Train Your Dog Using Raw Fish

I get asked a lot about how to use raw food when training a dog. People wonder about the process I use and including how I prepare and actually carry the raw fish or any other raw meat when training. What a training session looks like and whether or not it’s messy.

There are a variety of ways that you can use raw food to train your dog. I love the fact that in the spring, summer and fall months I catch my dog food. I make sure to freeze the fish for three to four weeks to kill any parasites that may be present.

Watch as I prepare and train my dogs using raw fish

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Steps to prepare raw fish for training

The best way to prepare the fish for training is to pre-freeze the whole fish, in this case, mackerel and cut it into bite-sized chunks.

It’s easy to cut partially thawed fish into small pieces. This also keeps things relatively clean for cleanup and training.

Plastic bags are great because they can be cleaned and reused. You can place the bag in a pocket and easily grab chunks of raw fish.

After you have your raw fish/food prepped and ready in your pocket to the training pouch you can begin your training session with your dog. 5-10 mins are all it takes. I use a clicker or verbal release to mark a behaviour and then feed with a piece of raw mackerel.

You can build excitement and energy by throwing the food and allowing your dog to catch it.

If after a few drills and you’re running short on time you can end your training session with a ‘jackpot’ where you empty out the bag of raw fish and let your dog enjoy! The key is to make them work for it.

I also like to add XDOG™ supplements to my dog’s diet. I’ll do this when I give a bowl of food as a jackpot to help contain the powder supplements.

I am blessed to live on a beautiful island where I can fish for my dog’s food. By feeding my dog mackerel, I get to do something I love every single day. Fishing is one of my passions and it’s even better when I can take my dog along and build a strong bond and a trusting relationship. Having a well-trained dog is key to being able to enjoy life together.

Takeaway tip: What’s one thing that you really love, something that’s good for you, a hobby or something that you’re passionate about that you haven’t done in a long time. What’s taking you from it? What changes can you make in your life to get back to doing that a little more?