Every dog needs training. Just like children, dogs are happiest when they know what is expected of them.
While most people think of dog training as something you do with puppies, dogs can learn new commands at any age. It’s especially important for dogs like Gilbert to learn some basic commands in order to help them get adopted and have that adoption be a forever one.
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Zuke’s via OffLeash Communications. I received compensation and free product for this article. See full disclosure statement.
Gilbert’s Story:
Gilbert was rescued by Gateway Pet Guardians in St. Louis, MO.
Gateway rescues dogs in the impoverished communities of Illinois just minutes from downtown St. Louis. There are hundreds of dogs living on their own on the streets of East St. Louis or hoping to make it out of the animal control shelter. Gateway rescues as many of them as they can.
Gilbert was abandoned by his owners and found in East St. Louis tied to a tree. He was taken to a very overcrowded animal control facility where sadly many of the dogs never find homes.
Gilbert was one of the lucky ones.
Gateway Pet Guardians rescued him and is working to find him a forever home.
Gilbert is a pit bull mix with a huge smile. When I walked through the Gateway shelter where they house dogs waiting for a foster home, it seemed like every dog started barking. But not Gilbert. He just sat at attention and locked his eyes on me hoping I would come over and give him some love.
To his surprise, he not only got to go out into the yard with me and another volunteer Melissa, but he also got a few handfuls of tasty Zuke’s Mini Natural treats while he learned some new commands.
Since the video was made, Gilbert has been adopted!
Win 6 bags of Zuke’s Mini Naturals:
Zuke’s is giving one of my readers a chance to try all 6 flavors of their Mini Naturals Dog Treats.
READ MORE ABOUT ZUKES TRAINING TREATS:
The Giveaway:
The winning reader will receive 36 oz of Zuke’s Mini Naturals. Flavors include: chicken, pork, duck, salmon, rabbit and peanut butter.
This giveaway is over. Congratulations to our winner, Kristie Donelson of Ohio.
I love Gilbert! I use treats for y shy/fearful dog when we are walking and we see people, we are working on people=treat=good thing 🙂 and we are making progress every day! 🙂
I love bringing treats on walks to help reinforce good behavior.
I hope Gilbert finds his forever home.
My favorite use of small treats is training my pit Roxy to stay in the truck until released. It keeps her safely out of traffic and allows me to be ready before she gets out.
I signed up for weekly emails for a extra entry.
OMG Gilbert is gorgeous! Not entering the giveaway since I don’t currently have a dog – but love the video!
I love using small treats for training and when my dog showed good manners when a guest comes over to our home.
i followed on Pinterest and shared:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/115967759130082829/
My dogs, Raven and Bella love Zuke’s minis. They’ve only tried the chicken and the peanut butter though. I hope we get to try the other flavors too! My favorite use for small treats is training. They’re also good to take to the lake with us. I give them treats when distractions arise and I need their attention on ME!
we love dogs
I have no dog, but I couldn’t resist Gilbert when I saw his photo on Dedicated House’s link party. Please post another link to her party once Gilbert finds his fur-ever home. We all love happy endings. 🙂
We love Zukes! We use small treats for training but our favorite use is putting them in our dog’s treat ball.
I signed up for the newsletter.
I followed on pinterest and repinned: http://pinterest.com/pin/239887117627097614/
I like to use them to train doggies to do tricks! (:
Signed up for email under Dana.Pugsley63@gmail.com
Shared your facebook post https://www.facebook.com/DanaPugsley/posts/10152473343275805
Following all boards on Pnterest and pinned this image http://www.pinterest.com/pin/281334307947855583/
Following on Twitter and tweeted about the contest https://twitter.com/DanaPugsley/status/511736010166657025
Gilbert is so handsome & looks like my Pit’s twin
I signed up for the newsletter. I love Pits; all dogs! I use small treats if I come across stray, abandoned or running loose dogs & to reward & train at home
We just got a dog about 6 weeks ago. Wow, we’re all adjusting. We use small treats for rewarding positive behaviors. She loves treats.
