Training Treats for Pharaoh Hound Puppies

Pharaoh Hounds are notoriously tricky to train — they're sight hounds, which means their attention flicks away fast, and they habituate to the same treat within a session or two. The most effective training treats are pea-sized, intensely smelly, and high in protein so the dog can eat them instantly without breaking focus — and they need to feel more exciting than whatever else is in the environment. To point you in the right direction: how big is your Pharaoh Hound right now, what specifically are you training — recall, loose lead, tricks — and any allergies or dietary restrictions I should know about?

Recall and focus work against distractions is exactly where treat quality matters most — you're competing with squirrels and blowing leaves. For a sight hound adolescent like this, you need something with a really strong scent hit and genuine novelty. What treats have you tried so far, and did he get bored of them quickly?

That's classic Pharaoh Hound — they have a short novelty window and you genuinely have to rotate flavours to stay ahead of it. Chicken and cheese are also quite mild-smelling, which doesn't help outdoors. You need something with a punchy, meaty scent that rotates easily. My recommendation is Forthglade Natural Treats — specifically their mixed variety packs, which come in flavours like venison, duck, salmon, and turkey. They're single-ingredient, air-dried, and have a strong smell that carries well outside. Each piece is small enough to break in half for a 20kg dog, they're soft so he eats them in a second, and rotating the flavour every session keeps the novelty alive. The protein variety also means you're not overloading any one ingredient. Pick up two or three different flavour bags and switch between them — don't let him predict what's coming.

For a 20kg dog doing short focused sessions — say 5 to 10 minutes — you're looking at roughly 20 to 30 small pieces per session, which is very manageable. The Forthglade treats are low in fat and calories compared to cheese, so they won't tip his diet if you're training daily. Just trim a small amount from his evening meal on heavy training days. Keep sessions short and end on a win — sight hounds disengage fast, so five brilliant recalls beats twenty mediocre ones.

One thing that makes a real difference with Pharaoh Hounds: use a variable reward schedule once the behaviour is established. Don't treat every single rep — once he knows what recall means, reward unpredictably, sometimes with one treat, sometimes three, sometimes a quick game. That slot-machine effect keeps engagement higher than predictable rewards. Also worth having a specific 'jackpot' treat — something he only gets for exceptional responses, like a really fast recall from a distance. Keep that one truly rare. You've got the right instinct rotating flavours; stick with it and he'll stay sharp.