Puppy treats - advice needed

[Melina Bea]

Louis will be my first-ever puppy, I've only had cats before so I'm new to treats.

With Yorkies being small, and puppy Yorkies being EXTRA small, I'm worried about overfeeding him with treats.

His breeder is giving him wet food so that's what he'll eat when he comes home - too messy to use it as training treats. What could I use instead?

Thanks in advance!

[Beth Boofa]

Well I would just wait until the pups old enough. My little girl loves softies(they are very soft & small.) I only give her treats when training..not too many though. Bellas 8 weeks and in great health so she can have treats. Here's a link for them.

Cesar Softies Dog Treats - Sale - Dog - PetSmart

[Lindzorz]

I trained Nilla on Zuke's mini naturals. They're tiny, round, and soft in shape and texture. They're not chocked full of icky ingredients, but instead are all natural. She loved them! I used the peanut butter flavor when I trained with her, but she also likes the wild rabbit. I have not tried all the flavors, but Nilla hasn't turned one away that she has tried (peanut butter, wild rabbit, chicken, venison). They're not wildly expensive, and with the precut, little pieces, I found a bag to last relatively long compared to other treats.

I am all for sticking with quality treats. Zuke's have never been recalled, and that means something when you go into these big box stores and see things on the shelves (or pulled from the shelves) that are on recall lists. It grinds my gears!

Best of luck! I've also heard a lot of people like to train with Merrick's Lamb Lung treats if you'd like variety!

[Melina Bea]

Thank you both. I'll see if any of those brands are available in Australia.

If I can't find anything like that, do you think boiled chicken (chopped up in tiny bits) would work?

My main concern isn't so much WHICH treats but how much. I really don't want to over feed him

[brezofleur]

I second Zuke's Naturals Mini

[Lindzorz]

Originally Posted by Melina Bea

Thank you both. I'll see if any of those brands are available in Australia.

If I can't find anything like that, do you think boiled chicken (chopped up in tiny bits) would work?

My main concern isn't so much WHICH treats but how much. I really don't want to over feed him

Not to be rude, but I would be concerned with which treats to feed moreso. There are so many treats with poor quality ingredients on the shelves that are making dogs sick and are almost constantly on recall lists. Be sure to do research when buying treats and food!

I think you could feed a teensy bit of the boiled chicken for a while, but I would not suggest doing it for an extended period of time. For one thing you may spoil her on real chicken and she'll turn her nose up to her dog food. Also, please remember not to feed her cooked bones. Never ever! Raw bones are okay, but cooked ones will splinter and can cause damage.

[Beth Boofa]

Cesar's softies have great reviews on many sites. People praise them for their quality, texture, size, and great for smaller breeds of dogs. They work great for training. I researched them & if ur concerned about ur dog gaining weight then ur advised to skip theses tasty treats.. But I have a very small yorkie & I def am not concerned w/her gaining weight at the moment. These are the reasons I decided to try them. And also the fact that they were never recalled. Lol.
I do completely agree w/an all natural diet as well. She eats a very high quality dog food. But I splurged a little and bought her these little goodies

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by Beth Boofa

Cesar's softies have great reviews on many sites. People praise them for their quality, texture, size, and great for smaller breeds of dogs. They work great for training. I researched them & if ur concerned about ur dog gaining weight then ur advised to skip theses tasty treats.. But I have a very small yorkie & I def am not concerned w/her gaining weight at the moment. These are the reasons I decided to try them. And also the fact that they were never recalled. Lol.
I do completely agree w/an all natural diet as well. She eats a very high quality dog food. But I splurged a little and bought her these little goodies

I would not give Cesar's softies. According to your link, Petsmart lists the ingredients of these.

"Filet Mignon Flavor: Rice flour, wheat flour, sugar, glycerin, propylene glycol, animal fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), caramel color, natural poultry flavor, potassium chloride, salt, natural filet mignon flavor, calcium propionate (a preservative), potassium sorbate (a preservative), hickory flavor, artificial flavor, sodium tripolyphosphate, titanium dioxide."

Other flavors even have artificial colors. Why? I thought dogs were partially color blind? The color is for the human feeding it. Artificial colors are known to cause certain cancers.

Propylne glycol: aka antifreeze

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/red-flag-ingredients/propylene-glycol-dog-food-aid-or-automotive-anti-freeze/

Animal fat: from what animal? Doesn't say if it's beef, poultry, fish, rodent, and of those is it fat from the meat, the face, the butt, the skin, etc.

Preserved with BHA/BHT: known to cause hyperactivity in humans, what about much smaller dogs?

Artificial flavor: Why is this needed when natural flavors are widely available? Bc it's cheaper.

I would never feed my dogs Cesar, Beneful, etc or the treats they make.

Sure there are lots of "natural" and "holistic" brands that get recalled from time to time, but you'll notice these brands are doing voluntary recalls. Big brands such as Purina etc only recall when the FDA steps in.

Why does this product get such high reviews? Bc it's junk food for dogs. Of course they are going to think it tastes great. If you fed your toddler nothing but fast food and then tried to give him veggies, what do you think was the "better" food, meaning which one did he like more? Does that mean it's better for you bc he liked the junk food more?

It's up to US to give our dogs healthy food, not processed junk. Plain boiled chicken or veggies will make our dogs go crazy! Even fruit! And you already have it in your house. Why pay extra to feed your dog crap that's slowly going to poison him?

