Dog treats - what do you use ?

[Gary_and_Karen]

I was just wondering what dog treats you buy (or make).

 

Any dog treats you absolutely avoid buying ?

 

(I know you should avoid buying anything made in China, but what about popular brands like "Pup-Peroni" and "Beggin' Strips", are they ok ?)

 

I regularly make home made dehydrated sweet potato chips, but I want to be able to offer variety once in a while as far as treats so she don't get tired of the same treat all the time.

 

She used to really like raw baby carrots but she got tired of them so I stopped them for now, same with frozen green beans.

 

Very occasionally Walmart will have treats from "Three Dog Bakery" (they use natural ingredients) on a discount price between one to two dollars, but their normal price can be too high,

 

I very much prefer treats made with natural ingredients, but are things like Pup-Peroni and Beggin' Treats ok to use for variety, or should they be avoided ?

[Kelleybean]

I make my own.

 

1 large family size pouch tuna

4 eggs

3 C flour

 

Process in a blender or cuisinart. Spread super thin over 2 cookie sheets covered w nonstick aluminum foil. Sprinkle w parmesan cheese and bake 350 for 45 min. Cut into squares when cool. These freeze great.

You can also use liver instead of tuna (smells awful when cooking!)

[Alchemist]

Not sure Pup-peroni is the sort of thing I'd want to feed to my dogs every day (though they've LOVED it when other people have offered it to them): see http://www.allpetnaturals.net/ever-wondered-whats-inside-a-pup-peroni-stick/

 

I mostly use tiny cubes of cheese, or else "Plato Natural Duck Strips" (ingredients: duck, brown rice, salt, zinc propionate, mixed tocopherols, citric acid, rosemary extract, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate ("a source of vitamin C"). Some people feel rosemary extract is a bad idea for dogs prone to seizures. I haven't had a problem with it and like the relatively limited number of ingredients with these. The dogs both seem to like them, and they don't result in digestive problems (the way that too much cheese, or foods like freeze-dried liver cubes might). Plus they're easy to tear into tiny pieces, and they don't require refrigeration.

 

I also buy chicken or turkey "biscuits" from the farm where I have a share in a chicken CSA. They basically grind up their poultry giblets and necks and add some ingredients recommended to them by a USDA dietician (lots of ingredients, like various vitamins and one or two other things like egg powder, psyllium seed husks, linseed and sunflower meal, and tomato pomace). Chicken or turkey and poultry necks and egg powder are the first three ingredients. These also don't need refrigeration, and are easy to tear into tiny pieces. The dogs view them as "doggie crack".

 

Sometimes I also just use tiny cubes of leftover cooked chicken (without skin).

[Alchemist]

Here's the link to the Plato treats website: http://www.platopettreats.com/

 

I think you can order a lot of their products from Amazon. The duck treats are 90% duck.

[rushdoggie]

My dogs really enjoy plain old Milk Bones for some reason. They get one for hitting their kennels when I ask and often for a speedy recall from the yard.

 

For other treats for training purposes usually I make my own. I buy meat from the "buy today" bin (eye of round, chicken thighs, etc), take it home, slice it thinly then cook it simply (bake on a foil covered pan or quick cooked in a pan) then I dice it up and store it in small containers in the freezer which I take out and thaw as needed.

 

Its far cheaper per pound than dog treats, generally. I know exactly whats in it, no additives and if I feed a lot of treats on a day and reduce the amount of meal food I know its nutritious.

 

I also use diced cheese (often string because it comes in handy little sealed servings that don't spoil quickly), diced liverwurst for my dog who is not very food motivated or if I ask for something hard (like when I asked my puppy to pick up a metal scent article).

 

Commercial treats I use is dehydrated lamb lung, Natural Balance dog food rolls (I dice both up) and an expensive dry salmon treat I buy mail order and use for tracking (its stinky and I can keep it in the car without worry ).

[Sue R]

Didn't you already ask this before and gotten a bunch of replies?

 

I use Zuke's, a high-quality kibble (my dogs consider a hand-fed piece of kibble to be a high-value treat), and (here goes my credibiity) some Milk-Bone Trail Mix. The combination of the three treats is heavy on the kibble and Zuke's (Salmon Minis) with a few Milk-Bone (and I break them into smaller bits) for variety.

 

String cheese makes wonderful puppy training treats as it's very versatile (can be fed as bits, used as a licking treat, or pinched off with your thumbnail for rapid multiple treats).

 

Plato is also a very good alternative. I break them into smaller bits. We make a little bit of treats go a long way here.

[Alchemist]

Oh - yes - I also use freeze-dried lamb lung treats. Can't recollect the brand; made in the U. S. It's a bit harder to break these into teeny tiny bits, but the dogs love them.

[Gideon's girl]

I use Vital Essentials freeze dried dog food. I also make dried meat treats. I read the ingredients in Beggin' Strips and Pupperonis and I have no desire to spend my money on things that are that gross. Plain meat is cheaper and no questionable ingredients.

[Sue R]

Most anything like this (full of colors, flavors, and just plain cheap, junky, non-meat ingredients) are pretty icky. Read the label. (And, yes, I already said that I use some Milk-Bone Trail Mix, in very limited quantities.)

 

(I know you should avoid buying anything made in China, but what about popular brands like "Pup-Peroni" and "Beggin' Strips", are they ok ?)

[rlwzgd]

Oh - yes - I also use freeze-dried lamb lung treats. Can't recollect the brand; made in the U. S. It's a bit harder to break these into teeny tiny bits, but the dogs love them.

Where do you find them? Someone at agility had them, their dog went bananas and did the dog walk when it wouldn't before...

 

I use Buddy Biscuits, they're expensive and don't go that far, IMO... Been looking around for something else, but I won't spend money on cheap treats. I've also tried air dried (formerly) raw kibble, but found it was too small (or Al's mouth is to big). Straight up chicken is always a hit, but not particularly convenient. Gideon's Girl, how do you dry the meat? Cheese is great, but not cheap in high volume.

 

Rebecca

[Gideon's girl]

I have a cheap dehydrator from walmart, but you can also but it in the oven on the lowest heat until it's dry enough. I store them in the freezer, since I don't use any preservatives.

[Alchemist]

Where do you find them? Someone at agility had them, their dog went bananas and did the dog walk when it wouldn't before...

 

I use Buddy Biscuits, they're expensive and don't go that far, IMO... Been looking around for something else, but I won't spend money on cheap treats. I've also tried air dried (formerly) raw kibble, but found it was too small (or Al's mouth is to big). Straight up chicken is always a hit, but not particularly convenient. Gideon's Girl, how do you dry the meat? Cheese is great, but not cheap in high volume.

 

Rebecca

 

I get the freeze-dried lamb lungs at my local pet store (not the PetSmart one, but the one that only sells premium dog food, has the self-service dog wash, and best of all, an indoor heated hydrotherapy pool). They're made by Merrick, and they're called "Lamb Training Treats". The only ingredient is lamb lung. Their website is: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/

[Smalahundur]

I have a cheap dehydrator from walmart, but you can also but it in the oven on the lowest heat until it's dry enough. I store them in the freezer, since I don't use any preservatives.

That is what I do, with lamb liver slices.

I boil the whole liver, slice it thin, dry in a normal oven lowest heat, door slightly ajar.

[Gideon's girl]

I've got one of those convection ovens that works even faster.