We just started puppy kindergarten and Zuke’s are PERFECT for this!
So well trained!
I shared the entry on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ann.cluck.58/posts/380655078748596
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/101542166574347111/
https://twitter.com/karenstl/status/511625265106386944 <<<< I retweeted her tweet.
Also, I follow Karen on facebook and on twitter (@AnnCluck)
I already receive your newsletter, liked the post, shared the post & follow you on Fb. I like small treats to take outside with me when Magnum would prefer to stay outside after doing his business, it’s 2am and I need to get him inside. I keep them in my palm holding the leash and it’s all he can think about. 🙂
We use small treats for training sessions to reinforce commands our pups already know.
What an awesome post! Love Gilbert – he’s such a handsome man-dog.
Thank you for sharing his story with us.
Thank you for joining our Thankful Thursday Weekly Blog Hop while we have been travelling.
Hope to see you this week too. :=o)
my favorite use for little treats is training, we just learned to roll over, it took a lot of treats!
I confess – we use treats just because shes so darn cute!
We use treats to reinforce good behavior. Works great on our black lab!
Happy Thoughtless Thursday! what a fun giveaway
Great story, and a wonderful giveaway!!
Thanks for linking up with us!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack
Right now we are using treats for walking on the leash training.
Gilbert is so adorable!
We just use treats as treats, our boy Logan is good, and getting older, he just turned 12 and we just spoil him any way we can. He was a shelter puppy and already trained when my husband got him
OK so first let me say, Gilbert is a very handsome boy and I bet he was very happy that he didn’t bark that day 😉
I won’t be entering the giveaway as I live in Canada, but I love using Zuke’s and other small treats to train my baby girl “Little”. We’ve done all of Zuke’s flavors except Chicken (Little has a chicken allergy) and she’s pretty happy to get them. Right now we are using them to learn to ride a skateboard and as a reminder to walk beside me when we go for walks (I got lazy and started letting her not, working on getting back to how it’s supposed to be), no pull, loose leash.
They work great, and the best part is that I don’t have to cut them in half when I’m using Zuke’s as they are the perfect size for training. We use lots of treats when training so the smaller the better for me.
I can’t seem to teach Milo to even lay down. Can’t imagine teaching him to ride a skateboard!
What a beautiful boy Gilbert is! I love using these treats for clicker training sessions and just as an occasional treat when I feel like giving my fur babies a little something extra for a snack.
I love to reward my dog with treats
I have two puppies so I am using small treats for training purposes right now. I need more.
We love Zukes! Small treats are great for training our MinPin and for little rewards for good behavior throughout the day.
I subscribe to future expat
I follow on facebook
I shared on facebook Nancy Loring
I would love to say that I use treats to train mh dog but the truth is I use treats to spoil my dog.
I follow on pinterest Nancy Loring
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/117938083967319145/ pist I pinned Nancy Loring
I follow on Twitter @nancy_loring
https://mobile.twitter.com/nancy_loring/status/514564356957151232
I use small treats to reward my pup for good behavior.
I subscribed to your weekly emails!
I use treats for tricks, sit, shake, down, etc.
I subscribe to your email
I follow you on Facebook and I shared this post
I follow you on Twitter and I tweeted– https://twitter.com/darleneowen1234/status/514586584948027393
I use treats as a reward for good behavior from my GSD pup.
We use treats as a reward for tricks.
Shared on facebook!
My favorite use of small treats is for training, I also like to give my dogs small treats like this each time they come in from pottying. I have eight dogs, three of which are rescues, so I use a lot of treats and would absolutely love to win these for my furkids. They have tried a couple other zukes treats and loved them so I know these would be a hit. Love the wide variety of flavors featured, my dogs really love duck among other flavors so was excited to see that flavor among the others! My three rescue dogs are a long hair chihuahua, a Sheltie and a pit bull and my others are all shelties….So I loved seeing Gilbert featured here. So many people have mixed feelings about the breed but they can be wonderful dogs. It’s all in how they are trained. My rescue pit bull thinks it’s his job in life to protect all my little dogs and he loves them and us dearly. Gilbert reminds me a lot of my own pit bull. I hope he finds a wonderful home! Thanks for the Chsnce to win
I signed up for your emails. Thank you!
