bucks for a specific blood test. But I’ll start using more play-based rewards! It’s a good opportunity to get creative.
@Mark
FYI, make sure to check with your vet about treats. My dog is on an elimination diet, but she’s allowed certain treats.
JapaneseSpitzExpert said:
@Mark
FYI, make sure to check with your vet about treats. My dog is on an elimination diet, but she’s allowed certain treats.
I’ll do that once we start reintroducing foods. For now, it’s just the hypoallergenic kibble.
@Mark
My dog is on rabbit and potato kibble, and she’s allowed single-ingredient rabbit treats. Might be worth checking for your dog too.
@Mark
Our vet suggested treats only if they’re labeled on the food. We avoided protein treats and used veggies instead. I dehydrated a lot of sweet potatoes, and it worked really well since my dog is food-motivated.
@Melanie
Just to let you know, my dog is on an allergy diet and is allowed single-ingredient treats using the same protein as her kibble (rabbit in our case).
This might sound odd, but many dogs aren’t allergic to the ingredients in their food; they’re allergic to the mites that get into the food. You could try freezing the food before feeding it to your dog. It’s helped others, and it might make a difference for your dog too.
@Austin
I totally agree with this. My dog had a blood test, and we found out she’s allergic to storage mites. Freezing her food helped a lot.
@Austin
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. If the food is kept airtight, though, shouldn’t there be no risk of mites?
Mark said:
@Austin
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. If the food is kept airtight, though, shouldn’t there be no risk of mites?
Mites can still get into the food during processing, even if the bag is airtight. It’s also possible for them to enter if the bag is opened. Freezing could still help if the food was exposed to mites during storage.
Do you have any idea what your dog might be allergic to? You could try making your own treats with one ingredient, like dehydrating meats or fish. I bought a $25 dehydrator from Facebook Marketplace and used it to make homemade treats. If your dog is also dealing with allergies, I’d love to hear updates on your progress.