Treats and Biscuits

[Cockertime Blues]

There's always a lot on here about which dogfood to use, and I believe our dogs get a good diet and they're doing fine on it.  However, where I think we fall down is treats and biscuits (apart from obvious treats such as liver, chicken, cheese etc).  OH buys them Bonios, Gravy Bones or Winalot Shapes and these are all bog standard supermarket lines.  I can't imagine them being that good. 

Any advice/suggestions on good quality treats and biscuits?  (We have a PAH nearby and would prefer not to order on-line for convenience but could start I guess.)

[Nicola]

My lot also get tuna bread, cheese, apple etc. as treats but biscuit wise I just did a quick recce in their biscuit cupboard and we've got JWB Crackerjacks, Healthy Paws fruit cookies, Fish4Dogs fish skin square things, Feelwells probiotic biscuits and a few packets of Fish4Dogs Stars and Nature's Menu chicken treats and the rest is basically crap  Gravy Bones, a box of Bonios and PAH puppy mini bones and marrowbone biscuits which Rodaidh loves. Chews I order in bulk from Zooplus, they like the venison and ostrich stuff and the odd Antos hedgehog.  

Tbh I don't worry too much about the biscuits they get, they don't get loads of them and I rotate the good and not so good ones so they might only get a couple of Gravy Bones a day and a Bonio once or twice a week, they like them and at those quantities I don't really worry about it too much. If you want something decent quality though I'd really recommend the Fish4Dogs stuff, they all love it and the Crackerjacks go down well too although I am going through fewer treats just now as Tilly isn't allowed them, she can only have her d/d kibble.

[waggytails]

I make liverbread and freeze it in little bags with just enough in to last for 2 days.

[fifer]

Baton cut carrots are good, as are apple slices, broccoli or cauliflower florets etc.  TBH mine prefer veg to shop bought treats.  Billy Bracken lurrrrrrrves pineapple and melon too - weird boy!! 

[tigs71]

I give gravy bones and milk bones after grooming and at bedtime.  Natures Menu treats when out walking, a Bakers Reward or seafood stick each night when playing games, an Antos chew a couple of times a week and carrot, pear or celery everyday in the afternoon.  I did see a recipe for Pilchard cake recently and I am going to make some and try that very soon  

[Karma]

Honey gets a JWB biscuit every night at bedtime.
Treat wise she normally gets dried chicken feet, fish sticks or sweet potato chips.
Training she gets dried sprats (recall) and cheese and sausage.
She gets the odd more rubbishy treat if she has some from Christmas or Birthday or Grandparents, but I do find any processed treats tend to run through her.... 

[vikki.k]

We used to use all the things you have mentioned, but when Baja got sick we took everything away and resorted to ice cubes!

Gradually I have introduced the Fish4Dogs, which he can handle with no problems (although Mole seems to get them stuck to the side of his mouth  )

He used to adore pigs ears and raw hide chews but they seem to be too rich, so I'm trying to find new things to use which he can chew on. I have used an antos hedgehog, but would rather give him a smaller one and they only had big ones which I cant cut in half so he has gone without recently.

You can get the nature's menu and cracker Jacks from PAH I believe 

[Scarlett]

Interesting thread!
Can I give my 11 weeks old puppy a small chewing bone out of skin?

[LinzHenz]

i made some dried liver training treats last night off an internet recipe. basically just dry the liver out til it goes hard. takes ages. smells a bit. but perfection in training as a result. and made a jar full for £1 (slightly more if you add in the amount of time i had the oven on for!!)

[Mudmagnets]

Both my two get 1 Burns Ocean Bites at my lunch time, mini bonio for coming immediately when called from the garden and a large bonio and hide chew when I am going out without them.

[Birdie Wife]

I make liver bread and use that most of the time, I make it into biscotti-type biscuits and freeze them separately then put one in my pocket each day straight from the freezer.  I break off a little bit when I'm using it for recall, or use the occasional bit of dried hot dog, and a gravy bone at bedtime.

[Jessie_Pup]

Mine usually get Fish4Dogs chews, Healthy paws biscuits. I make tuna bread.   They like the hotdog sausage from P@H Deli. They also have Burns Venison Ears.  I try not to give Jessie anything with beetpulp in.

[Sheryl]

Mine love the Healthy Paws fruit cookies and also the peanut butter and oat cookies!!

[Helen]

why is it 'falling down' if you occasionally give your dog a treat like a gravy bone?  I can guarantee that no human on here has a perfect diet     And loads of dogs eat vile things like cat poo and scavenge on walks so I don't really think a less than perfect dog treat is a heinous crime 

As long as your dog is slim & healthy and they're not given dozens of treats a day (and they digest them ok) I say a little of what they fancy does no harm

[Karma]

Exactly - I know what Honey eats most of the time is well balanced and the best diet I can give her.
So if people give us some Bakers treats, or other such stuff, she'll get them, spread out over a while...    but I'm certainly not going to suggest that she's not allowed anything like that.
She got a load of stuff for Christmas I wouldn't have dreamed of buying her... but I wasn't going to stop her having it!!!