There is yet another trend to emerge from the life-changing events of 2020-21. Puppy adoption. The “Puppy Boom” is indeed a thing and your household has bought-in, hook, line and sinker. While you’ve stocked up on chew toys, food, and a hard drive for the thousands of photos you’re about to take, you’re stumped when it comes to treats. From the moment a puppy joins the household a number of new stages begin to unfold, and you need healthy snacks to help carry them through each. Below is a breakdown of ingredients to account for the common dietary needs of puppies.
Training is important early in a dog’s life. But hours of watching Cesar Millan videos will be for naught if you neglect nutrition. You want to look for compounds that play a role in cognitive function which have a direct correlation to a dog’s ability to learn tricks/tasks and more importantly, sustain the memory of these learned behaviours. Antioxidants are these compounds. But that is not the only “ingredient” necessary to healthy puppy training treats. Snacks need to be small given the frequency required of in-training rewards, and variety in flavour is also important. View our guide to the best dog treats for training, which applies to puppies too.
After around 12-16 weeks your puppy will begin to lose their baby teeth and grow adult teeth. Teething is very painful and may cause pups to lose their desire to eat. To compensate for this diversion from their usual food and dietary regime you may want to supplement their caloric intake with an uptick in treats. But these need to be healthy, especially in light of their loss of key nutrients from normal kibble. Chew Love treats are packed with natural healthy ingredients to ensure that they get essential vitamins, minerals, EFAs, amino acids, proteins, and antioxidants during this bothersome time in their life.
Another consideration comes down to your intention to buy chew toys for teething. Chew toys are traditionally used to ease the pain and discomfort of teething. But did you know that you can give them edible chew “toys” instead? With the right texture, a healthy treat can provide them with the chewing relief they desire while also delivering key nutrients in the process. Our Chewpero Stix are a perfect example.
Who wants to turn away from puppy kisses? Sometimes you must when their breath becomes too much to bear.
Can treats really make a difference? Absolutely. It all comes down to finding treats that contain ingredients that battle bad breath. For example, coconut flour contains antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties which all help in reducing the bacteria in your puppy’s mouth. This natural bad breath fighter is found in our Turkey Mix Stix. Then there are apples. They have a high concentration of malic and acetic acid which helps kill the bacteria that cause bad breath. This ingredient is found in our Chicken & Apple Mini-Bites. Foods rich in vitamin C, such as broccoli, also create an inhospitable environment for your puppy’s mouth bacteria. This stinker-sinker is found in a variety of our treats.
Dedicated requirements aside (training, teething, bad breath) you want treats that taste great while fulfilling all of the nutritional needs of your puppy so that they grow up happy and healthy. For this, we encourage you to look to the veterinarian industry’s recommendations. Consult with your own vet to inquire about potential nutritional deficiencies for your specific puppy and/or breed. If there are no specific dietary instructions, simply follow this guide to what dog treats veterinarians recommend which also apply to your pup.
Contact us if you have any questions about the best treats for your puppy, along with queries about shipping or special promotions.
