Treating Your Dog with Food

August 07, 2024

If you love your pets like we do then you probably want to hug, scratch, pet or reward them with a treat when they're being good. But do you know what type of foods you should be treating them with? It's important to understand the upsides and downside to rewarding dogs with food. Here's a few helpful tips to keep your furry friend healthy and happy if you are rewarding them with a treat.

What to Choose

When you treat your pup, you want to make sure you are feeding them all natural, healthy foods. Treats loaded with fats and sugars are unhealthy for your dog and could cause them to have health issues, just like high fat and sugar foods aren't good for humans either. So always make sure to read the nutrition labels and ingredients in human products and dog treats before purchasing.

There are plenty of healthy options for low calorie dog treats available online and at your local pet store. We prefer training treats or 'mini' treats as they are usually packed with flavor while also low on calories. Another option is a homemade treat like our Low-Fat Peanut Butter Dog Treats that use Peanut Butter Flavors as an alternative to high-fat peanut butter. Pumpkin Puppy Treats are another healthy option for treating your dog. Pumpkin is a good source of fiber and can assure your furry friend maintains a healthy digestive system.

Don't want to feed your dog human food, but want the next closest thing?  Gluten-Free Rosemary Chicken Dog Treats to have your dog drooling in anticipation over his or her next meal. FLAVORS focuses on creating products that contribute to your dogs health. Our homemade dog treats make sure you are treating your dog right with the love and care that it needs to stay happy and healthy. In particular, you will find that all of our options include grain-free, natural ingredients.

When to Treat

Food can be a great way to reward your pup for good behavior, however, it's important to learn how often to treat your dog. Overeating can cause stomach problems, weight issues and affect long-term health. Due to the fact that even healthy treats can be overeaten, tt's important to have a balance between rewarding with treats and rewarding you pup with belly rubs and back scratching.

Leftovers are Not Treats

Feeding your dog what you ate for dinner is never a good idea. Human meals tend to have a lot more calories than dogs need. Feeding them while you're sitting at the dinner table also encourages bad behavior such as begging and overeating. To keep this bad behavior from occurring, you should try to give your dog a treat after you finish dinner, not during.

Treats are a great way to reward your dog, but remember timing and nutrition are everything. You never want your dogs comfort food to be more than 10% of their daily nutrition. Take the time to choose healthy, nutritious treats, so you can spoil your little guy in the best way possible.

 

Reference: http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/healthy-treats-for-dogs