Posted by Russell Gibbons on 26th May 2016

When To Give Your Dog Pet Treats?

Dog Treats are such an amazing product. There is such a wonderful choice for one to consider plus so many reasons to give them to your favorite pet.

Recently, I have been getting a few questions from our customers about the times when we should, indeed, be giving our best mates a Dog Treat.

So I thought I would try to shed some light on the situation but remember, there are no hard and fast rules here, just some ideas to help guide you a tad!

Firstly for this purpose, I want to highlight that Table Left Overs ARE NOT PET TREATS!

They are exactly that...left overs!

Pet Treats and dog treats in particular, are products which are specifically designed for the type of pet you are giving it to.

Keep this one point in mind treats are not pet food and they should not be thought of as a food supplement!

So, when should we give our pet a treat I hear you ask?

Well there are many occasions. If you use your imagination you will find it difficult to write them all down.

We have the celebratory treats, the functional treats, plus the bonding treats.

So let's discuss these three categories in a bit of detail shall we?

Celebratory Treats:

These are designed for those special occasions you might want to celebrate such as;

Birthdays
- Yours and theirs. If celebrating yours give them their own cakes made by us!
Christmas.
Easter
Valentine’s Day
Even Halloween if you want!

Many of these treats are designed to have a bit of fun. You can organise a puppy party with your friends who have a dog.

You will notice that many of these types of treats look good enough for us to eat.

That’s sort of the point! However, they are made specifically for pets. If you get them from a company such as Huds and Toke, they will have ingredients specifically for that type of animal.

They are NOT designed for you as a human although they look like they could be.

The point I am trying to make here is, don’t go giving the celebratory food you eat to your pet. Give them a Pet Treat or Pet Product which is specifically designed for them.

To read more on why this is important check out this report about the dangers of feeding your dogs things like chocolate!

Functional Treats:

These are designed not only for specific animals but also for specific purposes to achieve a specific outcome for those animals.

This will include:

Training for good behavior
Boredom Busting
- Stop barking
- Stop digging
- Chewing shoes
Gum and Teeth Health
Controlling weight
- Digestive health
- These include fat free treats.
Supplementation of vitamins and minerals
- Or other nutrients

These products are all designed for a specific function.

The idea with these is that they are made to taste great but to mimic the actions which might be found in the wild or to help with a particular problem which they may have.

Bonding Treats:

In this group, the pet treats which you give to your puppies are really designed for the sole purpose of showing them how much you love them.

This sounds indulgent and selfish, however it is actually really important.

Your dog looks to you and wants to be reassured that they are an integral part of your/ their pack. Sharing some special moments not only creates memories for you but also re-affirms special bonds and assures them that they are needed in this pack.

Just like us, they love to be spoilt on occasion.

Anytime is a good time to create these bonds but just don’t overdo it. We don’t want an overweight puppy just because you love them.

From this perspective, there are dog treats out there that are fat-free as well…. but these are in the functional department.

These treats also look amazing, however, once again, they are made specifically for your dog. Choose these over any of the goodies which are designed for you.

I hope this gives you some insight into times when we can or should be giving our puppies pet treats.

Remember, don’t over-feed them, treats are not a replacement for food, and the general rule is no more than 10-15% of the dogs daily food intake should be with treats.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember is HAVE FUN with it. They will love you for it and you will feel great spending time with your puppy.

Feel free to contact us should you want more information or go to our website to place an order!

Everything we sell is Australian made!

Have a great weekend from all the team here @ Huds and Toke.

#Hudsandtokefamily