Let's talk about treats....

What are some good, every day kind of treats? My puggies have some good treats that they love, buth they are expensive, and giving 4 dogs treats means we run through them quickly.

I'm looking for something that I can use to reward them for when we leave for work, and when we get home. I used to give milk bones, but I have really moved away from those type of grocery store treats. I've been lately giving them rabbit ears, which they LOVE, but those run about $12 and you only get about 15 ears per bag....so, we fly through those. They also like dehydrated chicken feet....but, again, those are expensive too!

What are some of your go-to treats? I was thinking something that I could maybe make, which would be cost effective. I don't want anything raw meat, because it goes in thier crate with them, or in my room, and I can't be right behind them to clean it up. We save the raw meat goodies for dinner.

Ah...I could talk about pugs all day.

I buy Blitz from Old Mother Hubbard, they are my go to treat, they are fairly small and easy to give. http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/products_gourmets.html
Unfortunately I am switching my guys over to a grain free diet and those have to go. I am looking for the exact ones but grain free.

I just give my 3 baby carrots for treats. I buy a bag at a time, clean them and slice them in half. They get a half of a baby carrot after each potty break. You can also use frozen green beans.

We've had to cut back on the carrots - lots of sugar, and Ms. Dre is getting porky (don't tell Sarina!).

I like the grain-free treats from Petco that you can buy by the pound. With Angel's allergies, I try to give her the grain free as much as possible.

I also like the Charlee Bear cheese treats - they are small, so I'm less worried about giving them too many. They are made with wheat flour though, and I can only give Angel a couple here and there without aggrevating her allergies.

The third one I like is the Old Mother Hubbard peanut butter treats. These too are made with wheat flour, so a no-no for my Angel and her allergies (sigh).

TxAllieGrl wrote:I like the grain-free treats from Petco that you can buy by the pound. With Angel's allergies, I try to give her the grain free as much as possible.

The third one I like is the Old Mother Hubbard peanut butter treats. These too are made with wheat flour, so a no-no for my Angel and her allergies (sigh).

I didn't know Petco had them by the pound, will have to stop there.

I also was doing the Mother Hubbard PB ones, they loved them but I am trying to figure out if Vivian's ear infections are caused by grains so I am slowly switching her to grain free.

I used to do carrots but Viv choked on one once and scared the poop out of me so no more carrots.

Yummy Chummies.... You can split them in half and the pug still thinks they are getting a good treat.

Also, I have that organic dog cookie recipe book that we've talked about on here if you want to look at it. it is always cheaper to make you own, and I've been baking treats and freezing them. I could try to remember to bring it to the next pug party.

Just to clarify, my pugs go out 4 times a day so they're not getting a ton of sugar given to them. They get a total of 2 baby carrots a day (1/2 baby carrot each time they go out). Also, they are cut in half, so very small ... smaller than most treats. I've never had a problem and they're perfectly healthy.

I do carrots sometimes....but, not all of my pugs like them, and the green beans too. I think they expect something a little more "meaty".

I think MJ is on the right track...maybe I should try baking and freezing treats.

Any other fruit or vegetables that are good?

I would probably be giving them a treat at least twice a day.

I get Charlee Bears too. Like Allie, I like that they are small and light, so I don't feel like I'm giving them too much.
As for fruits/veggies-do yours like blueberries at all?

Tyson&LuLu'sMom wrote:As for fruits/veggies-do yours like blueberries at all?

I have never tried blueberries. They do like strawberries, but, I'm unsure on fruit....is it okay to give every day? They like apples too.

Donna wrote:

I didn't know Petco had them by the pound, will have to stop there.

There's only 1 kind I've found that are grain free - you have to look at each of the descriptions on the treat bar/bulk bins. They are the little round "O" treats, that look like a big cheerio.

MackandMattiesMom wrote:Just to clarify, my pugs go out 4 times a day so they're not getting a ton of sugar given to them. They get a total of 2 baby carrots a day (1/2 baby carrot each time they go out). Also, they are cut in half, so very small ... smaller than most treats. I've never had a problem and they're perfectly healthy.

I recognize that what works for some doesn't work for all, and we all have different situations. I was offering a different perspective since carrots won't work for us as a go-to all-the-time treat due to the sugar content and Dre's current weight. Perhaps I should have been more specific.

Renee wrote:

Tyson&LuLu'sMom wrote:As for fruits/veggies-do yours like blueberries at all?

I have never tried blueberries. They do like strawberries, but, I'm unsure on fruit....is it okay to give every day? They like apples too.

I don't know why you couldn't give them everyday-of course in moderation. You may want to try just a few and make sure it doesn't cause issues for any of them. What I like is that they are small so they make a good treat. You can also freeze them and give as a treat.
I have read that with apples it's best to peal the skin off first. Mine like apples too, and bananas, and watermelon, etc. etc. etc...mine aren't picky.

Tyson&LuLu'sMom wrote:

Renee wrote:

Tyson&LuLu'sMom wrote:As for fruits/veggies-do yours like blueberries at all?

I have never tried blueberries. They do like strawberries, but, I'm unsure on fruit....is it okay to give every day? They like apples too.

