Everyone wants to change their diet from time to time and treat themselves to something tasty. Oddly enough, this applies not only to humans, but also to animals. Love for pets makes us pamper our pets.
One way to please a dog is to treat the animal with something refined. It is unlikely that there will be a four-legged friend who will abandon the “goodies”. How to treat dogs? Which is better: make treats for dogs with your own hands or prefer a store option? Such information is especially useful for novice pet owners.
Why dogs "delicious"
Dog biscuits are a great way to reward an animal for good behavior. The treat perfectly stimulates the animal to carry out commands, to be obedient and not to bully.
Some owners prefer to use goodies just like that, as a snack. This is an absolutely wrong position. Animals do not need a snack. They have enough fully developed diet in accordance with age. Professional breeders use dog biscuits and other goodies for purely practical purposes.
- For brushing your teeth. Of course, ordinary cookies will not cope with this task. But more dense treats from veins and skin are able to restore complete order in the dog’s mouth.
- To facilitate teething. During this period, dog “snacks” are especially relevant. Young puppies will be happy to give preference to dried pork ears and leave their slippers alone.
- To maintain immunity. Often cookies for dogs are enriched with the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals, which are difficult to obtain from everyday food. Eating such a treat will not only bring the dog a few pleasant moments, but also strengthen its body.
- For training. Goodies are a great incentive for shaping the right behavior in an animal. At the initial stages of training, tasty incentives allow you to quickly learn the basics of proper behavior and learn how to execute commands.
- For the development of intelligence. Such goodies are used when dragging service dogs, as well as animals participating in various exhibitions and competitions. To get to the treat, the dog must perform some action.
What are dog treats
What are cookies for dogs and other goodies? First of all, it is necessary to understand that they are purchased or self-made. Various bones, veins, sugar bones, dried skin, ears, offal slices or sausages are quite popular.
Each option has both advantages and disadvantages. If a dog is accustomed to eating natural food, then home-made treats will be the best choice. Those animals that are used to eating food from packages will be happy to consume the store option.
Most often, in various pet stores, this set is presented:
- dog biscuits;
- chewing sticks;
- dried offal (liver, stomach, lung, pork ears, hoofs of all sizes, bird legs, skin, veins and so on);
- gelatinous and calcined bones;
- sausages.
How to choose the right treat for your pet
When choosing a treat, you should pay attention to the composition, consistency and other indicators of the product. One of the criteria, for example, is the size of the animal. For small breeds, it is better to choose small "snacks." So the animal will be easier to cope with them. For puppies, you can pick up a variety of dry treats in shape. They are easily cracked and will not be able to harm the young teeth of the pet.
For dogs of advanced age it is better to get soft treats. On the market there are special meat slices, straws, sliced ​​rabbit or chicken fillet, dog marmalade and other delicacies.
For hygiene of the mouth, manufacturers offer special cookies. They brilliantly cleanse plaque, destroy tartar and massage the gums.
When buying a dog treat, it is important to be very careful and carefully read the composition indicated on the package. At the slightest suspicion, it is better to refuse the purchase. Some additives that fall into the dog’s “goodies” can be literally deadly to the animal. Among them are:
- ethoxyquin;
- BHT / BHA;
- propylene glycol;
- propyl gallate and some others.
But the glycerin in the composition of the dog treats is a completely safe substance. It is responsible for the texture of the product and helps regulate the residual moisture of the product.
Pet Shop Treats
If you decide to prefer store goodies, give preference to trusted brands. These include, for example, TitBit. Treats for dogs from this manufacturer have long established themselves and found their loyal fans. In the trading line there are over 60 items. So that every owner will find everything you need for a four-legged pet.
Treats for dogs “Titbit” are meat bones, cookies, sausages, snacks, dried meat slices, granola, truffle dogs and more. And Titbit is a manufacturer of an absolutely unique product - special dog chocolate. You can choose from a dark and dairy product with different tastes: with rabbit meat and cranberries, with beef scar, lungs and dried apricots, with liver.
The Village Dainties company is also not far behind them. Here the manufacturer offers various useful treats produced by the method of continuous drying. For the preparation of the products “Village Treats” rabbit ears and lungs, duck necks, a sheep’s lung, various kinds of meat are used. A variety of rings, sausages, meatballs and kebabs are presented to the buyer at choice.
Cooking yourself
If you don’t trust shops, you can cook your own dog treats. It should be remembered that it is impossible to give a dog "human" sausage, sausages or fatty cookies. You have to spend a little time and learn special “dog” recipes.
Making homemade cookies for dogs is easy. Here is one of many options.
Products:
- 250 g of ground beef;
- 2 tbsp. l finely grated hard cheese;
- 1 medium carrot (grate);
- 1 egg
- 0.5 tbsp. crackers;
- 1 tsp tomato paste.
All components should be thoroughly kneaded. Form small balls, sticks or sausages. Place the products on a baking sheet and dry for 15-20 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 350 ° C. Since this treat has a lot of minced meat, it is best to store it in the freezer. There it can lie long enough.
You can also cook liver treats. To do this, in the proposed recipe, instead of minced meat, add the same amount of boiled liver, turned through a meat grinder. If you make cookies in the shape of a stone, it will be very funny. The main thing is not to overdo it with spices. Such supplements can be very harmful to a dog’s delicate scent.
Some more recipes
Cookies recipes for dogs are quite diverse. The main component may be meat, pock, liver or offal. You can cook a sweet dessert.
Products:
- 120 g of wheat flour;
- 90 g of ground into the flour of Hercules;
- 1 egg
- 5-6 pcs. finely chopped dried apricots;
- 1 tsp honey;
- 1 tsp sunflower or corn oil;
- puree from 1/2 apple;
- some water or milk.
All components are mixed into a homogeneous mass. Roll the mixture into a layer 1-1.5 cm thick. Using cookies, make cookies. If there are no molds, you can simply cut into small strips or squares. Dry the products in the oven for half an hour on low heat. Cookies should break easily and not be too hard. Otherwise, the dog may damage the gums.
Small pieces of pumpkin will be an excellent treat for dogs. Boil them in meat broth for several minutes, and then dry in the oven at medium temperature. Your pet will be very happy with this supplement to your daily diet.
How to treat a dog properly
"Snacks" are quite high in calories. In order not to overfeed the animal, this moment should be taken into account when drawing up the daily diet. The total daily share of treats should not exceed 8-10%, and for dogs of small breeds - no more than 5%. If you decide to choose a purchase option, do not exceed the doses recommended by the manufacturer.
Dogs are very smart animals. They quickly remember where the delicacy is stored, and begin to beg for a handout. Do not give in! The treat should be a reward for exemplary behavior, a learned team. It is unlikely that the animal will follow the instructions of the trainer, if he can get a treat by extortion.
What should never be given to a dog
The main difference between “dog” and “human” goodies is the presence of sugar in the latter. Most veterinarians agree that giving this product to dogs is not only harmful, but also dangerous.
Do not give dogs some bones, especially tubular ones. Too-surgeons too often have to restore the stomachs of animals wounded by fragments. Bones are best replaced with a completely safe rawhide treat.
Perhaps the most dangerous product for dogs of all breeds is regular chocolate. It contains caffeine and theobromine. These components are easily tolerated by the person and does not absorb the canine organism at all. Even one chocolate bar is sometimes enough for a fatal outcome.
An appetizing treat for a pet is easy to do, there are plenty of recipes for this. The main task of the owners is not to overdo it. Otherwise, even a very good dog will grow up a capricious, spoiled animal.