Treats. Part II. Special Diets.

If you read my last post on treats, you might surmise that I'm a fan of just plain meat (no enhancements - like broth).  I know lots of folks like to make recipes, but seems to me just plain meat is easy and most dogs like it a lot.
Pet parents can set aside a portion of the human family's meals (before adding spices) for the dogs.

But what if you have a dog on a special diet or what if you want to use just your dog's food but your dog isn't very motivated by it?  Consult with your vet and consider the following:



Take your dog's kibble, add something smelly like chopped hot dogs*, or pieces of cooked meat. Put it together in a baggy and leave in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove the hot dogs or other meat, and give the smelly kibble as treats.

Or take some meat flavored water (as mentioned in my last post on treats), drizzle it over the kibble, let the water soak in overnight, then give as treats.  You can also pour out the water used to pack canned fish - like sardines or tuna.  Just make sure the water has nothing added like salt or other flavors.

Pet parents can also take the canned version of their pets special diet food, chop it into pieces and bake it or put it in a dehydrator or freeze it or it can be put into a pastry dispenser while fresh and squishy.

Also, if a dog is on a special diet, a small amount of meat (the same meat that is in the special diet) might be okay for your pet. Just ask the vet first.

For some ideas for low calorie treats, click here.

Once again, I caution that pet parents should not use all of their dog's food for training. Let them have the bulk of their meals in peace.

*A lot of dogs LOVE hot dogs, but I don't like to use them as treats. Way too many ingredients.  But just getting the smell of hot dogs onto kibble might be enticing enough for some dogs.

Remember to discuss with your vet before trying any of the above.

More on treats here. Stay tuned. Later we will talk about pets who are not treat motivated.

What types of treats do your pets like? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

Email general questions to education@stubbypuddin.com