How to Choose Dog Treats and Dog Bones

To share food is to share love. Most dogs love to have a treat handed to them, and food that smells like your hand is a big deal. Your dog will also appreciate a variety of flavors and textures. You don’t want to go overboard, however, since treats count in your dog’s total daily caloric intake. Think moderation, or you’ll soon be taking away all treats and putting your dog on a diet. We’re going to help you choose the best dog treats and dog bones for your pup.

Top dog treats

• Go for small aromatic treats if you’re training your dog. You can break them into still smaller pieces for fewer calories and more rewards.
• Biscuits offer a good crunching experience. They also help remove tartar. Best of all, you can break them into pieces, the perfect way to say, “I love you, you are such a good girl.”
• Puppies and senior dogs do best with small, softer treats.
• Read the label. Some treats have a high salt or fat content. Most people don’t realize, for example, that rawhide and pigs’ ears or snouts are high in fat and calories and are frequent contributors to pancreatitis and obesity. Look for hypoallergenic treats if your dog has food allergies.
• Aggressive chewers need something large and tough. For those dogs, there are many treats and bones on the market designed just for them.
• Go with the knotted type. Power chewers who like to masticate rawhides into a soft, disgusting mess will be occupied longer with a knotted rawhide than a flat one.

Dog bone and dog treat safety

• Supervise your dog while they are enjoying a treat. Choking is a possibility, particularly with bones and rawhides. Some veterinarians might say that no one would buy some of these treats if they realized they might spend $1,000 on emergency surgery to remove the $2 treat.
• Never offer cooked bones. Chicken bones and others from the dinner table can splinter and damage the throat or intestines.
• Feed some treats outside. Basted rawhide or pigs’ ears can stain carpeting and make a real mess, especially if your dog has a beard.