Treats and Chewies

[HilyBee]

I'm just now realizing how TERRIBLE so many treats and chewie bones are for dogs. I never realized that rawhides were so bad. I've heard some really bad stories lately about rawhide.

What natural treats and chewies does everyone like? I'm so skeptical of brands that say "natural" or "organic" on them anymore. I also want brands that are safe for a puppy (he's only 5 months old). Our vet said most brands are safe for him now, but to look at the ingredients. I just don't know what to watch for.

I would like to find some training treats, regular soft or hard treats and some chew bones. Right now I'm making his treats myself with a recipe my vet gave me for peanut butter flavored dog cookies. I love making them, so if you have a recipe you recommend that is low in fat or good for puppies, please share!

 

[sherlock]

I get Watson's treats from the bulk bar at Petco (I don't know if you have one near you or if they offer the treat bar, of course.) They have lots that are all natural, and some are grain free. They also have the ingredients listed on the little box they're in, so I like that a lot. Plus when I get those, I can get several different kinds so he has a variety. I get some bigger ones for when he's a good boy, and some littler ones for training or to stick in his Kong.

They also have a bulk rawhide section, but I've heard horror stories as well, so I don't get those (plus, rawhides get messy when they get soggy and stuff, and I don't feel like dealing with that.)

 

[DeafDogs]

The best training treats are Hot Dogs cut up really tiny. My next favorite are Freeze dried liver (Pure Bites, Pure Snacks) broken into tiny pieces. They are only one ingredient, and extremely healthy. Also low fat.

I do not give any other treats to my pets. They get kibble or one of those two treats for training. Remember, training treats need to be small, just a taste really, as it doesn't matter to the dog at all how big their treat is!

 

[DeafDogs]

As for chewies, My dogs get Salmon skin, bully sticks and raw chicken legs, backs or necks. I don't give them cooked or smoked bones, or antlers, as they have all broken teeth on those.

 

[HilyBee]

We had a bulk buy area at a local pet store, but recently I found out they had lax rules with dogs pre-chewing/carrying the bones around. They would put them back in the bin and thought it was okay! ick.. Needless to say I'm searching for a better one now.

Our current training treats are just tiny pieces of raw carrot. lol He loves it and only gets a tiny piece of organic

 

[HilyBee]

(sigh) Yosuke hit the enter button before I finished. LOL

...organic carrots that are locally grown. I just wanted another option. I don't want to give him carrots all the time. heh.

 

[nola]

Tiny bits of hotdog, natural balance rolls, Zukes mini naturals and Cheerios for training treats. For chewies she gets bully sticks.

 

[sherlock]

We had a bulk buy area at a local pet store, but recently I found out they had lax rules with dogs pre-chewing/carrying the bones around. They would put them back in the bin and thought it was okay! ick.. Needless to say I'm searching for a better one now.

Gross!! I always kind of dig to the bottom with the scoop before I put anything in the bag!

 

[HilyBee]

Gross!! I always kind of dig to the bottom with the scoop before I put anything in the bag!

I did that too until I found one that was covered in dirt, hair, and gross black stuff from being all wet and sitting in the bottom. I was traumatized by that store. I think it's closing finally.

I found a new bulk buy yesterday at a new local pet store, so hoping for better results. MUCH cleaner pet store in general. Very sweet owner too. yay!