Guide
Using freeze-dried sardine heads as dog rewards
Updated
Sardine heads for dog training come with a note from the listing: their aroma makes them a pick for training. Our scorecard rates them crunch 4 of 5 and training 3 of 5. Choose heads that suit your dog, count each one against the treat share, and stay close while the dog works.
Do sardine heads work as training treats?
The sardine heads listing says so in one line: the aroma makes them a pick for training. That is the listing's description, and we cannot tell you how your dog will take it. Our scorecard, which is Sniff and Shift's own rating and not a fact about any animal, gives the heads crunch 4 of 5 and training 3 of 5.
What is in the sardine heads bag: whole sardine heads, "with the bones and the eyes still in them," and no other ingredient. The heads go into the freeze dryer raw, a small batch at a time, made in Malvern, Pennsylvania from imported fish. The listing says adult dogs of all sizes.
Because it is raw fish, the heads listing has a line for your hands: "This is raw fish, so wash your hands after handling it." Do that at the end of a session, and again if you touch the bag partway through.
Which heads in a bag suit quick rewards?
Expect a mix of larger and smaller heads in any bag; the listing says so, and adds that no two match. It gives no sizes, no lengths and no piece counts, so we cannot either.
So you do the picking. For a quick reward in the middle of a session, reach for a head your dog can finish without a long pause. Which one that is comes from looking at the head and the dog in front of you.
The listing gives no method for breaking a head, so we will not describe one. It does say the heads are a crunchy reward or a crumbled topper, and the crumbled form is the only small-piece option the listing offers. If your dog needs smaller rewards than a head allows, whole sardines are the fish the listings say to break into pieces.
Bones and eyes are in every head, and we make no bone claim of our own. If you are unsure about your own dog and fish bones, the listing's FAQ says to ask your veterinarian.
How many sardine heads fit a training session?
We cannot give you a number of heads, because the listing gives no head count or head weight. What we can give you is the method, and it goes by weight.
For dogs, the sardine listing's FAQ says: "Hold all treats to about 10 percent of the day's calories." Our treat calculator uses 10 percent as its default, and the note on the sardine page credits VCA's treat guidance for that figure. It is a dog figure and no one else's.
Start with the daily calories from your dog's food bag or your veterinarian. Then use the label. The heads bag says: "approximately 94.9 kcal/oz," and it matches the whole sardines as printed, so the treat calculator on the sardine page works for heads too. It returns grams and ounces for the day. Put a kitchen scale under a few heads, find your session's share, and you have your number.
Treats are not a complete diet, and fresh water should be out.
Sardine heads or anchovies for training?
The Fish Trio page compares our three fish. It calls the heads the crunchiest and the anchovies the easiest to pocket. Read that as the page's view, crunch on one side and the pocket on the other, not a ruling on your dog.
Our anchovies for dog training guide covers carrying and pouch use. Both fish sit at training 3 of 5 on our scorecard. The anchovy label reads approximately 83.1 kcal per ounce, against 94.9 for the heads, so the weights differ even when the scores do not.
Why stay close while a dog works on a head?
The listing says to supervise, and that is the whole reason. A head is not a broken-up reward, and you want to see how your dog handles it.
Stay near the dog, and pick the head up if it goes wrong. Keep water out. If you have to leave the room, take the head with you. A training session is a short job, and the stretch of time when the fish is out should be short too.
It is the same discipline as a pit stop: quick, planned, and you are standing there the whole time.
Questions
Can I train with heads and whole sardines in the same session?
The listings do not forbid it. They are different bags with different pieces, and both count toward the same treat share. Both print 94.9 kcal per ounce, so the calculator figure is the same for either one. Weigh what you plan to use and keep the total inside the share.
Should I wash my hands after a session with heads?
Yes. The heads listing says: "This is raw fish, so wash your hands after handling it." Do it every time you finish handling them, including when you only reached into the bag for a moment.
Are sardine heads suited to a puppy class?
The heads listing is written for adult dogs, which leaves puppies to your veterinarian. Bones and eyes are in each head. Ask your veterinarian before you bring any fish to a puppy class. For an adult dog, the same advice holds if you are unsure about fish bones.
How do I count heads toward the day?
By weight. Take your dog's daily calories, use the 10 percent default in the calculator, and read off the grams or ounces. The listing gives no head count, so we cannot translate that into heads. Weigh a few, learn what the share looks like, and stay inside it.
Can I crumble a head for a small reward?
The listing calls the heads a crunchy reward or a crumbled topper, so crumbled is a listed use. It gives no method for getting there, and we will not make one up. Crumble by hand, keep the pieces to what your dog can manage, and watch while they are eaten.