Dog treats have two main functions: “communication” and “nutrition supplementation”. Treats can be used as a reward when disciplining behaviors or training skills, letting the dog know that he is doing the right thing and gaining a sense of accomplishment, or soothe the dog’s anxiety and reduce their negativity about bathing, cutting their nails, and seeing the doctor. Emotions establish a trusting relationship between the owner and the dog through interaction. In addition, choosing specially formulated snacks can also supplement some nutrients that are insufficient in the feed to make the dog’s diet more balanced.
However, dog treats are not a necessary dietary item. When using treats to communicate or reward pets, owners must carefully control the amount and distribute them at the right time to not cause pets to consume too much nutrition and lead to obesity. In particular, it is best to distinguish the reward for training from the usual snacks to prevent the dog from getting tired of eating and losing its attractiveness.
How to buy dog treats
In addition to considering the dog’s age and physical condition, raw materials, ingredients, palatability, and other conditions when purchasing dog treats, there are also many different purposes for the dog treats. The following is a detailed explanation of your purchasing skills for you.
Select the appropriate type according to the application and purpose
Before purchasing dog treats, you must first clarify the uses and purpose of the treats and choose the appropriate amount and formula according to the purpose. When purchasing, you should first consider the way and timing of giving snacks. The following will sort out 6 common uses and suitable types of snacks as a reference direction.
Dogs left alone for long periods: bite-resistant or bite-friendly, slowly-consuming treats
To keep their dogs from being bored when they watch the house alone, many people choose to use chewing and educational toys that can be played with and fed to relieve the loneliness of their dogs so that they can have snacks while playing. However, dogs can accidentally swallow the whole treat while chewing on the toy, causing a choking hazard. It is recommended that the owner who is busy with work prefer to choose dry food with particles smaller than the dog’s mouth, or mashed snack.
Consolation products for dogs: snacks that can be given in small amounts and are low in calories
Suppose owners want to treat their dogs with snacks before going out or after returning home. In that case, it is recommended to choose a small amount of food, such as small pieces or strips of meat with smaller particles, or soft products that can be directly torn into small pieces by hand, in addition to enjoying the fun of feeding, it can also enhance the interaction with the dog. In addition, after all, snacks at this time are not necessary. To prevent dogs from overeating and to cause obesity, it is recommended to choose low-calorie products as much as possible.
Training puppies: snacks with similar taste and composition to feed should be selected
Because the training requires repeated practice, the amount of snacks is huge, which can be regarded as part of the meal; especially the puppies have limited food intake, and it is easy to be unable to eat the feed because of the snacks during the training process. Treats similar to feed and wet food are used as snacks for training puppies to prevent puppies from eating disorders due to training.
If your dog currently only eats wet food but has plans to replace it with dry food in the future, you can also buy snacks that taste and smell similar to dry food and slowly let your dog get used to this hard and crunchy taste.
Snacks are like a bonus over meals. It is the owner’s responsibility to choose dog treats that are beneficial to the dog’s health and will not cause a physical burden. In addition to observing the dog’s preference for specific flavours on weekdays, referring to the purchase points and actual product recommendations mentioned in this article, I believe that you can get good purchase inspiration. Here, it is suggested that owners may wish to prepare several snacks for different purposes and use them alternately according to the occasion so that dogs can enjoy a variety of delicacies and be more loyal to the interaction with the owners
#dog food, dog treats, snacks, dog’s health
