Dog Treats of High Value (Discussion FE520)

[Alana McGee]

Tippet loves treats. Check…Tippet loves food!
Currently, I use chicken jerky and Nature’s Domain bison jerky, both U.S. made and both low in fat. They are easy to break apart and can go in my pocket. Bruce uses Merrick’s lamb lung. All three very high in protein. I also have some dried liver that I put in my pocket now and then.

I get the two jerky treats at Costco.

I am interested in what others use so we can have more variety…suggestions. please

[Alana McGee]

I buy 5-6 lbs of chicken hearts/gizzards, cook, chop, freeze in small bags. I will buy beef and pork roasts when on sale and do the same.

Most store-bought treats are sold in 7-8oz bags and are the equivalent of spending $8-12/lb and go up from there for the duck & rabbit. I think Zuke’s Rabbit treats are the equivalent of $19/lb. At that price I could feed my dogs smoked salmon!

My rule of thumb is if the meat is $5/lb or less, even after cooking, it’s more economical to buy meat and cook it. Plus I know what they’re eating.

The dogs will also work for dry kibble if I’m out of good treats.

[Alana McGee]

Well I use primarily the girls kibble at home for training. I feed the Fromm grain free and the size is very tiny so I can give Spring alot of it. I will also have lamb lung in the treat bag that is broken up, that helps infuse more flavor.

For very high value in new situations, cheese, chicken heart & beef heart (hearts are cooked and cut up). I also use Zukes Minis, but not sure if the formulation has changed since they were bought by Nestle, I had quite a large stock of it that has lasted me almost this whole year. When I can get them on sale I really like the Real Meat Jerky Treats as well.

I have seen the chicken jerky at Costco, but not the bison, will have to keep an eye out for that.

[Alana McGee]

Can you give too many of the organ meats? Sounds like a plan. I don’t think the bison and chicken jerky treats are at the price point you mention. They last a long time.

[Alana McGee]

You are so lucky that Tippet is so food driven.

Ashley is not unless it’s stolen wet cat food. Many times she prefers kibble over canned dog food. When we first started classes, cheese and hot dogs were not good enough.

At training classes, we typically need a high value treat or she ignores it. If she has concerns about the environment, even HIGH value treats don’t work – less often now than in August.

One happy note: for truffle hunting, we have not needed high value treats. The game provides a huge reward on it’s own.

In September, I went on a huge search for dogs treats and made these 5 (file attached) and we had great success!!! For the the jerky type treats, I smoke them, but they can easily be made in the oven or a dehydrator. They all taste good. For the oat flour, I just bought oats and ran them through the food processor until I had a coarse flour.

Next on my list is working on our own doggie treat sausage. Then we can just make a few when we make our own bratwursts.

I will also post my larger file of everything I had gathered when I went on my search for dog treat recipes on the fb page. Again not pretty, but lots of great recipes. Alana, I’ll email mail it to you.

If you haven’t heard about the problems with some jerky products, here’s some info. And at some point Costco was selling jerky products from China and surprisingly it was not pulled off the shelves.

For more info

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm092802.htm

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealt…mation/ucm295445.htm

http://www.avma.org/News/Issues/recalls-alerts/…Treats-for-Pets.aspx

Here’s important info from the 2nd site:
Types of Jerky Pet Treat Products

What are the products involved?

The majority of complaints involve chicken jerky (treats, tenders, and strips), but others include duck, sweet potato, and treats where chicken or duck jerky is wrapped around dried fruits, sweet potatoes, or yams.

Are there specific brands we should be concerned about?

The illnesses have been linked to many brands of jerky treats. The one common factor the cases share is consumption of a chicken or duck jerky treat or jerky-wrapped treat, mostly imported from China. Pet owners should be aware that manufacturers do not need to list the country of origin for each ingredient used in their products, so packages that do not state on the label that they are made in another country may still contain ingredients sourced from China or other countries that export to the U.S.

[Alana McGee]

If the dogs are not used to them you might have loose stools or diarrhea. I always have the kibble mixed in, so it helps stretch it.

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