We have a six year old boxer and a 1 year old rescue dog. We use small treats for positive reinforcement. Our rescue dog is a terrier mix and loves to jump…my children have been teaching her to jump through a hula hoop and the treat is a nice reward!
I am a new email subscriber! I enjoyed reading this post and look forward to more.
We use small treats for training and rewards for calming down when guests come over
Hi, we are back again, zooming to every pal’s site from last week’s Thankful Thursday Weekly Blog Hop.
Gilbert is such a handsome man-dog!
Thank you for joining our Thankful Thursday Weekly Blog Hop last week.
Hope to see you gain this week because we always enjoy reading your posts.
*waves paw* :=o)
Small treats are great for all kinds of training!
I love to use small treats when trying to train a new trick, so they are attentive but don’t get full.
I subscribe via email.
I give them small treats when I am training them. hmromoser@yahoo.com
I friended you and shared on facebook as billsn beaks
I follow you on pinterest and pinned as http://www.pinterest.com/timmybulb/
follow on twitter and tweeted https://twitter.com/jumpinupanddown/status/515326234566225920
It’s super fun to throw these tiny dog treats and let my puppy try and catch them! Woohoo! ♥
gracebertou@gmail.com
I use small treats for going outside to the bathroom and for good manners towards other people.
I subscribe to your emails.
Oh, my goodness! I”m thinking good thoughts for Gilbert’s heartworm treatment — he looks like such a nice guy! Our little dog loves little treats, and she gets a couple a day, usually as a reward for doing something right, or to reinforce some attempt at training. She’s not brilliant, but we love her.
Just for being good, an extra snack.
my favorite use of small treats is when my dad goes something good. it helps her learn more
They are great for cutting nails and helping to sit still you give one after each paw!
I subscribed via email.
I follow on pinterest as wlburro and re-pinned http://www.pinterest.com/pin/421297740115740882/
I take a treat on our walk. Bailey knows that it is in my pocket. He doesn’t waste any time doing his business because he knows when he finishes that he gets a dog treat.
As a nightly snack for my beagle batsadie@gmail.com
I use them to help my dog stay still when we wait to cross the street.
signed up for emails
For my Dachshund when she does something good 🙂 jessicapeeling@yahoo.com
Following and tweeted here: https://twitter.com/the2ndthought/status/516023906679791616
Following on Facebook and shared here: https://www.facebook.com/thesecondthought/posts/601171093322192
We use Zukes for training and we also put them in a kong.
I use small treats on walks and when teaching treats. It helps the reward to be quickly given and for me to carry several
We use them as a positive reward when he does something good like a trick or going in his cage.
We are currently using treats to reward our doggies for pottying outside. Sometimes we slip in extra just because;)
I am following on Pinterest @laborders2000
https://twitter.com/laborders2000/status/516351737280471041
I use small treats to bribe my dogs to come into the house or to be quite, etc.
I use small dog treats for training lessons 🙂
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/155866837078876462/
https://twitter.com/ChesnutMutt/status/516407852139675651
We use them to train him…like last time we trained him to not jump at the front door when someone knocks.
annejk112233 at yahoo dot com
My favorite use of small treats is for teaching puppies the basics.
Zuke’s is our favorite! Haven’t tried all the flavors though.
My dog is pretty well behaved. We use treats whenever she does tricks or just as positive reinforcement.
We love using small treats to assist with training. Gilbert reminds me so much of my sweet pittie that we rescued last year – he is very, very food motivated so I always have a pocketful of treats to reward those good behaviors!
I followed Karen, and have tweeted the message:
https://twitter.com/dsickles87/status/516694012355280898
My 3 Chihuahua’s get treats just because I love them !
I use small treats as a reward for going outside to the bathroom.
My little dog gets treats because I love her so much! We LOVE the Zuke’s brand!