I don't know why you couldn't give them everyday-of course in moderation. You may want to try just a few and make sure it doesn't cause issues for any of them. What I like is that they are small so they make a good treat. You can also freeze them and give as a treat.
I have read that with apples it's best to peal the skin off first. Mine like apples too, and bananas, and watermelon, etc. etc. etc...mine aren't picky.

I can hear them now...."But mom...We want Cookies, not fruit!!" Hehehe!!

Any fruit has sugar in it... And up here blueberries cost $7 or more per 1/4 Pint!.... *LOL*

I found some good organic dog cookies recipes, and in a couple I've modified them to add canned pumpkin...

My favorite treats of late have been either Zukes Minis (grain free) or - because Thurston won oodles of them at the pug pageant - Dosgwell Dehydrated Meat Treats. The Dogswell treats are large jerkey strips so I break them up into small pieces and the pugs get to share a 1/2 of a strip with the cate (who love them as well). I also got some dehydrated raw patties from Stella and Chewey's and I give everyone small pieces of that as a treat. Everyone loves lamb.

Maryjo wrote:And up here blueberries cost $7 or more per 1/4 Pint!.... *LOL*

Yikes!!

Oh Lisa - I forgot about Zukes! I did buy some of those a few weeks ago. They are grain free, sort of like soft beef jerky, but lamb.

I don't know if anyone up here sells Stella & Chewy...I'll have to shop around.

And, MJ is right - fruit in Alaska is outragiously expensive!!

Penny is allergic to wheat, and corn and soy give her gas that would blow out the windows, so I'm a dedicated label reader. She gets the Dogswell chicken and apple treats, duck and chicken jerky, Wet Noses treats, and Zukes. She loves all of them. I also bake for her - the mini-muffin recipe that was on here a while back, and there are some great grain-free recipes in the PugSavers cookbooks (both of them).

My Dog Ate It catering has great treats and many are grain free or wheat free. My guys adore the Liver Love Bites. I like that they're very small also. I've also found some bigger, longer lasting treats at WalMart of all places. They sell one that's duck jerky and one that's a sweet potato "french fry" wrapped in a piece of dehydrated chicken.

I use cheerios, carrots, peas, & blueberries for treats. For the carrots, I use baby carrots and break them in half and give them each a half a carrot. For an "extra special" treat or during the hot summer months, I'll take a little bit of ice grinded up out of the ice machine and mix some yogurt and blueberries in it to make a little "ice cream" treat.

We use the Zukes treats, Charlee Bears, and/or Natural Balance Healthy Bones (the small ones). We just recently tried the Old Mother Hubbard bones and my gang went nuts for those too, but then again - they're not very picky!

I'm going to begin making treats, but here recently we bought some Three Dog Bakery cookies. Geez, they smell so good I want one! LoL

Kelli

punxypugs wrote:I'm going to begin making treats, but here recently we bought some Three Dog Bakery cookies. Geez, they smell so good I want one! LoL

Kelli

There was a Chocolate Festival in Belmont Shore when I was working at P&P. I thought it would be fun to have a table with Three Dog Bakery carob treats. We had delicious-looking Boxer Brownies and even better looking carob-covered truffles. I was explaining every 2 minutes that these were dog treats and, although safe for people to eat, they wouldn't taste very good.

A Japanese woman came by and bought one of the truffles. I made sure she knew they were dog treats - or at least I thought I did. It turns out she didn't understand English very well at all. I saw her a few minutes later standing in the sidewalk eating the 3DB Truffle. Oops.

I decided to tack on here - to a treat thread... a recipe (I have not tried it yet), and - I hope - a funny picture... here goes...


Peanut Butter Snacks!
Ingredients:

1 large banana
1/4 cup egg substitute (1 egg)
1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
1 T honey (more if you plan on eating them too)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup wheat germ

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Mash the banana with the back of a fork in a medium bowl until
very few clumps remain. Add the egg, peanut butter and honey until
thoroughly mixed. Stir in the flour and wheat germ and mix well.

3. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to about
1/4″ thick. Cut into desired shapes. If you don’t have a rolling pin,
like myself, use a washed wine or alcohol bottle to flatten the dough.
If you don’t have any cookie cutters, also like myself, use the screw
cap from a spice bottle or get creative and roll the dough out to make
the little “piles” below.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

5. Serve when good behavior deserves a reward.







It looks as if "they" are cooking human treats alongside of doggie treats! That's togetherness, eh? (I am not sure - or rather, I AM - that I would eat the treats from the recipe above... but I love this pic!)


If/when you try making these, please post your dog's reviews!


or

I usually just give dry kibble dog food (I rotate what kind, right now it's orijen), I feed raw, so it's different than their usual food, really none of mine care, as long as they get something. They get a couple of bites of fruit everyday too.

For training treats, and after agility runs treats, I alternate between roast beef, chicken breast or homemade liver brownies (just google it, there's a lot different recipes and you can sub rice or potato flour). A big cut of beef, bought on sale is far cheaper than any pre-made dog treats. I just cut it up and freeze it divided up in smaller containers.