Choosing Treats for Your Dog

 

Treats are a great way to reward or motivate dogs during training, and they're also a great way to for us to build a bond with our furry friends. But that doesn't mean we can give the anything we fancy. In fact, the wrong ones, or even the right ones given the wrong way, can put them at risk of developing chronic conditions like heart disease. If you want to keep your dog safe while enjoying his treats, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

 

Controlling the Calories

 

Remember, a single treat can easily make up 25% of a dog's daily calorie requirement. Keep your pet's treats within 10% so it's easier to manage his caloric intake.

 

Quality Matters

 

Always check a treat's label before buying it. Check the ingredient list and make sure it's whole food. The fewer the ingredients, the better. Whole food treats at betsyfarms.com have less sugar and additives and tend to be more nutritious. Also look for treats that offer extra health benefits to your pet, like those that contain glucosomine, which helps strengthen joints, or enzymes that help prevent tartar buildup. It's like hitting two birds in one stone. Your pet enjoys the treat and he becomes healthier too.

 

Keeping It 90/10

 

To stay healthy, we need to eat healthy food. But it's okay to give ourselves a little wiggle room for occasional sinful treats. Say, 10%. It's the same with your pet. You can give him that generous calorie-laden chocolate chip cookie as long as you don't do it very often.

 

Watching Portions

 

As much as possible, give everyday treats in smaller portions, and if you have a bigger animal, don't hesitate to buy him treats for smaller pets. Big treats, like biscuits, can be divided into smaller portions to be given over an entire day, or reserved for special occasions. What's important is that your dog enjoys his Betsy Farms treat and doesn't get more than he needs. He won't bother about the differences in portion sizes.

 

Controlling Training Treats

 

Pet trainers and animal behaviorists recommend giving a puppy treats to encourage good behavior. But as soon as your pet has mastered basic skills, there's no need to reward him every time he behaves well. Younger pets can use the additional calories to fuel their growth, but before you know it, they will have grown fully, with the extra calories adding up. Check out this website https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_food about dog treats.