Puppy treats? What's too much?

[SoulCatcher]

Puppy treats have helped today in praising him and he's catching on..but he's had like 8. They are Milk-Bone original bone marrow treats, they are tiny. It is like puppy crack. He will do whatever it takes for one of those snacks. Are they very fattening, are they bad for him? Is there a specific amount I should stop him at? Do you recommend something different, maybe less fattening? bonex1 :dogbark

[2blondebabes]

I have been using regular dog food. The kibble is smaller then treats and she is just as excited to get the dog food. Sometimes I use different dog food then what she eats if I have a sample bag. The store bought treats can have a lot of fat and sugar in them. I guess that is what makes them so good!! I do have "premium" treats that I use sparingly or sometimes tiny bites of a fat free hot dog.

[MyBoyGus]

They don't care how big the treat is, they just want a reward. I use Recipe treats, they are quite small and I break them into pieces. They really don't care how big the reward is.

[kinseysmom]

I use Solid Gold Tiny Tots. They are a soft (awful smelling) treat that you can break up in to tiny pieces for training. Both of my dogs respond so well to them. I believe the one I have is NOT liver but rather lamb. Anyway, it is extremely low calorie, easy on the sensitive tummies and easy to digest. I have found them to be less everything to other training treats. The next best thing, of course, is their own puppy kibble but the SG Tiny Tots are less caloric etc. I know...I sound like a pitchperson for Solid Gold but I am so impressed with their products. And I have one dog...Finny.... who is allergic to everything and has an extremely severe case of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Finny is not a Golden but rather a Sheltie/Eskie/something mix we rescued 2 years ago. He was beaten horribly in his other life. We estimate him at 3-4 years old. He's gorgeous. Wish I could post a picture but I can't figure it out. Yes.......I have read the instructions..and no, johnwa...I can't do it. :(

[Harshy]

The small original milkbones have about 20 calories per bone. You can always crush them or break them into smaller bits. I know your pup is very young & his tummy may not be able to tolerate veggies quite yet but I use baby carrots, green beans, squash & celery & apples for treats. Harley loves them as much, if not better than any dog treat. We go thru 2 bags of baby carrots per week (we have a bunny too). These are very healthy treats that will help keep their weight down. The only drawbacks - the carrots tend to not get broken completely down by the dog's digestive system so you will probably find bits of orange in their poop. And if your dog becomes a "vegetarian" and you grow a garden, beware - Harley raided our garden every day last summer eating tons of zuccini, summer squash & tomatoes! :laugh2 Also there are some fruits & veggies that are not good for dogs. Do your research on that but definately stay away from grapes, raisins, eggplant & onions.

[Peggy]

When I am doing a lot of training with treats, I cut back a little on meals, so it evens out. My trainer told me to do this, so that the pup doesn't lose interest during class. I have been using cat treats, as they are small and Murphy likes them alot. When teaching recall, I use something really yummy, like chicken. And, Murphy likes carrots too.

[SoulCatcher]

I thought dogs could not have human food? Can they really have veggies? That would be awesome. Cat treats are a great idea too. I didn't know they could have either. These treats are 10 calories per treat and 0.5grams of fat per treat. He eats 8 or more a day.I just started yesturday so I can cut back. Where can I get raising a Golden Retriever for dummies book? I think I really need one. They are different then any other dog I have had. They are very smart and I want him to be healthy and happy. One of my dogs had metostatic cancer and I believe with the right foods he could have been saved...kinda like a human. His name was Fenian and I didn't come in to his life until his last five years, he was my husbands dog and he gave him ribs, chicken, chicken bones...all kinds of junk. I miss that boy he was a great dog too. Heart of a Saint that dog. Ok gonna cry if I don't stop talking about him. Anyhoooooo....Let me know.

[kinseysmom]

Dogs can have certain veggies and small bites of apples and oranges. Whatever you do.......no grapes, no raisins, no tomatos, no onions and of course no chocolate!! FYI, grapes are toxic to dogs (and raisins). Grapes will cause renal disease and sometimes, renal failure and death. You will be surprised at the number of vets who do not know this about grapes. By the way......green beans are great for the doggies....easy on their tummies and helps with their upset tummies. Carrots (get the small ones) are good also as treats......in moderation. For teething, the cauliflower floret is terrific frozen to gnaw on.
PS. carrots.........try cooked soft carrots. :) And celery? No...no...no. Celery is stringy and is difficult for the doggies to get down their throats.
Hey SoulCatcher?? GR for Dummies?? Barnes and Noble.
Remember in the hot summer, you can treat your Golden to Frosty Paws BUT...........defrost. It will burn their tongue frozen plus don't give them to your doggy if he/she has a bit of a weight problem. :029 (that'd be jumping jacks)
rofl3 (that would be leg lifts..the lower ab workout, you know!) and 415 (of course "spinning!!")

[Jo Ellen]

Yes, dogs can have veggies. Fruits and veggies are probably better than milkbone biscuits anyway -- you want to be careful that your puppy doesn't get too much calcium, too much calcium is not good for growing bones believe it or not!

What about fat-free hotdog pieces ? Not as healthy as fruit and veggies, but very tasty.

BTW, not that you would want to give your dog any kind of sweets, but white chocolate is not toxic for dogs since it's not made from the cocoa bean. Regular chocolate is and dark chocolate is much more toxic than milk chocolate, but white chocolate is not harmful.

[FlyPhrogs]

We had puppy classes on Sat. and I went through 2/3's of this can of training treats. They are a great size. The trainer had this little bag that was awesome. She recommended varying the treat...so here is what I did:

1. BOUGHT THE BAG (it is awesome!).
2. Bought several kind of soft treats. The training treats (cut them into about 4 pieces each). Bought Authority brand Liver treats (which I cut each one into 8 pieces).

3. Now I can reward the pup 10 times per the 2 big treats I was giving him. He doesn't care, and VIOLA, the go down fast and we can work on the next thing I want to work on.


By the way, he sees that treat bag, and he knows we are going to LEARN. I'm loving how smart this pup is! I think golden are great!
Heather :029
BTW, all this stuff at PetsMart

[Ami]

You really don't have to use treats everytime, I use treats only when learning something new, and when he gets a hold of it, I stop. He actually appreciate praise more than treats.

[Harshy]

Kinseysmom - Where did you get the information that tomatoes are not ok for dogs. I have seen that tomato plant leaves & stems are not OK but have not seen anything about tomatoes themselves from my on-line searches. :confused: If it's true then I better put a taller fence around our garden this summer because Harley's a nut about tomatoes. I also found that Garlic, and pits or cores from fruit is not good (i.e. apples are ok but the core with seeds is not).

[sandybch]

I think rileysmom has a good idea about using the kibble instead of treats all the time. The treats usually say to give 2-3 a day which is impossible if you're trying to train them. My puppy also gets just as excited about kibble as he does a treat. He even gets a thrill out of an ice cube. Everytime I go to the fridge to pour a drink he waits patiently for his ice cube.

[FlyPhrogs]

I think rileysmom has a good idea about using the kibble instead of treats all the time. The treats usually say to give 2-3 a day which is impossible if you're trying to train them. My puppy also gets just as excited about kibble as he does a treat. He even gets a thrill out of an ice cube. Everytime I go to the fridge to pour a drink he waits patiently for his ice cube.


I use kibble too, in the morning when we work with him. But the 2 or 3 treats a day, when you can cut those up (i get out a knife and a cutting board) then I have a lot of rewards for our training.
H