Choosing Healthy Dog Treats
Healthy dog treats should be tasty and wholesome, with only premium 'good-for-your-dog' ingredients! But the huge variety of treats available can make finding the right ones for your dog/puppy a bit of a challenge. There are many different types of dog treats....... special puppy treats, 'senior' treats, dog training treats, treats for vegetarian diets, health conditions, dental care, allergies and so much more. You'll find all kinds of flavors too. Of course there are ever-popular meat flavors (with beef, lamb and chicken being the most common), then there's fish (such as salmon) cheese, peanut butter and the more exotic such as venison or duck, plus a range of fruits/vegetable like pumpkin or apple. But not all the options out there are healthy dog treats. Anything highly colored, artificially flavored, or with high fat, salt or sugar content is not good news for your puppy or dog. Choosing healthy dog treats isn't easy, and I can't tell you exactly which is the right type of treat for your dog (because age, health and personal preference play huge roles). But I CAN give you tips on what goes into the best healthy dog treats, and what it is you want to avoid. Plus on this page you'll also find links to some of the best dog treats on the market. So, let's get started.....
Healthy dog treats - what to look forYour puppy or dog isn't going to be getting most of his nutrition from treats (I hope!), but the ingredients are still very important, and the 'rules' that apply to making the best puppy food choices hold true for choosing dog treats too.You don't want to fill your pup full of 'junk' and artificial stuff! Ingredients you want to see in healthy dog treats......
Ingredients to avoid.....
Feeding treats to your dog
Giving tasty treats is a great way to show your dog or pup that you love them, and using dog training treats as part of reward-based training makes learning more fun, and gets faster results. But, you can have too much of a good thing! Canine obesity is on the rise, and feeding too many treats (especially those high in calories and fat) should be avoided at all costs. The same goes for feeding your puppy or dog scraps from the table, or 'people' food in general. If you want to feed your pup home-made dog treats, that's a different story and there are many tasty, healthy recipes to choose from. When you're choosing dog treats, remember that the best way to keep your pup happy (and motivated) but protect his health both now and in the future, is to choose healthy dog treats with premium ingredients, and to use them sparingly. Treats shouldn't make up more than 10% of your dog's daily calories, and it's best to feed small, bite-sized treats whenever possible, especially good for training sessions (see Puppy Training Tips for more on this) This way you can give your pup or dog more treats without worrying that he's going to get fat. Smaller doggie treats are often healthier because they contain less 'fillers'. Larger treats can be broken into pieces though if you prefer. The exception to this is if the treat is being used as a 'toy' - such as edible bones, rawhides, Greenies dental chews and other edible toys/bones. In this situation, I always think that bigger is better because you want the treat to last as long as possible, and you don't want your puppy or dog to be able to chew/bite chunks off it. Because of this, choosing the dog treats that are size 'Large' (if your pup is small to medium size breed) or 'X-Large' (if he's medium to large breed) is safer, more cost-effective and will result in him taking longer to eat it therefore ingesting less calories per hour! The more natural treats are, the healthier they are (in general anyway). They're also usually lower in fat, calories and artificial additives and are more minimally processed.
The best healthy dog treatsThere are just SO MANY different types of treats available that I couldn't include all the best ones on this page!Many treats fit into more than one 'category' (such as 'Natural', 'Organic', 'Freeze-Dried', 'Grain-Free' and so on) and I've listed a few of my overall favorite choices below. Crunchy, bite-sized natural dog treats made from 100% USDA cage free chicken and oven baked. No antibiotics, steroids or hormones. No grains, gluten or fillers. Available in chicken and turkey flavors. Natural moist, protein-packed jerky treats that contain 95% real meat (no by-products). Grain free, wheat free, no artificial ingredients. Can be broken/torn into even smaller pieces making these ideal dog training treats. Also available in beef, venison and lamb, venison varieties. Tasty treat 'sticks' that can easily be broken up into half-a-dozen small pieces. Tasty, wholesome and easy to handle... the perfect dog training treats. Natural, organic ingredients - no corn, wheat or artificial colors/preservatives. High protein, low fat, easily digestible and gentle on the tummy. Great choice. Voted the 'Best Treat' in CityDog Magazine's readers choice poll. Tasty, freeze-dried meaty dog training treats made from premium, human-grade ingredients. Grain free, no fillers or artificial additives or preservatives. Soft without being crumbly - perfect for puppies or older dogs. Available in 3 flavors - beef liver; lambs liver; chicken liver Delicious, low fat dog treats with a unique, natural formula and added Chondroitin & Glucosamine HCL (for joint health), Vitamins C & E, Zinc, selenium, manganese, copper and amino acids. Great for dogs with mild dysplasia of hips/elbows, arthritic changes or generally stiff joints due to age. Can take up to 2 weeks to see improvement, number of treats required varies according to size of dog and condition - see package for details. Hand-crafted, all-natural buckwheat dog biscuits made by a family owned and operated business in Maine. Made with only premium quality ingredients from local sources (with the exception of ginger), these yummy dog treats contain no grain, gluten, corn, soy, sugar, salt or preservatives. Buckwheat (a fruit, not a grain!) is a low-glycemic food and also contains magnesium - making these treats a good choice for diabetic dogs and promotes a healthy cardiovascular system. Available in four natural flavor combinations: Ginger & Parsley; Seaveg & Chamomile; Blueberry & Lavender; Pumpkin & Sage.
The above list contains just some of the huge variety of healthy dog treats that you can choose from! Check out the table below to see these, and many more, listed according to their ingredients/use. If a treat has a pawprint in the 'Health' column, you can hover your mouse over it to see what condition it is suitable for. Natural Dog Food & Products New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
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