Using freeze-dried anchovies as training rewards

Anchovies for dog training work because they are small, dry and loud: the listing says the strong fish smell is why dogs work for them, and a piece the size of a fingernail is plenty for one rep. Break them before you leave the house, keep the count inside your dog's treat share, and wash your hands afterward.

Why do people reach for anchovies in dog training?

Because the nose does half the job. A reward that smells like something gets noticed fast, and a dog that is paying attention to your pocket is a dog that is paying attention to you. The freeze-dried anchovies page leans into that smell on purpose, and so do we.

They are also dry and light. Our Fish Trio page describes the anchovies as smaller and drier than the sardines, and the easiest of the three to pocket. For a session where your hand goes to the pouch again and again, that matters more than it sounds.

A fair note on how we rate them. Our own scorecard gives these anchovies 3 of 5 for training value and 4 of 5 for crunch. That is our rating, not a fact about your dog. Some dogs will work for a dry fish piece all afternoon. Others will want something softer, and you will know within a couple of minutes.

The fish is one ingredient, anchovies, freeze-dried raw in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania from imported fish. Nothing else goes in, and the anchovies are a treat or topper, not a complete diet.

How small should you break an anchovy for one rep?

Smaller than you think. A reward only has to say "yes, that one", and a dog that spends a long while chewing a big piece has forgotten what it was paid for. Aim for a crumb you can drop in one motion.

The size, shape and color of the anchovies vary from fish to fish, so there is no standard piece. That works in your favor: a longer fish gives you several rewards, and a short one gives you two or three. The listing's own advice is to break them into pieces for rewards.

A simple way to work through a bag:

• Break the fish into pieces before the session, not during it.
• Make the pieces smaller for a small dog or a long session.
• Keep a few larger pieces for the one rep you want to celebrate.
• Drop crumbs that are too tiny back into the bag and use them as a topper.

Supervise while your dog eats, and keep fresh water nearby. The listing asks for fresh water at all times, and a session is no exception.

How many anchovies fit a training session?

Start with the number you have room for, not the number in the bag. The listing does not state a piece count, and the fish vary in size, so a count would be a guess.

What the label does give you is the energy figure: approximately 83.1 kcal per ounce, on a metabolizable energy of 2,930 kcal ME/kg. The sardine listing's FAQ says to hold all treats to about 10 percent of the day's calories, and that is a sensible ceiling to borrow for any treat session. Whatever you hand out in rewards comes out of that share, along with every other snack that day.

The treat budget calculator on the anchovy page turns your dog's daily calories into a weight of anchovies. Use it once, write the answer on the bag if you like, and plan your session around it.

If a session is going to need more rewards than your budget allows, there are two honest options. Make the pieces smaller, or give some of the day's regular food as the reward. Neither one costs you anything.

How do you carry anchovies without the smell on everything?

You do not fully avoid it, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not carried a bag of fish in a jacket. You can contain it, though.

Pack the session's worth into a small pouch with a closure, and leave the main bag sealed at home. The anchovy listing says to reseal the bag and keep it cool and dry, and that is the right habit for the big bag too. Count the pieces into the pouch before you go, so you do not have to dig during a rep.

If you train at a trailhead or a park, keep the pouch in the glovebox or a door pocket rather than on the dash. A hot, sunny dashboard is not the cool, dry place the listing asks for.

When the session ends, wash your hands. These are freeze-dried raw fish, so handwashing is part of the routine, and it is also the quickest way to stop the smell from following you into the rest of your day.

If you want to know more about the fish itself before you commit a pouch to it, our can dogs eat anchovies guide covers the basics.

When are sardine heads or sardines the better pick?

Anchovies are not the answer for every dog or every day. Sardines are the largest of the three fish on the Fish Trio page, and the page suggests breaking one in half for a small dog. That makes a sardine a better fit when you want a bigger piece to break into many rewards.

Sardine heads are the crunchiest of the three, and the heads listing says their aroma makes them a pick for training. A head is a bigger bite than an anchovy crumb, so it suits a reward you want to last a little longer.

Our scorecard gives sardines, heads and anchovies the same training score of 3 of 5, so none of them has a built-in advantage on paper. The practical difference is piece size. Anchovies are the small, pocket-ready option, and that is why they come first for a training bag.

For more on how we use fish in everyday feeding, the guides hub collects the rest.