AAAAAH, sweets! They make your pet happy and, used as rewards, they will be your best allies for successful education of your dog and all the more so if your furry ball is greedy! But in this matter, you must of course be reasonable, not "feed" your dog and always offer him quality products. It would be a shame to choose your croquettes carefully and ruin everything with treats. So which candy should be preferred and in what quantity?
What treats should I give my dog?
Dog Biscuits
Practical, inexpensive, to take everywhere, dog biscuits seem to win all the votes.And yet, they are not all of equal quality. Often rich in cereals or another source of starch, they can be poorly digested by the dog and cause some loose stools and other "digestive delights" . Ideally, they should therefore be chosen with the same care as you would choose kibble: rather rich in good quality animal protein and as low in starch as possible. And above all, always distribute them sparingly!
To completely master the composition of your dog biscuits, you can also start preparing homemade dog biscuits!
Dried meat
It's the top of the top treats. Very popular with dogs, dried meat also provides them with animal proteins of good nutritional quality, which their kibbles are often sorely lacking. You can find ready-to-use jerky in pet stores and you can even make it yourself using a dehydrator.
“dried meat” does not mean “dried offal”
Be careful not to distribute dried liver to your dog: an excess of vitamin A, of which this offal is very rich, is toxic.
Pig's ears
Dogs are generally very fond of dried pig ears found in pet stores. This natural delicacy is however to be limited in our dog friends because they are mainly made up of cartilage rich in animal proteins but proteins of poor nutritional quality that are not easily digestible and cannot be used by the body. Excessive consumption of pig's ear can even cause diarrhea problems.
A dice of cheese, a small piece of ham
Why only give your dog dog treats? You can absolutely share a small cube of cheese, a small piece of ham, a small square of raw or cooked meat with him. However, avoid doing this when you are at the table (and especially not when he calls) and always be reasonable on the quantities of these little extras.
Also think about fruits and vegetables that can serve as "he althy" treats for your pet.
A bone
Bones are very popular treats for dogs but, for all that, they are treats to be limited!
In puppies, their calcium content can "block" its growth if the animal already receives a diet that already contains enough calcium and if they are given in too large quantities. In adult dogs, excess minerals provided by the bones, in addition to an industrial diet, can also be harmful.
Be aware, however, that if you want to distribute a bone from time to time to your dog, you will always have to opt for raw and fleshy bones (that is to say completely surrounded by meat) and whose size is adapted to that of the dog (no beef femur for a Yorkshire!). Completely banish cooked bones made friable and brittle by cooking or too small bones which could be swallowed whole by the dog or break into a point at the risk of causing occlusions or digestive perforations.
Limit yourself to one raw and fleshy bone per week at most if your dog is already receiving a balanced calcium ration (kibbles, complete mash or household ration with CMV).
Treatments for teeth
" Many treats are designed to support the oral he alth of dogs. In reality, the actual dental effectiveness of these treats depends on how voracious your dog is for these treats. If he takes the time to gnaw it, to chew it then yes, there can be an effectiveness on the oral level (the treat comes in a way to rub against the teeth and act against the tartar) in the same way as a bone."
" It&39;s the chewing activity more than the candy itself that is effective. If, on the other hand, your dog swallows the treats with two bites, the expected "toothbrush" effect is close to nil, while the calories absorbed are very real for a nutritional quality that is not always at the rendezvous in this kind of delicacies.Our advice is then to favor brushing your teeth instead and to swap treats for teeth with others, more qualitative nutritionally speaking!"
Treats to avoid in dogs
Synthetic bones
Rawhide, sinew, bones in beef, buffalo, horse skin are chew treats that only have the name since they are not digestible by the dog. These "synthetic" bones are even potentially dangerous for the dog because they contain controversial additives and can lead to choking or digestive occlusions. They are therefore to be avoided!
All toxic foods for dogs
Some commonly eaten foods can be toxic to dogs and should not be used as treats. This is particularly the case with chocolate, grapes or even sweets sweetened with xylitol.
Also read: Foods that are toxic to dogsHow many treats should I give my dog?
By definition, a treat is an extra that you give your animal to please it and for the needs of its education. These extras must therefore not bring a surplus of calories that the dog will transform into overweight!
Thus the intake of sweets should not exceed 10% of its daily energy requirement.
For example: in a small active dog of 5 kg who must receive 435 Kcal of food per day, only about forty Kcal can be brought to him by treats. And if necessary, it will then be necessary to think of removing 10% of its daily ration of food.
You have exceeded the authorized dose? Do not panic ! Just remember to reduce the amount of food a little accordingly at me altime.
When to give treats to your dog?
Our advice: do not distribute treats "for free" to your pet, but only when he has "deserved" them. This can be after a pee outside during a puppy's potty training period or when he has responded well to a cue.
The treat must indeed keep its reward value in the eyes of your dog to be effective during your education sessions! If you give it to him all day and for no good reason, what interest would your dog need to do what you expect of him?
Think about it the next time he makes eyes at you for that tantalizing little piece of cheese!