Want to be nice to your dog? 

Giving them a treat is probably the quickest and easiest way to put a smile on their face. Sadly, dogs (and their owners!) can often get a little carried away with treats. They’re small, they make your dog happy, and it’s such a simple gesture–right? Unfortunately, they get too comfortable and it might develop bad habits for your dog along the way and also lead your dog to become overweight.

Treats are surprisingly high in calories and fat, especially if you get cheap mass-produced treats. Feeding them loads of these treats in addition to their food and any dinner scraps from your plate will eventually make your dog overweight. This could lead to potential health issues that will not only shorten their lifespan but also make it more painful and uncomfortable.

So when it comes to giving treats, it’s good to practice moderation. 

In this brief post, we’ll be taking a look at the best time to give your dog a treat and how much you should really be giving.

The general rule of thumb is that dogs should not be fed more than 10% of their daily calorie limit in treats. For example, if your dog needs around 400 calories a day, then you should limit their treats to 40 calories.

At the end of the day, most dog treats are just basic nutrients that they could get from their regular dinner. However, you can also get special treats like hemp treats for dogs or even ginger treats. These have extra health benefits that you won’t see with cheaper treats. This makes them excellent options for alternative treats that make your dog happy and healthier.

So now that we’ve covered how many treats to give your dog and which type, let’s talk about when you should be treating your dog.

The general idea is that you should give your dog treats between meals. It helps to have several treats in your cupboard and to know which one your dog enjoys the most. You should typically save these for big events, such as training milestones, or at the end of the day to help boost your dog’s motivation.

Dog treats are often used to train your dog, so you should never give them randomly or after they’ve done something bad to cheer them up as it can train bad behaviors. Instead, try to give treats whenever your dog does something good, such as successfully passing a training goal or following your orders. Treats can also be given if your dog has been calm, patient and well-behaved, especially outdoors in public.

Dogs are a huge time and effort investment. 

From the moment you choose your dog, you’re entering an unspoken contract to unconditionally love your canine friend and take good care of them. We understand that giving your dog lots of treats makes them happy, but you need to be a tough parent at times and stop feeding them too much for their own sake.