Is there anything better than seeing your furry companion react to the question ‘’ do you want a treat?’’ Absolutely not!!! Nothing beats full on the excitement, the tail wagging, the perked ears and best of all the attention. As an important member of the family, seeing your pups happy is just one benefit of treating them.
There’s the entertainment that comes with it, teaching new tricks and behaviours and also correcting bad behaviours. And if you have a dog that is picky especially with pills, it gives you the opportunity to be sneaky (just make sure they don’t find out). By doing this you can sneak into their diet pills that your pooch will usually refuse to take.
Now that you have realized all the health benefits attached to giving your dog treats, you can begin to enjoy and explore the process and results that come with it. To achieve your purpose, this article will discuss some of the things you need to know.
Different Kinds of Treat for Your Dog
Just like there are different clothes for different occasions, there are also treats for various purposes. If you are looking for the best treats for your dog, you have to know that it greatly depends on the purpose you are trying to achieve. To learn more about how to maximize different treats for different purposes keep reading.
Healthy Treats
As much as you want to spoil your dog rotten with various snacks, it is also important to take note of their dietary needs. Keeping them healthy and strong is an important priority which makes this option a great way to incorporate supplements without having to feed them actual vitamins.
Stomach friendly snacks like pumpkin snacks can be a great option for stomach upset and they are also gentle on their system. If you have an older dog, snacks containing hip or joint formulas can be a great way to alleviate symptoms of arthritis and keep them moving like dogs half their age.
Some key ingredients you can look out for to suit your pups taste include kelp, raw goat milk and coconut oil. The great thing about healthy treats is that you do not have to limit yourself to store-bought snacks especially if you have specific supplements you might want to add, you can also consider homemade snacks.
You can check here https://www.pinterest.com/ for some delicious and easy to make recipes.
Treats for Comfort
It is understandable that you sometimes feel guilt as a result of not being able to spend time with your furry companion. One of the ways to alleviate such guilt is by keeping them busy. You can do this by giving them some comfort treats to munch on
By giving them something to concentrate on, you not only keep them busy for a couple of hours but also help them with issues they may have like boredom and separation anxiety. For this purpose, the best kinds to give your pooch are chews, bone treats, peanut butter treats or any comfort snack that takes time to finish.
Another benefit of this kind of snack is that it can help puppies during their teething phase as well as dogs that like to feast on your shoes, couch or any other household item. While making a choice of a treat to give to your pooch it is important to choose the ones with the least tendency to choke your pooch.
You also have to look out for the ones appropriate for your dog’s size and chew strength because snacks that prove difficult to chew can be abandoned by your dog due to frustration, therefore, defeating the purpose you are trying to achieve.
Treats for Training
You might not know but perhaps the only thing standing between you and a poop free floor are training treats. Definitely, patience and some reinforcements are also required but you have an even better chance with snacks.
As you can probably tell from experience that some behaviours are harder to learn compared to others, but it has been proven that dogs have a better chance at learning new habits when there is a reward system in place.
In order to fully utilize this system, you have to reward good behaviours thereby pushing them in the direction you want them to go. To do this effectively the best yummy edibles to use are small and dry ones. For longer training sessions you can also consider cutting them into small pieces. You can read this article to learn more about how to train your pet with treats.
Conclusion
There are so many benefits to giving your pets treats, this cannot be denied. It is also important to note that these yummy snacks can be very flexible especially in the process of trying to achieve various goals with your dog. By giving your furry companion these yummy snacks you have access to a part of them you would usually not have access to.
You get the chance to provide them with the necessary nutrition they require to keep them healthy and strong, you get to express your love for them, you get to spend quality time with them, teach them new tricks and best of all build an even deeper bond.
As you explore all your available snack options both store-bought and homemade, it is important to keep a clear goal in mind. Having a clear goal in mind will help you maximize the use of each snack keeping both you and your pooch happy.
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