Which kinds of treats are OK for my dog?

Everyone always asks which kinds of dog treats we suggest.  One thing I will tell you is that most store bought, commercial brand dog treats are nothing but Twinkies and junk food for your dog! They add a lot of extra salt and calories.  I have to be honest, almost every dog I know that is given store bought treats is overweight. So if its on the grocery store shelf… just… no…

 

Carrots and apples are nice “occasional” treats, but they carry a lot of naturally occurring sugar, so you don’t want to give them too regularly. I love all of the treats formulated by Life’s Abundance  because they’re all-natural and all heave a HEALTHY PURPOSE. Especially in puppies and large breed dogs!  And their Bully Sticks are the only safe “chewing” option I know of without dyes, bleaching and other horrible ingredients used in rawhide-type chews.

You can browse all of Life’s Abundance treats here: Life’s Abundance dog treats. They are fairly priced, and if you add these to your monthly auto-ship with your food, you can get up to 20% off your order each month!

Another thing I LOVE is the Kong.  These durable rubber cone shaped toys are amazing, especially for dogs that tear up stuffed animals!  If you get the black colored, these are the extremely durable ones “Kong Extreme”.  I do not recommend buying the store bought Kong filler, but I have stuffed Kongs with bananas, sweet potatoes, diced apples (all in moderation- remember the naturally occuring sugar they contain), or maybe a little bit of cashew or peanut butter and then freeze them as a nice quiet time treat. I typically tell puppy parents that as a rule you can use plain yogurt as a base and then mix in pumpkin, mashed sweet potatoes, bananas, etc and freeze to make your own doggy ice cream! I even read a recipe once for peanut butter, tuna, and yogurt ice cream for your pup! Not sure I’d love the tuna smell myself.. but I’m sure the doggos love it!

While training a puppy, I always tell people to just use pieces of their kibble as treats (taken from the amount of food per day, not added on to that amount) because you’ll be giving them often, and puppies usually don’t notice the difference! OR, if you need a higher value treat or like the idea of a training treat that has a “healthy purpose”, I would HIGHLY recommend the Grain-Free Turkey and Berry Treats. Berries are loaded with anti-oxidants and have the highest ORAC rating (this is how the industry rates the potency of an anti-oxidant found in a food, treat, or supplement). I love that I can easily tear them into little pieces which is PERFECT for training! Another great puppy-sized training treat from Life’s Abundance is their Tasty Rewards Training Treats. Honestly, they have a wide variety of treats that we love trying out with our labbies! (And they love it too!) You can shop through their whole selection here!

WATCH OUR YOUTUBE VIDEO ABOUT PROPERLY TREATING YOUR PET HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnAVIPclV-g

(OVER 6K VIEWS)