Pets at home treats

[Mrwoofington]

Our little pup is due to join us shortly.
We are just stocking up on everything we need at the moment and I'm panicking over food and treats.

I feel like I've read previously about some dog treats sold in shops not being ok for dogs. And issues with hides and different toys etc?
Surely if I'm buying at the likes of pets at home anything I get is going to be ok for the dog? Is it then just a matter of how nutritious it is?
Or do I nedd to be careful still?

On that point does anyone have any recommendations for puppy treats? I'm worried, aside from assuming they're all at least edible for pup, that some of them may be the equivalent of total junk food?

We were planning on cutting a few of his meals out (we've been told to give him 4 small meals a day) and using some of his 'meal allowance' instead for treats - so I'm just looking for a small sized, nutritious kibble at the moment still.

But then I think we may need some higher value treats too - any recommendations? Again is this something I can buy at a pet store?

And how do you work out reduction of regular meals to accommodate for extra treats - particularly at this stage where obviously we havr lots of positive reinforcement and rewards.

I'm conscious not to overfeed and make the poor thing sick! Or underfeed him my being too strict

[Mrwoofington]

Lots of typos in there
Very tired, deep into dog food research instead of going to bed...

[SomeoneBeatMeToMyUsername]

We use a third of her daily allowance of kibble for her training and divide the rest between 3 meals per day. We do have some lovely treats called ‘Pet Munchies Training Treats’ which were recommended to us by our vet. They come in all different flavours, from duck to sushi and are around £12 for 8 packets on amazon. They’re the perfect size for training, although we halve them, meaning they last even longer.

Dry food wise, our girl really loves Edgard and cooper puppy kibble- again vet recommended. It’s grain free and has a high meat content (from fresh meat, not meat meal). She came from the breeders on Royal Canin but had almost constant diarrhoea, since changing we’ve had none and her breath is much better too. You can get it in pets at home or online, and they do a free trial box on their website. My neighbour uses a website called tails.com which makes a tailored food just for your dog and delivers every 2-4 weeks, but I wasn’t convinced it was anything other than a gimmick and didn’t want to risk having to fanny about changing her food too much. I know lots of people swear by the raw food diet, we don’t have the freezer space for that, but is it something you have considered?

I don’t deduct treats from daily allowance because we mostly use her kibble for training, the other tiny treats are only given on a rare occasion.

[adaline]

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that if it's available in a pet shop, it's safe. Pets at Home are a business like any other and their aim is to make money.

Rawhide should not be sold at all imo as it is incredible dangerous. It swells in the stomach and causes blockages as they can't digest it properly and if it gets stuck in the throat they can choke (as I learned when ours choked on some - I've never been more terrified).

We feed a mixture of wet and dry food for meals (well, meal, he's only fed once a day now he's an adult) and for training we use things like cocktail sausages, cooked chicken, cubes of cheese and dried liver.

[golightlytoday]

Our dog is fed raw but we use these as treats. But 4 bags at a time on the 50% off.

shop.bounceandbella.co.uk/collections/50-percent-off-first-time-buyers

Then for higher value we use

www.viovet.co.uk/Naturediet-Treats/c37251/ (we buy in bulk so google for best prices)


You can split them up in your hand to smaller bits. If kept in a sealed bag they stay soft.

[missbattenburg]

For high value treats I do a bulk buy of supermarket meat, roast it (if raw) and chop it into small pieces then split the 'mix' into freezer bags and freeze so I can take out a bit a a time.

e.g. I would buy turkey breast strips, chicken strips, maybe a cheap beef steak, hot dogs, liver whatever is pure meat and on offer really. I've used duck breast and venison in the past but these often far too £ normally. I would then roast off the turkey, chicken, beef and chop it into little bits with the hot dog. This means the dog gets a random bit of meat during training.

For lower value treats I tend to accept they might be a bit more 'filler' and have given Millie's Wolfheart, Akela, those Bounce and Bella ones above, vets kitchen, Harringtons, feelwells.

[Mrwoofington]

Interesting about the hide!
Haven't had a puppy before, older dogs have been find with it but certainly thinking I'll stay away from it this time round.

Is there anything else from a safety perspective I should be avoiding?

[adaline]

Cooked bones should be avoided as they splinter and that includes smoked bones available in pet shops.

Raw bones only!

[GeneHuntLover]

I give my lab raw veg as treats, pepper and carrot sticks, BNS chunks, cauliflower and broccoli stalks...much better than a lot of the treats in the shops

[Jouska]

Pet food treats are generally rubbish full of additives sugar etc

Cooked chicken, small bits of cheese, hot dog (not too much as salty), cooked beef etc way better than any shop treats.

