apalettepassion.wordpress.com/ WHO IS BONQUIQUI!?!?!?!??!
"I was thinking about getting off on demand, but it sounds like I should be glad that I didn't"
I give Stan just plain baby carrots for treats when I'm at home But when I go places with him that I might possibly need treats (like the dog park or whatever) I buy Cloud Star buddy biscuits. He likes them.
Baby carrots, chopped up cheese sticks, bags of cheap white cheddar popcorn, goldfish and other small crackers, pieces of cat food, frozen apple juice or carrot juice cubes, frozen blueberries, pieces of lunch meat...
I don't know. We buy the jumbo size Wellness yogurt/apple baked treats like once every other month to keep next to the back door when we don't feel like fishing out something else, but I think anything other than Zuke's Minis are a huge waste of money for training and other treating needs and I find it exhausting to keep up with recalls and ingredient lists. When we are actively training, we fill a treat pouch with a belt clip with things like firm fruit, chopped cheese, chopped meat, etc. and just clip it onto one of the door shelves of the fridge when we are not using it.
Like mcmel I make my own, I bought a book that has 7-10 recipes in it. I have tried 2 of them. My dog loves them. It came with bone shaped cookie cutters.
I'm a big fan of people food as treats. We've given:
Baby carrots Green beans from a can (unsalted) Blueberries Strawberries Tiny bits of fresh pineapple (sometimes - they don't always like this) Tiny bits of banana A tiny pinch of shredded cheese. I don't give cubes because they tend to swallow them whole, plus it easily adds up to too much cheese. Tiny bits of pita bread dipped in Greek yogurt Dab of Greek yogurt (like half a teaspoon) on a spoon Dab of cottage cheese on a spoon
Things we don't give often, but are obviously big hits when we do: Tiny bits of any meat cooked without seasoning Tiny bits of scrambled or hard boiled eggs
As for actual dog treats, our standard biscuits are Mother Hubbard's Minis, which they like well enough. But whenever I buy a box of biscuits at Whole Foods' and Trader Joe's, they go nuts for them. My only complaint is that Whole Foods biscuits are like $4 and the box is only half full, and Trader Joe's are huge and hard to break into smaller pieces. But they love both so much that I buy them as extra special rewards.
And sometimes we give one spoon of canned food as a treat. We keep a few cans of Merrick stew on hand for this purpose.
Cheerios (just regular, not honey nut) are a big deal with my dogs too. Otherwise Zukes or Mother Hubbard brands are easy to find at PetSmart or a chuck and dons if there is one near you.
Carrots, bell peppers, eggs, ice and pumpkin are all big hits. We also have some freeze fried lamb pieces and nutrisource grain free biscuits for actual dog treats. We also have frozen tripe chunks but that shit is SO nasty.
Post by cinnamoncox on Apr 26, 2014 10:02:28 GMT -5
Carrots/baby carrots. When the get recommended it (he said milk bone type treats were "like twinkies") I scoffed thinking, what dog wants a carrot, but my dogs are crazy for them. They act like it's steak.
Post by prettyinpink on Apr 26, 2014 10:55:58 GMT -5
Carrots, and ice are loved in our house too.
I like Zukes because they have a few that have no chicken and Simon is allergic so treats are difficult since everything has chicken. I just bought Natures Domain grain free jerky the other day from Costco and they love it. Those also don't have chicken.
Carrots, bell peppers, eggs, ice and pumpkin are all big hits. We also have some freeze fried lamb pieces and nutrisource grain free biscuits for actual dog treats. We also have frozen tripe chunks but that shit is SO nasty.
Oh yes, Quincy and Sadie love ice cubes. We typically only give them outside because for some reason they feel the need to head to an area rug to enjoy them. If we gate them in the kitchen, it's like it sucks all the fun out of it for them. lol. So they're a summertime outdoor treat, which makes them extra special. I even bought an ice cube tray that makes small ice cubes so they can catch them more easily.
And yes, tripe - ugh. I tried canned tripe when Dexter was old and picky about food, and ohhhhh Goddd it was gross. I was so glad when he didn't like it.
Zukes is awesome. Just don't leave a bag lying around. My dog ate half the bag and didn't eat for almost 2 weeks. Awful. And he isn't the same now.
The brand Stella and chewy is also very dog tasty. The dog loves their food and treats. He also gets scrambled eggs now
Wellness and blue diamond are also well known choices
Oh poor pup! I do avoid soft treats because they don't seem like they're that good for them. We used Zuke's as training treats, but I don't really buy them anymore. I also avoid jerky due to all the recalls.
I forgot about Stella and Chewy's freeze dried treats - those were one of the few treats Dexter would eat. They have the same nutrition as dog food, so it's not like dog junk food.
Really, any "better" pet supply store will have a large selection of healthy treats. Browse and read labels, and if you can find a knowledgeable employee, they can be of help. And good stores tend to have samples of some brands. If you start talking with an employee, they're likely to offer you a few.
Oh - I forgot about these until I went into the kitchen just now. They're teeny tiny, so you can give like 10 of them and it seems like a treat feast without overdoing it.