They need to be taught how to eat from a tube!

Most cats and dogs love our Prins Train & Care salmon pate: a tasty reward in a tube. But some animals may find licking and eating from a tube a bit scary. Here are some tips! 

Just like that, a tube in your face... might need some getting used to. What. Is. That?? Sure, YOU know there's yummy salmon pate in there, but your pet doesn't -  yet! Sometimes it requires some step-by-step explaining.   

This is how to do it

• First, let your cat or dog get to know the look and feel and, of course, the smell of the tube. Show the unopened tube and just let him sniff it, if he wants to. Don't move the tube towards the animal but leave it up to him when the right time is to approach it.
• Then put a bit of salmon pate on your finger and see if he wants to sniff it or eat it, without the tube itself being in sight. Does he like the pate? Great, now you can move on to the next step.
• Put some more pate on your finger, and let him lick it off again. This time keep the tube close to the treat on your finger, so your pet can switch from your finger to the tube opening. Make sure enough pate is coming out of the tube while he's doing this.   

It's not working!

• Maybe you're not squeezing the tube firmly enough and too little pate is coming out, or just a puff of air that might startle the animal. To avoid this, start squeezing the tube before offering it to your pet, so it's guaranteed to come out easily.  
• Maybe your pet has had a bad experience before, hurting itself to the sharp corners a tube may have. You can prevent that by keeping the top of the tube away from the animal. 
• Maybe you have tried a metal reward tube before, and your pet didn't like touching the hard material with its tongue. It's good to know our Train & Care tubes are made of a more comfortable plastic material. You just have to convince your pet to try it!

A reward isn't a reward until it feels like one!

Don'ts

• Don't compel your pet to try the tube. The more you try to force it or focus on the tube by saying things like 'oh come on, it's not that bad!', the scarier it can get for your pet. Because if it makes you act all crazy like that, that tube should probably not be trusted at all!
• As long as your pet is not completely comfortable with the tube, don't use it as a reward for training or grooming. Wait until your pet gets really excited about the tube, without a trace of fear, and dares to lick it. Because a reward isn't truly a reward until it feels like one!

Do's

• When offering the tube, pay close attention to your pet's body language. An animal can not speak, it can only express being scared by behavioral signals like looking away from the tube or walking off. That's the way it's telling you 'no'. 
• It might help to cover the tube completely with your hand so the animal doesn't see the tube, but only the little bit of salmon pate coming out. 
• You could also put the tube, whether or not opened and having squeezed out a little bit of salmon pate, on the floor in order to give your pet the opportunity to get familiar with it (always in your presence). Then it's up to him whether he wants to inspect the tube or decide to try and taste a bit of the pate.
• Another option is to offer the pate from a plastic tray. A spoon will do top, but some animals dislike eating from metal objects. 

Tastes differ

Is your pet still not excited about the salmon pate, in spite of all your efforts, not even when you put it on your finger or in a tray? It might simply mean that salmon is not his favourite flavour! Tastes differ! Try another one.

Tip!

Did you know our sausage-shaped Prins NatureCare meat-based meals are also great to use as a reward for your dog?