You are viewing entries tagged 'treats'.
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While dog treats will motivate your pup, reinforce behavior and accelerate training, they need to be used correctly. Read on for three quick tips for training with treats, courtesy of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers:
1. Once your dog is reliably responding to your commands, vary her rewards. In addition to offering treats, also offer verbal praise, petting, an ear rub or a toss of her favorite toy. 2. Use soft treats and make them small; they can be eaten quickly, keeping your dog focused, and it’s all about quantity from your dog’s perspective! 3. Consider your dog’s total food intake for the day, treats included, cutting back on what you feed her at mealtimes as needed so you don’t overdo it.
Woof Report is a free weekly email newsletter with pup-perfect dog care tips, news, products and more. Sign up at www.WoofReport.com. |
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Although many pet products are manufactured overseas, there are some places where pet food safety oversight is dangerously lax. See this archived USA Today article for a reminder. For many reasons, beginning with low cost, most chicken chews and treats are made with imported poultry. As an example, the chicken jerky chews sold by a high-end membership club, uses the word American in the brand name although the products are made in China. Many careful pet owners prefer to feed their dogs products of the USA as they feel that there is an added level of oversight. A newer company, True Chews dog chews offers U.S. chicken, pork, and beef products without fillers or additives. This domestic company advertises their products as 100 percent natural.
D.P Hesano is a co-founder of the all-natural dog supply company FidoDogTreats.com |
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Surprise your dog with homemade biscuits using this easy recipe from AllRecipes.com. Bake them in a variety of sizes – shaped with cookie cutters, long thin strips to fit inside of a Kong and small sizes to use for training. Ingredients: 4 cups wholewheat flour, 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats, 1/4-cup flax seeds, 2-1/2 cups warm water, 1/2-cup natural peanut butter. Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients and stir in water and peanut butter. Knead dough on lightly floured surface and roll out dough. Cut dough into desired shapes and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake biscuits 40 minutes and leave them in the oven until completely cool. Makes about 4-dozen. Woof!
Woof Report is a free weekly email newsletter with pup-perfect dog care tips, news, products and more. Sign up at www.WoofReport.com. |
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With dogs, it’s all about the power of the nose, but how developed is a dog’s sense of taste? Here are three interesting facts about your best friend’s sense of taste: 1. Dogs have about 1,700 taste buds in their mouths while humans have about 9,000 and our feline friends, only around 470. 2. A dog’s sense of taste is the least developed of their senses, yet dogs are capable of detecting bitter, sweet, salty, and sour tastes, the same that we can detect. 3. A dog’s sense of taste and smell are considered to be closely linked, with dogs likely gathering more information about the food they eat from its smell versus taste.
Woof Report is a free weekly email newsletter with pup-perfect dog care tips, news, products and more. Sign up at www.WoofReport.com. |
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Many of us take our dogs with us when hiking or other extended outdoor activities. In addition to fresh water, dogs on an outdoor journey need to be nourished. But be careful when sharing your treats with your pooch. Although common in the trail mix that we may eat, both raisins and chocolate can be very dangerous to our pets. Plan ahead by bringing along foods that are safe and nutritious for hard-working dogs. Peanut Butter treats provide a high amount of energy and are considered to be irresistible to most dogs. K9 Granola Factory has taken things one step further and they offer all-natural granola treats loaded with carob, honey, and peanut butter. You can also make your own high-energy dog snack foods including peanut butter covered apple chunks.
D.P. Hesano is co-founder of FidoDogTreats.com |
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We talk a lot about what dogs can’t eat, but this spring and summer, if your pup is grazing like a deer through your landscaping, you don’t need to panic if he nibbles any of the following flower heads: astilbe, Chinese lantern, carnation, dahlia, geranium (as in Pelargonium), impatiens, hibiscus, hollyhock, nasturtium, pansy, garden violet, petunia, phlox, and rose flowers provided they have not been sprayed with pesticides. Nobody is suggesting you make him a salad of them, but at least if they go down the hatch, you need not worry. (And now you know what plants to put in, too!
Helen Fazio and her dog Raja are world travelers.
href="http://www.traveldogbooks.com">Click here to visit their blog, and click here to follow them on Twitter. |
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If you like the idea of doing a little something special for your dog, consider making your own treats. Homemade treats are surprisingly easy to make and your pet won’t mind that you weren’t trained at the Culinary Institute. Making dog treats at home also allows you to adjust the ingredients to accommodate your dog’s special dietary needs. You can also add a little something special should your dog love peanut butter, liver or another secret ingredient. Many of the national dog treat companies started in home kitchens so your special treat could end up being a pet shop favorite. Check out some recipes here.
Emma Rachel posts articles, interesting news-stories and special promotions on the FidoDogTreats.com Facebook page. |
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The “guaranteed analysis” is the portion of a label that breaks down the percentage of fat, carbohydrate and protein in your dog’s food. The percent of protein is key when shopping for dog food, but not all protein is created equal.
The guaranteed analysis lists only the percentage of crude protein in the product. It gives no consideration to the source, digestibility or moisture content. Lesser dog food and treats boost their protein content by using less digestible protein sources, which can include many unsavory items such as beet pulp, bone meal, chicken feet, blood meal, etc. When analyzing your pet’s food, consider not only the nutritional analysis but also the sources of the ingredients.
D. P. Hesano contributes to the News Blog at the online shop FidoDogTreats.com |
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If you want to share the feast with your dog during special occasions like birthdays or the holidays, try to restrain yourself. Don’t give him everything, only the healthy items and make sure to combine meat, vegetables and starches for a balance that won’t cause tummy troubles in a few hours. Cutting up items so they are small will also help, and remember never to give desserts and chocolate. A treat is not something that makes you sick afterward.
Helen Fazio and her dog Raja are world travelers. Click here to visit their blog, and click here to follow them on Twitter. |
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For one reason or another, many dog owners have abandoned rawhide as the chew of choice. But dogs have a natural desire to chew and that urge may be realized on your antique wood furniture if ignored. As the need for healthy dog chews has increased, dehydrated sweet potato chews have emerged as an excellent alternative to rawhide. Sam’s Yams sweet potato “Veggie Rawhide” chews are advertised to have many health benefits including high levels of phyto-nutrients, anti-oxidants and fiber all while being low in calories. The natural hardness of the dehydrated sweet potato and their rough edges are supposed to help keep teeth clean as dogs gnaw away.
Matt Zemba answers health questions in his dog nutrition column. |
