Lastly, Leo needs a treat he would do ANYTH ING to get. This is different from the potty treat because it is not as automatic–I make him obey commands to get it– and it has to be more valuable to to Leo than the potty treat. A treat for when I give in to his eyes begging or when he is being very good. I only give him 2 per week, which is less than the recommended amount, because of the calories. The dental treat recommended by veterinary dentists. I give Leo a tiny 3-calorie treat for behaving and going potty in the right place in a reasonable time. He will drop the electrical plug, frozen food container, or plastic bag for these treats.Ģ. Drop that and chew on this–I use a cow leg marrow bone or an elk antler for this treat because Leo can express his nerves, annoyance, or stir-craziness with it for hours. I classify treats as empty calories, even though some may have some nutritional value.Īnother consideration is whether the treat serves the functions of a treat. If the treat had equal nutrition to his food, I could simply reduce my dog’s meal calories on days with high treat calories, but I have not found a treat that is an Editor’s Choice dog food substitute. If I had a smaller dog, I would be even more restrictive. I budget an average of 50 calories in treats per day for my dog, Leo, a 50 pound Australian Cattle Dog. I am very concerned about the calories from treats. No, he doesn’t get all of these treats in one day! But he’s still rather spoiled. He eats small bites, so he can be treated fifty times without a noticeable change (at least to him) in his food bowl.Ĭlearly, he is spoiled rotten. I’ll take it in a treat pack on my belt and let kids at the market or whomever, offer him a treat, or give him a treat when he gets on the elevator, or whatever. I also use the food treat exchange for socialization. As long as the treat food is as good a quality as the dish food, you’re good on nutrition and safe on calories. I can use lots of treats in training because I literally exchange the exact amount, whatever part that might be, from the food in his bowl. He also gets some treats to clean his teeth, freshen his breath and for his coat/skin.įor small training treats, I buy a small bag of dog food that is a different brand than his daily food. They are about the size of regular dog kibble. ![]() I am out of them now and can’t remember the name (if they change their packaging, I’m in trouble because I know them by their blue bag.) But they are just freeze-dried beef liver. There are also some freeze-dried liver bits that he loves. It’s made by a family in my hometown, and it’s for people. I freeze them and give them to him outside on hit days - like a doggy popsicle. I buy beef, pork, lamb and bison bones for Spike as treats. The meat producers at the farmer’s market also sell dog bones. He’s a picky eater - he turns up his nose at the homemade dog biscuit booth - he’d rather have a nice vegetable treat or even a bit of cheese from one of the creameries. We frequent the farmers’ market, and some of the farmers treat him to bites of produce. He LOVES apple slices, cucumber slices, cherries and carrots. I like to feed him healthy, actual food that I could eat as a treat. I like to have a variety of treats for my dog, Spike. South American beef is awesome, and I trust Australia, Western Europe, and New Zealand. And I am personally ok with foreign ingredients aside from Asian or African ones. So they are not “treats” in the same sense, but they are A treat to him when he gets them.Īside of using kibble as treats, I would love for a commercial treat that is not just empty calories but is also nutritious, to be fit for a larger dog, but to be able to be broken into good sizes for medium and small dogs. I use those for dental treats along with RMBs. I give a meat-based chew – cow/lamb ears, pig snouts, chicken feet, beef/lamb lung, bully sticks, etc. For special occasions or after an “undesirable situation” such as de-shedding, nail trimming, bathing, etc. ![]() Or the actual food Bruno is on (although he has a lot of samples now, so I like the variety). Most often, though, I use just kibble samples as treats. I use Annamaet treats sometimes, and Grandma Lucy’s (not that amazing, I know, but oh well don’t use them as much anyway). For me, treats that are as nutritious as the food are great.
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