Spring is a time when flowers take their new leaves. It’s a perfect occasion to introduce treats for dogs that aid to their growth as well as happiness. Before we speak about the new dog snacks in the market, let’s first convince ourselves as to why healthy dog treats are important and just like a responsible parent, how careful you can be with these dog treats.

Why Are  Dog Treats Important ?

1. An essential training tool: Treats can make a dog do wonders and learn how to obey you whenever you need them to.
2. Serve as a positive reinforcement technique: With treats, it has been possible to be able to command dogs without using unorthodox and painful means like hitting them.
3. Stimulates a dog’s brain: Treats help dogs to focus and engage their brain at tasks in the greed of procurement. This stimulates their brain and even tires them.
4. Supplements a dog’s usual diet: Healthy dog treats are an excellent supplement to a dog’s diet providing the topped-up nutrients enhancing their development and quality of life.
5. Regulates a dog’s temper: Treats regulate a dog’s usual temperament by always holding an incentive to be grabbed from a higher authority. More than external distractions and triggers, they pay more attention to these lovely snacks.

Now, that we realise the importance of these treats, let’s explore how you can introduce them this spring to our pets. There are various fun activities and ways you can engage yourself and your dog in.

Here is a list of such activities:

1. Treasure hunt: You can hide treats at safe and open corners around your house. When your dog sniffs and searches for these, his natural foraging instincts are aroused and he is also mentally stimulated.
2. Puzzle toys: You can fill toys like Kongs with these treats and let your dog figure out how to get to unlocking these treats. This method provides an excellent mental stimulation to them.
3. Picnics: You can take your dog out during spring for picnics. In those times and external environments, these treats can help form a stronger bond with your pet and can also keep them from getting distracted and follow your orders.
4. Freeze: You can freeze some treats by adding water in a small bowl or placeholder and then offer it to your dog on warm days. It will form a refreshing and cooling snack for them and will also keep the dog engaged till the time the ice melts and he reached the treat.

It is very important to select and choose from the wide variety of treats available in the market. These days, most of the treats are made from raw hyde or by-products. Giving these treats to our dogs can cause serious gut and digestive issues. If the treat sizes are huge, they might also choke your dog. Here are some tips to help you choose the best dog treat.

Choosing the Best Dog Treat for Spring

Spring is a season where everyone loves to engage and spend time outdoors due to the amazing breeze and scenery. Thus, it turns into an excellent time to train and keep your dog occupied but under control at the same time. All this can be possible with an excellent set of dog treats.

Before we dive into choosing the right one, let’s address another important segment first:

Dog Treats for Puppies

Puppies have a small mouth and completely different nutritional needs. The choice of treats, similar to foods needs to be different for them. Their treats would definitely be softer, lower in calaories and specially targetted to their dental health since they would be mostly teething and might experience a constant irritation in the gums resulting in an urge to scratch and bite.

What makes a Dog Treat Healthy ?

Healthy dog treats should provide the necessary nutrients and aid to training at the sametime being low on calories and harmful impurities. Here’s what to look before you buy dog treats:

1. Natural Ingredients: Choose treats sourced from completely natural sources and containing natural ingredients with no added artificial color or preservatives.
2. Soft in nature: Often treats are offered to dogs during playtime and sometimes they tend to grab these treats and rush to their safe place to devour. Chances of choking are increased during these situations. Hence, treats should be easily soluble and relatively soft in nature.
3. Rich nutritional content: Look for treats containing vitamins, minerals, omega3, fish liver oil and other essential nutrients for dogs.

The best dog treat out in the market are ayurvedic and completely natural dog treats introduced by a brand called Gocattles. Their treats are:

• Preservatives, chemicals & by-products FREE
• 100% Human-grade ingredients
• A nutritional blend of ayurvedic herbs selected for their efficacy.

This brand is the first in market to introduce treats which partially act as supplements and are targetted towards improving the most common issues and critical aspects of a dog’s life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there specific treats that are better suited for puppies' smaller mouths or sensitive stomachs?

For puppies, as mentioned in my blog, the treats must be softer, smaller and addressing their teething phase. There are specifically designed puppy treats in the market as well as some treats like those from Gocattles which cater to all ages and breeds of dogs and specifically targetted towards a strong healthy hygiene.

Can I give my dog human snacks, or should I stick to dog-specific products?

It is generally not advisable to feed your snacks to your pets cause both of your digestive systems are used to and built differently. You should watch out for human snacks like chocolates, grapes and onions which are toxic to dogs. Some veggies and fruits can form an intersection which also form ingredients of dog food like carrots, apples and other fibre-rich veggies.

What qualities make a dog treat "healthy"?

As explained above, for a dog treat to qualify as healthy, they should be natural, low in calories, of a decent size, relatively soft and nutrient-rich.