Tuna Salad Sandwiches

My mother, who was not a naturally creative cook, made my father’s lunch every day. Always the same: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which he seemed to enjoy.  One day he asked if she could make something different, so she tried her hand at a tuna salad sandwich.  My father came home from work that day, absolutely raving about how delicious it was! 

Tuna salad again????

My mom was so happy that for the next few weeks, that’s what she gave him. 

Tuna salad.  Every day.  Week after week. 

Finally, as gently as he could, my dad said, “You know, Hon, I loved the tuna salad when you first made it.  It was such a nice change.  But I don’t want it every day of the week!  I still like a PBJ now and then, or maybe egg salad on occasion.  Just not the same thing every day!”

AH, IF ONLY OUR DOGS COULD TALK!

I think they’d tell us the same thing.

Dogs get bored, just like we do.  Dogs get excited over variety, just like we do. Next time you’re preparing your treats for class or for a trial, consider giving your dog something different for a change. 

“But my dog LOVES string cheese!” 

Maybe so, but even the highest value treat loses its value when it's no longer novel.  A treat that’s no longer interesting has lost some of its reinforcement value, too.

So put away that same-old-same-old for awhile and try few different things. Anything that’s safe and delicious.  Mix them all in the same pouch or use one type of treat for the first run, another for the second run, and another for the next run.  You get the idea. 

ALERT!!

Your dog will love the change and you’ll love the difference it makes!  (You could even use a piece of your tuna salad sandwich or PBJ)!!

Happy sniffing!!