I subscribed to the newsletter.
I follow you on Twitter (@birdhousebooks)
I tweeted the giveaway:
https://twitter.com/birdhousebooks/status/516713791715676160
We use small treats daily for my 5 yr old Boston, Zelda. She gets a treat each time she goes out to potty 🙂
We have an older dog and at her age she gets treats all the time
I subscribed to newsletter
I am now a follower on Facebook
I now follow on Twitter
I am a follower on Pinterest
This doggy is so cute and I love his training video! Thanks for sharing this with us at the Teach Me Tuesday Linky Party.
Every night, my parent’s dog gets a handful of “night night cookies” when she goes to bed. I love the little ritual and how happy it makes her!
We have a 7-year-old, a 9-month-old, and a 3-month-old; we could sure use the treats for training 🙂 Two of them are rescues, and we also foster. I also pet sit, dog walk, and board dogs. Needless to say, treats are always needed. Zuke’s are one of my favorite brands!
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/complete?latest_status_id=516731953559523328&original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fintent%2Ftweet%3Ftext%3DEnter%2Bto%2Bwin%2B6%2Bbags%2Bof%2B%2523Zukes%2BMini%2BNaturals%2BDog%2BTreats%2Bfrom%2B%2540karenstl%2Band%2B%2540ZukesPets%2B%2523giveaway%2Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbit.ly%252F1BDVvNw%26source%3Dclicktotweet%26related%3Dclicktotweet&related=clicktotweet&source=clicktotweet&text=Enter+to+win+6+bags+of+%23Zukes+Mini+Naturals+Dog+Treats+from+%40karenstl+and+%40ZukesPets+%23giveaway+http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F1BDVvNw
I liked you on Facebook as Garage Saling, but it kept saying “error” whenever I tried to share the status.
http://www.pinterest.com/kortamaosu/ I pinned on to my “Animals” board.
I’ve signed up for email updates.
We use treats for good behavior and “just because”!
I’m subscribed! 🙂
I liked you on Facebook! Suzynich
I follow on pinterest! Pinterest.com/suzynichols
I pinned an image…. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/528469337498250428/
I like to use small treats when trying to teach a trick. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.
Subscribed via email. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.
Follow on Pinterest. Kristie Donelson.
Pinned: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/23010648071634771/
kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/kdonelson/status/516769326116786176
kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.
I use treats to teach my dogs to sit stay…it’s slow but it’s going well.
We love small treats for training! They are just perfect.
I use dog treats to reward good behavior.
I subscribe.
I use them as rewards for good behavior and also to train my dog with something new
sibabe64 at ptd dot net
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follow u on fb
Lisa Reitano
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follow u on pin
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follow u on twitter
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sibabe64 at ptd dot net
tweeted
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I like to use treats for training purposes! 🙂
Subscribed via email
I use small treats for training
To reward my dog.
I like using small treats as a tiny tidbit of extra affection and attention!
I subscribed via email as bkittie at gmail dot com!
I use them for training (or trying to…) and to put them on his puzzle games 🙂
I like to use them to play hide and seek with my pup.
https://twitter.com/ChesnutMutt/status/517157423425925121
I used Zuke treats training my dog to become a therapy dog for hospice patients. He loves the peanut butter ones especially!
https://twitter.com/ChesnutMutt/status/517890961616429056
https://twitter.com/ChesnutMutt/status/518570553393696771
I tweeted https://twitter.com/kimtrax13/status/520964678252367872
The Facebook Share Status says it cannot be found???
The giveaway actually ended already. I need to go back and edit to make it more clear since I guess everyone doesn’t read the rules paragraph. Sorry for the trouble but glad you stopped by.
Here is the pin link also
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/23432860536832648/
I love Pit bulls, they are the cutest smaller dog breeds. People have trained them to be mean, but I think that the nice ones can be super loving. My wife and I want to get one as a family pet that can be an appropriately behaved guard dog for our disabled son. He needs a little buddy and I think that a dog would be just the ticket.