Choosing the right treats for your dog

Playing on your dog's sweet tooth by giving him a few treats is a common gesture and hardly blameworthy. However, it becomes detrimental when you choose unsuitable products that are bad for both health and behavior.

We like to please our dogs by offering them a treat from time to time. However, we must be careful not to abuse them and to choose them carefully so that they don't turn into poisoned gifts.

The advantage of dog treats

Treats have a number of advantages. First of all, they help to establish and strengthen the bond between you and your four-legged friend. By pleasing him, you strengthen your bond. They greatly facilitate learning by acting as a reward each time your dog does your command and displays the desired behavior.

They are also useful when medication is required; it is often easier and more convenient to pass the pills along with cookies or kibble. Finally, there are treats that have been specially formulated for oral hygiene that have a mechanical action to prevent plaque and tartar formation.

Choosing the right treats for your dog

If you really want to please your dog without hurting him, banish leftovers. Giving him such food, which is often too rich, not at all adapted to his needs, and poorly assimilated by his body, is not only bad for his health, but also for his behavior.

It is, in fact, an unfortunate habit that can put his body in danger because of the risk of obesity that it promotes and the dangers it entails (salt, sugar, chocolate, lactose, fat, small bone fragments that can cause lesions...). At the same time, the dog may start to systematically ask for its "due" during your meals, which becomes extremely annoying on a daily basis.

Industrial treats specially designed for dogs are much more suitable. However, not all products of this type are equal. Some cowhide bones should be avoided because they are treated with sodium sulfite and hydrogen peroxide. The same goes for dried pig ears for dogs, which are not all of the same quality. It is best to choose cookies, snacks, kibbles, and chew bones that are appropriate for the size and age of your dog.

You can also simply take a few kibbles from your dog's daily ration and use them as treats to make sure you don't overfeed your dog.

Recipe for dog cookies

The best way to be sure of what to give your dog is to make your own. Here's a simple recipe for homemade cookies.

• 200 g wholemeal flour
• 100 g white flour
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (olive, peanut,...)
• 1 pinch of yeast
• 1,5 dl of water
• 1/4 meat or poultry stock cube

1- Dissolve the broth in water, mix the wholemeal and white flours, then add the yeast, egg, vegetable oil, and broth.

2- Cut out small pieces of the dough obtained by mixing the ingredients and place them on baking paper.

3- Put them in the oven at 180° for 20 minutes.

4- Your homemade dog cookies are ready, all you have to do is let them cool down.