[capt_noonie]

sodium tripolyphosphate: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/...sphate-in-fish
"In large quantities, STPP is a suspected neurotoxin, as well as a registered pesticide and known air contaminant in the state of California."

calcium propionate:
The Side Effects Of Calcium Propionate | LIVESTRONG.COM
Side effects include stomach ulcers, headaches, behavioral changes.

potassium sorbate:
Fundamentally, potassium sorbate is non-toxic and is regarded as safe. However, its synthetic characteristic is not considered too favorable by some experts. Prolonged use of the preservative could lead to
allergic reactions, nausea, diarrhea and nutrient loss in food. Toxicity of potassium sorbate is akin to that of table salt.
Potassium Sorbate Dangers and Side Effects

[Melina Bea]

Originally Posted by Lindzorz

Not to be rude, but I would be concerned with which treats to feed moreso. There are so many treats with poor quality ingredients on the shelves that are making dogs sick and are almost constantly on recall lists. Be sure to do research when buying treats and food!

I didn't mean that I'm not at all concerned with the quality of the treats! I certainly am, but also aware that anything recommended here will be hard to find in Australia. I'm a member of an Australian purebred forum where I research issues regarding dog food in Australia, but most of them are larger dogs, so not as concerned with quantity as I am.

Thanks for the rest of the advice. I haven't been able to find any of the brands mentioned here in Australia. I'm thinking of just getting my hands dirty and feeding him part of his own food (ie taken out of his daily portions) as treats until he's a bit bigger.

Capt Noonie, you mention fruit. Would this be advisable with a puppy?

I still have the vet and the breeder to ask, I just wanted to have this cleared up before he comes home.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by Melina Bea

I didn't mean that I'm not at all concerned with the quality of the treats! I certainly am, but also aware that anything recommended here will be hard to find in Australia. I'm a member of an Australian purebred forum where I research issues regarding dog food in Australia, but most of them are larger dogs, so not as concerned with quantity as I am.

Thanks for the rest of the advice. I haven't been able to find any of the brands mentioned here in Australia. I'm thinking of just getting my hands dirty and feeding him part of his own food (ie taken out of his daily portions) as treats until he's a bit bigger.

Capt Noonie, you mention fruit. Would this be advisable with a puppy?

I still have the vet and the breeder to ask, I just wanted to have this cleared up before he comes home.

Fruit and veggies are great for dogs, even puppies. Just make sure you don't give onion, garlic, grapes or raisins, as those are toxic. I've found mine like almost all fruits and veggies, esp watermelon, apple (no skin), asian pears, cucumbers, mangoes, carrots, tomatoes, even coconut and avocado. They didn't really like blueberries, strawberries, etc and I think bc most times these can be quite sour.

[Melina Bea]

Thank you!

[Lindzorz]

Originally Posted by Melina Bea

I didn't mean that I'm not at all concerned with the quality of the treats! I certainly am, but also aware that anything recommended here will be hard to find in Australia. I'm a member of an Australian purebred forum where I research issues regarding dog food in Australia, but most of them are larger dogs, so not as concerned with quantity as I am.

Thanks for the rest of the advice. I haven't been able to find any of the brands mentioned here in Australia. I'm thinking of just getting my hands dirty and feeding him part of his own food (ie taken out of his daily portions) as treats until he's a bit bigger.

Capt Noonie, you mention fruit. Would this be advisable with a puppy?

I still have the vet and the breeder to ask, I just wanted to have this cleared up before he comes home.

Fruits and veggies are a good choice, just in small, healthy doses (and the right kinds -- avoid the ones posted above)! Too much could have undesired effects on the tummy ... We actually had dehydrated sweet potato, green been, carrot, and apple chip treats for a while. Raw fruits are usually just passed rather quickly because dogs don't digest them exactly like we do (dogs are carnivores after all!).

Another unmentioned controversial ingredient in the Caesar treats is the wheat flour. Corn, wheats, soys, etc. contribute to food allergies in dogs and are all around something you want to avoid.

The Internet is a great resource. I've used the Dog Food Advisor website many times. It's a good idea to research treat and food recalls, ingredients, and reviews. You also want treats that are made and resourced in countries that do not have low quality food standards (a.k.a. China). The good thing about many of the quality dog foods that I've come across is that they usually have feeding instructions on the bag (so you know how much to feed your dog -- Canidae even specifies for weight and age). That takes a lot of the guesswork out, and even though you may be spending more for the food, you're feeding less and giving your pup a better quality food which ultimately means less veterinary bills!

If you need advice on any treats or foods, there are many Yorkie lovers here and we'll all be willing to help! I wish I knew more of the treat offerings where you live. Trying to think of a few ones I've used ... Zuke's, Merrick, Whole Life (freeze dried treats), Dr. Becker's, Stella & Chewy's, Grandma Lucy's, Plato, Nature's Variety, Barkworthy, Bravo!, ...

Best of luck! <3 I'm certain you're going to find some good quality options for your baby, and best of luck! I'm very happy you're taking interest in healthy treats and food!

[Melina Bea]

Thank you Linzorz :-)

[ritapatt]

Since my DH always overdoes it on treats, I fill the counter canister with a different brand/flavor of kibble than they eat. As long as it comes out of that container (with the little "click" from the glass cover) the 3 dogs come running!