Your puppy loves treats—and you love seeing how excited they get when they see the treat jar! Besides the zoomies, wiggles and tail wags that accompany treats, they serve a very important role in your pet’s training. You’ll be using treats for potty training, obedience training, keeping your puppy happy in their crate and more. Remember that positive reinforcement is the best way to train your puppy.
Here are some guidelines for choosing the best treats for your puppy:
Keep it low calorie. You’ll be giving so many treats to your puppy during training that it’s easy to accidently promote excessive weight gain. And that’s not counting the extra treats they’ll get for being so stinking adorable! For most occasions, it’s important to choose low-calorie treats. In fact, if your puppy is a chowhound and loves their normal food, you can even use your pup’s own kibble as treats. Higher calorie treats should be saved only for special occasions or for when your puppy does an extra special behavior.
The smaller the better. Especially during training, make treats as small as possible. This not only reduces the calories but also allows your puppy to eat the treat quickly, so they stay focused on you rather than the treat.
Avoid human food. Many human foods are bad for dogs, so it’s best to steer clear. Plus, it’s not a good idea to get your puppy used to eating human foods, which can lead to future begging and counter-surfing behaviors. However, your veterinarian may recommend using certain vegetables like carrots as treats, especially if your puppy becomes overweight.
Soft can be better than crumbly. You don’t want your puppy spending time chasing crumbs during training. Plus, soft treats can be broken to the smallest portions possible.
Get creative with toys. If you are trying to keep your puppy busy while you’re gone or when they’re crated, you can stuff toys with treats or kibble to keep your puppy occupied. Many puzzle toys are designed to do this. Not only is this tasty, but it’s enriching for your puppy to work out how to get the treat! And they most likely won’t stop until they’re successful, so there are some great photo ops.
Dental treats are in a league of their own. Dental treats have great health benefits for your puppy because they’re designed to scrub the teeth while your puppy chews. But some dental treats can be a bit higher in calories, so don‘t exceed the recommended amount of treats per day specified on the back of the package.
Pass up bully sticks, pig ears, rawhides and bones. All of these are hard enough for your puppy to break a tooth on. Plus, bully sticks and pig ears can be contaminated with bacteria like E. coli and salmonella, which are dangerous to you and your puppy.
Wondering if your treats are up to snuff? Check out our selection of recommended treats.
