Of bones and other treats

[KC]

The cute story first: My daughter has been the one who desperately wanted a dog, so when we decided to go for it, we bought a Nylabone and tied a bow around it and gave it to her on her birthday saying for your puppy! Well, Milo ignored the bone for days, and finally started chewing it a few days ago. I guess his adult teeth are in now (how do you tell, anyway, they all look pearly white and tiny except the incisors) and soon the Nylabone had chunks missing, and looked like it was splintering. I took it away and threw it out, and have been wondering if that was because we bought the puppy model. But I am reluctant to buy a product again that splintered and left sharp edges. Then came Karen's horror story, so I was wondering if any one knew of rubber or plastic bones that might hold up better?
Part two: We (the humans) are vegetarians, and our trainer told us to have a irresistible treat for training his emergency recall. We decided that at the vet's office Milo went crazy about the turkey baby food that they distract them with while giving shots, so I went and bought a few bottles of turkey baby food. Milo of course being a carnivore, gets his meat through his food and his treats, but I am always looking for quick easy meat treats that don't involve cooking or cutting that I can have on hand for Milo. So then I see that Gerber has these little things they call "meat sticks" which, honestly have worse labeling than dog food! PORK, BEEF, WATER, GROUND TURKEY, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE (FROM MILK), SALT, CANOLA OIL, SUGAR, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVOR. ( I realized if I was reading this label for Milo, I would be wrinkling my nose at the sugar and canola oil in it and asking what kind of pork, what kind of beef?) What do you all think? Any suggestions, any ideas? Any easy meat options that won't require too much handling out there?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, the FDA requirements for what goes into people food are much tougher than for dog food, so you don't have to worry that there's by-products or dangerous preservatives in there. I don't think you have to worry much about the kind of pork or beef, either. I'd have to look up the autolyzed yeast extract, but I do know that regular yeast used in baked goods can be a risk factor for bloat in dogs.
My sure-fire training treat was always freeze-dried liver treats. They're fairly pricey, but probably not more than those baby food sticks. I also know someone who swears by the freeze-dried lamb lung as a high value training treat, also too pricey to hand out any old time. You can get either of these in the better pet supply stores.

[KC]

Yeah, Karen, we do have the freeze dried liver treats, but I was looking for something soft and juicy ish :) Something really special and smelling deliciously (from his point of view) and at the same time not too "meaty" for me. (And easy to store without needing refrigeration. Atleast with the baby food jars, I can put a lid on it and save it in the fridge)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I guess "soft and juicy-ish didn't occur to me for training purposes, especially emergency situations, lol. Kind of hard to carry around in your pocket. The freeze-dried treats are popular for that purpose because they don't need refrigeration or any special storage. You can easily keep them in your training vest pocket or a small pouch attached to the waist of your pants.

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

Out of curiosity, have you tried cheese? Cheese was like gold for some of our early training days! We also used hotdogs even though they aren't the healthiest but if you are trying to avoid meat, cheese has an odor and lots of dogs love it.

[Kyoko]

I use cheese as well! Charlie loves it!! I cut them into tiny little pieces, and sprinkle tiny little bit of flour on them and shake them up in the container. It makes it a little easier to handle since they don't stick to each other this way.

[Camilla and Darwin]

We use cheese too. Cubed cheddar and sometimes cubed mozzarella. Darwin goes crazy for it.

[Amanda and Cody]

My trainer also told us to save a very special treat for when we use the "Come" command. I know that you are a vegitarian but a good long lasting treat is chicken that has been boiled in a pot for soup. I freeze the boiled chicken in small packages and then take it out periodically to give Cody as a treat. He loves it! I have also used turkey (cold cuts) periodically.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yes, last time I made chicken soup I doubled the chicken, gave some treats to the doodles out of that for a while and froze the rest. The soup is even better that way : )

[KC]

Thanks everyone. We do give him cheese, but I was feeling guilty that we never git Milo bits of meat like other owners seem to do, but if your dogs who are exposed to both meat and cheese view cheese as a tasty treat, I guess I can feel less guilty.
What about Nylabone alternatives? Any non-edible bones out there? He does have one of those sterilized white bones that he occasionally will gnaw on, but it is just so sterile, I wonder if there is any fun in it. I don't think I can handle a real bone, and bully sticks seem to give him diarrhea. The sweet potato chews are good, but last just a minute or so.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

And we have found the puppy kongs last longer than the regular ones. The pink and blue ones don't crack around the opening like our red ones. And the dogs can't get anything out of the premier squirell dudes btw:)..

And we use turkey hot dogs and mozz cheese for training, never had and issue

[Lori]

I was warned by my vet that hot dogs are one of the worst things to give a dog...I used to give them to my Bichon, but he told me to stop...I think it takes a toll on their liver or kidney's...wish I could remember (it was at least 3-4 years ago!)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm guessing it has something to do with nitrates, preservatives, fat content, and/or sodium. Even the best 100% beef Kosher hotdogs are loaded with sodium & fat. Not sure about the vegetarian kind.