Pet Treats: Dos and Don’ts

We all enjoy being rewarded with a special treat now and then, and our pets are no different! Healthy pet treats are excellent for providing a tasty snack and reinforcing good behavior, but it is important to ‘treat’ our pets with care. We love seeing our furry friends happy, and treats will certainly get their tails wagging, but it’s important to manage how and when we choose to hand them out.

Check out TLC’s Dos and Don’ts for treat-training our pets, and pick up a case of TLC Whole Life Dog Biscuits today!

Pet Treat Do

Do provide your pet with a nutritionally beneficial treat. Like your pet’s diet, their treats should be filled with quality ingredients that provide essential nutrients. You can feel much better about spoiling your pet with a treat when it helps maintain a healthy diet.

Avoid treats containing:

• Unhealthy fillers with no nutritional benefit
• Unidentifiable meat by-products
• Corn
• Soy
• Artificial flavors/colors

Pet Treat Don’t

Some human food can be a safe and healthy treat option for your pet, but do not feed them directly from your plate. Feeding your pet from the table or counter will encourage begging and jumping. Too much of any treat, even safe fresh fruits and veggies, can cause stomach upset in your pet. Don’t feed your pet human foods you’re unsure about. Fight the urge to give in to those adorable puppy-dog eyes at dinner time and only offer human food you know is safe for your pet to consume and has been specially prepared for them to eat.

Pet Treat Do

Do reinforce good behavior. The best time to treat your pet is when they demonstrate a behavior you want them to continue doing. For example, when they correctly follow a command or are calm and quiet, offer a piece of biscuit or treat of your choice during training. By providing your pet with a treat they like, they will want to perform the act more often to get more treats. And remember, yummy treats are an excellent reinforcement tool at any stage of life!

Pet Treat Don’t

Don’t over-do it. It is very easy to overfeed your pet when spoiling them with treats, and although it may make them happy in the moment; it can contribute to health problems, including obesity. Always read the bag and feeding labels to know how much you should feed.

Hint: Break your pet’s treat into smaller pieces to feed them more often without overdoing it.

Pet Treat Do

Always provide plenty of fresh drinking water when feeding your pet treats. Keeping your pet hydrated throughout the day as they eat their treats and meals is important to their digestion and well-being.