As a dog owner, you can give your puppies treats once they turn 6 weeks old. The only exception to this is dental treats, which you should only give to puppies once they hit the 6-month-old mark.
Treats are an excellent way to provide a reward for your pup to reinforce good behavior. In fact, they’re the most effective way that you can train your pup.
Are there any considerations you should consider when giving puppies their treats? Let’s look more into it.
What Are Suitable Treats for Puppies?
To clear things up, any treat that an adult dog can have is also acceptable for a puppy. As long as they’re soft enough for their teeth to chew and small enough to fit in their mouth, you’re good to go.
The only difference is that small dogs have underdeveloped jaws and teeth, so you have to break the treats down.
This is either through breaking the treat into smaller pieces or by giving them mellow options.
Still, there are treats designed specifically for puppies. These are typically easier to chew and are richer in DHA and calcium.
The first helps in supporting brain development, while the second works on developing strong teeth and jaws.
What Are the Best Treats for a Puppy?
There are three major types of treats that you can give a dog: Jerky dog treats, freeze-dried treats, and soft-baked treats. Let’s look into each one of those.
Jerky Dog Treats
These are the most delicious as they’re bursting with flavor. They’re quite chewy, which makes them a good choice for training their jaws to be stronger.
Also, they last longer, so your puppy is bound to love them.
Freeze-dried Treats
Freeze-dried treats are also flavorful, though not as much as jerky ones. They’re quite medium, even leaning toward soft. With that and their small size, they’re very easy for puppies to munch on.
These are great options for behavioral training when you want to reward the pup for doing something good.
Soft-baked Treats
As you can tell from the name, these ones are the softest of the bunch. This is why it’s very easy for your puppy to enjoy them without any worries.
Can I Treat My Puppy Using Human Food?
If you train your puppy to eat some human foods that are safe from them, they’ll grow to enjoy them. However, you should be very careful with what human foods you give your little dog.
Human foods may contain levels of fat and calories that are higher than what your pup needs, leading to obesity issues.
Not only does that affect the overall health of the puppy, but it could also reduce its life expectancy.
So, while caving in and giving your pup a small piece of whatever snack you’re having is fine, you should keep it to a minimum. Otherwise, the treat could replace the puppy’s main diet, leading to nutritional deficiency.
How to Manage Giving Puppies Human Food as Treats?
Firstly, you’ll have to set sound ground rules on how, when, and where your puppy can have human food as treats.
Then, you‘ll need to ensure you (and other house members) follow these rules very strictly.
- Make sure your puppies understand that they’re not invited to the dinner table. If they nag and beg too much, seclude them in another room until they stop this behavior.
- Give your puppies their special treats as part of their regular food during their own feeding time.
- Ensure that your puppy can’t roam the kitchen for random nacks. This includes making sure it doesn’t have access to garbage containers and countertops.
What Human Foods Can I Give My Puppy as a Treat?
Generally speaking, most food that’s healthy for you is likely healthy for your dog as well. So, let’s look at some of the options your pup is likely to enjoy.
Vegetables
Whether they’re cooked or raw, your dog may enjoy and would definitely benefit from some vegetables. These include bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots.
They’re safe as long as they don’t include any spices or herbs and aren’t dipped in any sauces.
Lean Meat
Certain amounts of chicken, lean beef, and turkey can be excellent treats for your pup.
However, don’t let them indulge in processed meat, as it includes salt and nitrates, which are harmful to their stomachs in the long run.
Moreover, ensure that the meat you give your pup has no bones in it. Otherwise, small bones can splinter and cause damage to their airways.
Yogurt
While milk is probably the first thing you think of when you think of dairy as a treat, yogurt would be better.
This is because a puppy can digest it more easily than cow’s milk, which can cause diarrhea.
Starches
While you can give rice, bread, jimaca, and potatoes to your puppy, they should be in moderation.
This is because they’re very high in calories, so they fill your puppy up without providing nutritional value.
Make sure these carbs have no gravy or sauces with them if you serve them to your pup.
Fruits
Apples are great for your pup’s dental health, while oranges help build up their immunity with the vitamin C they have.
Watermelon, cantaloupe, and bananas are also acceptable options if your pup develops a taste for them.
The most important thing is to remember to remove any pits or seeds from the fruits before giving them to your puppy. Otherwise, they can be toxic or even cause blockages.
Peanut Butter
Many dogs enjoy peanut butter, and it can be a very nice treat to indulge in. However, make sure the type you give them doesn’t include xylitol, as it can be toxic to dogs.
What Foods Should You Never Give a Puppy as a Treat?
You should steer clear of the following:
- Macadamia nuts
- Chocolate
- Grapes and raisins
- Any sweets that include artificial sweeteners like xylitol
- Onions and garlic
- Spices and herb
These ingredients can have mild effects like an upset stomach or extreme effects like intoxication.
Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.