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Really Good Dog Treats: Cut ‘Em and Eat ‘Em – Video

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Treats your dog will love!

Don’t waste your money on grocery store dog treats.

In addition to being ridiculously expensive, those treats often contain artificial ingredients, colors, and flavors. They also usually contain by-products (a nice way of saying chicken beaks, cow entrails, and other gross stuff).

Smart trainers use treats their dog loves and that are good for them.

I like to use real, human-grade food when I train my dogs. I know what’s in it, it’s pretty inexpensive, and hey, I can eat it, too!

Cheese and meat lend themselves to terrific dog treats.

Easy to cut into bite-sized pieces, human grade, and really delish. Oh, and easy to find and buy!

Get a value pack of cheese and some pepperoni (or summer sausage) from your local grocer. In a pinch, you can even use luncheon meat, although it’s a little harder to handle because it’s thinly sliced.

Cut into 1/4″ strips.

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Remove the paper before feeding to your dog!

Then lay flat and cut into 1/4″ slices. Turn 90° and slice again.

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Stack and slice.

This is what you get.

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Perfect pieces.

 

Next, do the same with the cheese.

Cheesecut

And you’ve now got some really powerful dog training treats! And hey, if you need a snack, dig in!

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Voila! Perfect dog treats!

I put all the treats in a Ziploc container with a lid, store all the treats in the fridge ’til I need them. We’re always ready to train, even at the last minute!

Your turn: What treats does your dog go ga-ga for? Leave a comment below!

Freshpet: Good (and Convenient) Food for Dogs

IMG_6490 I got a chance to try a bunch of new dog food and dog snacks last week.Let me say right up front that I'm a little bit of a dog-food-snob. I try hard to learn as much as I can about dog food: how it's made, what goes into it, etc. 

My dogs eat better than I do, truth be told. All of them are supplemented in one way or another, those supplements tailored to their age or specific health issues. 

Lily, the pretty little grey-faced Labrador on the left, has allergies to beef and grains (corn, wheat, and the like). We buy a specific food that is grain-free and she's on an over-the-counter antihistamine everyday, as well as a complex of fish oils, Omegas, etc. 

Anyway, I got a cooler full of refrigerated dog treats the other day and was pretty skeptical at first. I'm skeptical of almost all commercial dog treats – usually they're a whole lot of grains, a whole lot of fillers, and a whole lot of preservatives. All things I don't want to put into my dog. 

I'll keep this short and to-the-point. Here are the vitals:

Who: Freshpet
What: Dog treats and dog food

I liked:

  • the packaging – nine (I counted) freez-paks in a cooler, shipped overnight (not cheap!)
  • the ingredients – in the Vital line, for instance, here is the ingredient list (no grains!): Chicken, Chicken Liver, Cranberries, Beef, Salmon, Eggs, Spinach, Vinegar, Peas, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan, Salt, Caramel Color, Inulin, Pomegranate, Broccoli. You can actually SEE the shredded chicken, the cranberries, and the spinach! It's actually identifiable (I think that's pretty amazing…)
  • the variety - In addition to the Vital line above, I also found the Dognation line impressive. The ONLY ingredient in the Sweet Potato Chews…sweet potatoes! Amazing! 
  • the palatibility - my dogs LOVED this stuff! 
  • the uses - I create a lot of food-stuffed toys for my dogs to help keep them busy and their minds active. Freshpet has so many different types of food and treats, I can find something that will work with whatever food toy I'm using that day. 
  • the absence of preservatives - these treats must be refrigerated. Which may seem like a hassle (it's not), but that lack of preservatives makes me a whole lot happier about feeding Freshpet to my dogs. I want as little un-natural stuff in them as possible.
  • convenience and availability - I can get this  from my local grocery store. Normally, grocery store dog food is an automatic "NO!" in my book — the quality is just too low, usually. Those grocery store dog foods are usually loaded with wheat and corn and the dreaded by-products. Not here — just the opposite, actually. What a (happy) surprise! 


IMG_6472 I'm adding Freshpet to my fridge. I will use it for both my own dogs, as well as my client's dogs. Whether you have a really food-motivated Labrador (like I do), or you've got a finicky, picky eater, these Freshpet foods and treats will get your dog's attention. And that's where the training begins! Happy, eager dogs + delish treats = easy and fast training! 

**Freshpet sent me the food samples free of charge. These remarks are entirely my opinion — I wasn't paid to write this review.**

Make-At-Home Cheap (And Easy) Dog Training Treats

In this economy, saving a little bit of money is a good thing. One way to save some scratch is to make your own dog training treats. Keep an eye on your grocery store flyer for sales on hot dogs. If they’re $1.00 per pack or less, pick up four or five packs. I’ll show you how to turn those hot dogs into cheap and easy dog training treats your dog will love.

Hot dogs

This is an entire pack of hot dogs, just as they came out of the package.

 

Sliced hotdog

Slice the hot dog in half, lengthwise.

Quartered hot dog

Then flip the slippery sucker over and slice him again lengthwise (making four quarters).

Diced hot dog

Next, chop the hot dogs into pea-sized bits.

Diced hotdogs

This is an entire pack of hot dogs diced (eight hot dogs).

Diced hot dogs, ready to be microwaved

Line a paper plate with a paper towel, then place the hot dogs on the plate in a single, even layer.

Hot dogs in microwave, ready for cooking

Cover the hot dogs with another paper towel and put the whole shebang in the microwave.

Hot dogs, microwaved about 10 minutes

Cook the hot dogs on high for about 8 – 10 minutes. Depending on your microwave strength, you may have to add or subtract time. This is after about 12 minutes in my microwave. I’ll state the obvious: WATCH YOUR MICROWAVE. Microwave strength varies, so don’t leave these unattended. Check every few minutes to be sure the hot dogs don’t burn.

After cooking, let the hot dog pieces cool, then store in a zipper-locked plastic bag.

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