Everybody deserves a little treat from time to time and your dogs are no exception. But there’s a lot of different views about how many you should give them, and some people even say you shouldn’t feed them treats at all. Worries about weight issues are common, and it can become a problem if your dog starts becoming dependent on them. When you get a new dog, you want to make sure they’re healthy, so what should you be doing?
Get The Right Treats
The first thing you need to look at is the ingredients in the treats that you’re giving your dogs. Most people think it’s all basically the same stuff with different packaging, but the truth is, the ingredients vary wildly. Some of the more popular brands are actually packed full of junk that’s bad for your dogs. But there are plenty of more healthy treats available out there if you do your research. Learn more about your options to make sure you’re giving them the right stuff. It doesn’t matter how often you’re feeding them if the treats are full of additives. When you’re trying to choose, read the ingredients and try to go for treats that have as few ingredients as possible. This normally means that they’re just made of natural ingredients without any of the extras that will make your dog put on weight.
Use Them For Training
In those first few months it’s vital that you train your dog properly, otherwise, you’ll end up with a troublesome dog down the line. Once they’re grown up it’s too late to train them so get started now. Negative reinforcement doesn’t work on dogs, you need to reward them for good behavior instead. Giving them treats as a reward will reinforce their good behavior and even help to teach them some tricks. They’ll also learn that the treats are a special reward, rather than something that they can have all of the time. If you’re using treats for training, it’s best to do it in between meals. If you’re trying to entice them with treats just after they’ve eaten a big meal, they won’t be bothered by it.
Be Consistent
Dogs thrive when they’ve got a solid routine and treats are a part of that. If you give them treats at similar times every day, they’ll understand that they can only have treats at those times, so they won’t expect them any other time. But if you start giving them treats at random times, they won’t know when they can and can’t have them. That means they’ll start hassling you for treats all day. If you want to spoil them, try getting them a gift instead of giving them loads of treats.
Ask Your Vet
All dogs have different dietary requirements so the amount of treats that they should be getting varies depending on the breed. The best thing to do is speak to your vet and see what they recommend. Even though it’s tempting to spoil your new puppy, you should always stick to the advice of your vet, they know best.
As a general rule, you should use treats sparingly so your dog knows that they’re lucky to have them and they don’t start getting overweight.
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