Tuna cake and Liver cake really easy to make and freeze.

[Jouska]

Re training. I always use all of the puppy meals for training to start with.

If raw feeding you can feed off a spoon or use kibble/wet food by hand.

[Binglebong]

You can find pros and cons to all diets - for example I've heard terrible things about raw diets and others on here swear by them.
I assume you will he visiting a vet for check overs and vaccinations? Have a chat with them about what he is on, how it needs to change, how active an animal he will be etc.

Good luck and congratulations on your new life of slavery!

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I find Primula squeezy cheese a fantastic treat. The dogs love it, and if I want to give a really big reward, I can just keep on squeezing.

[StillMedusa]

I didn't calculate exactly what I was giving as treats as my pup is fairly fussy anyway and not inclined to over eat, but I have used high value treats for training... cheese is a favourite and dried sprats (good pet shops or country stores),, she will do anything for a sprat and it's been great for recall.
When we did puppy classes (just finished as she's 5 months old) it involved tons of treats and so I cut out that meal, and when I saw someone else doing it, I cooked mince and used tiny bits of that... a bit of mince goes a long way and again was very popular.
Primula cheese on a licky mat that sticks to the bath tiles for showering :D

[Binglebong]

One thing to be wary of is cheese can give some dogs binglewoof the runs! But they love it.

Like I said; good and bad in all. Just a case of try and see.

[Mrwoofington]

Oh god! Not on my cream carpets!
Will use the cheese sparingly...

No idea how we are meant to train and treat so heavily, for a puppy that can't walk or run outside, and not get a little chubster, but maybe we can both just gain some holiday weight together.

[LadyGuffers]

I know you were joking re holiday weight but it is really important to keep them lean as they grow. Too much weight on an immature skeleton can make poor joints much worse. Even if little chubby puppies give me the need for hugs

Luckily most puppies burn through calories just growing and staying alive and will work for their normal kibble so reserve the high value stuff for a bit later on when you're working against the distractions of the big wide world.

[Mrwoofington]

I was joking but I do know it's important - that's why I was asking about how you manage all the treats you need to give for training and also for suggestions of tasty high value treats, maybe that aren't total garbage for them!
It's definitely something I'm worried about preventing whilst were confined in doors!

[TopDogs2019]

Treats don't always have to be food. I swear by antlers for them to chew on ( 2 young terriers in, and nothing in the house ravaged ) Get a variety of shapes, and keep the fave as a reward. On the food side, liver is normally a winner, in very small amounts, but be careful in the park, as you'll be a target for every dog within a mile.

[TopDogs2019]

Oh, and turkey mince, is great for a pups sensitive tum, and another treat winner. X

[Wolfiefan]

I feed raw. I use a dehydrator to make liver and meaty treats.
What do you mean my dog is spoilt?!

[adaline]

Treats only need to be tiny tiny amounts. Little cubes of ham or cheese are perfect and they only need one cube as a reward.

Also if you practise training like recall or loose lead walking in the house they will burn off energy - that indoor phase where they can't go out much really doesn't last long at all.

[Girlintheframe]

We go through a ridiculous amount of treats! Mainly because he is still in training.
When he was young he skipped his tea time meal on the days he had puppy training. We tend not to use human food, just because we need so many. I usually bulk buy a selection from Millie wolf heart and zoo plus.
At home he also regularly gets carrots and bones from the butcher.
He is older now so not needing treats quite so frequently.
We did make our own at one point too but found without a dehydrator they went off before we could use them all.

[Mrwoofington]

That indoor phase is an entire month! Stretching out in front of me like eternity!! Haha
Was planning on practicing recall, walking to heel etc in the house though so great news if that will burn off energy.

I was a bit worried about antlers at 8 weeks - would he be ok?

Wow @Wolfiefan that is dedication! DH has suggested we do this and he doesn't want dpup eating processed stuff like hotdogs or eating cheese really, but we both know full well he also won't be the one dehydrating liver

[Mrwoofington]

Stupid question on the veg here
But how do I prepare things like carrot so they're not a choking hazard for a puppy?

I feel like with children there are so many rules - like cutting grapes in half etc but no clue with pup

[Wolfiefan]

@Mrwoofington I have turkey on the go today. It is sooooo much cheaper.
Carrot I give whole or frozen for a teething pup. I never leave my dog unattended with food.