Treating Your Dog

Finally a big treat!

How many treats do you give your dog each day? I have never really counted but I would guess about 10? All dogs love to get treats and we may not realize how many extra calories we are "treating" our dogs with. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to giving your dog treats. 

Dogs care more about the number of treats they get than the size of them. Your dog finds it very rewarding to receive many small treats than one big one. Just think about the last time you gave him a special treat. I bet he ate it so fast that he was waiting for another. The small treats will be eaten just as quickly as the big ones. 

I buy the treats for small dogs even though my dog is considered large. This allows me to treat him more often throughout the day. For example, if he is outside and I go to the door to call him inside and he returns after saying Murphy..come once, he will get a treat. A small one, but he gets a treat. Dogs learn faster when treats are involved.

Apples, bananas, chicken and carrots are other small treats I use to reward or treat my dog's good behavior. Try small treats when learning a new trick and see how quickly that trick is learned.