Rainbow, Myrtle & Cockatiels

[Wolf]

So far my dogs don't eat the corn cobs although the do chew on them for any of the juices anf left over corn. They them use the cob as a toy and throw it all over and chase each other with the cob. I only give them to them outside. Also since I have birds now the dogs get far fewer than ever before.

[seagoatdeb]

That's so cool, happy to hear that!

[liz]

My son's two little girls have learned to tell time and show up for treat time. Yesterday he told me that mine have been visiting him at his treat time. We need to come up with safe treats. These guys are getting way too many and getting fat.

[Pajarita]

My dogs only get a treat after their meals, never throughout the day. They get a milk bone after their breakfast and a 'chewy' treat after their dinner. I don't use treats for training them either but I do keep the bone marrow treats (http://www.milkbone.com/products/marosnacks) for special occasions (like when people come over and the young ones get all crazy and excited). You could use those instead of hot dogs, Liz. Dogs LOVE them!

[Wolf]

I am not really big on dog treats most of the time because when ever things have been in the refridgerator for more than two days it gets added to their next meal and then, my Lady gives them treat all weekend long. Well actually one or two each weekend day.

[liz]

Jake gets meal leftovers if I don't make them into something else for another meal. He is a big boxer who is really energenic so I don't worry about what I give him as much. Keep in mind that I have a damaged pancreas and cook low fat meals. Salt and pepper goes on at the plate so we can have the amount we want. Aunt Betty won't eat onions so I fry a bunch up ahead of time to add to my share of the meal.

[beakycheekie]

Low-fat mozzarella string cheese sticks can be cut up into tiny little chunks and dogs LOVE them. Better than giving the dogs a treat like hot dogs or even cheese would be to get a puzzle food toy to keep them busy working for food while you eat your meal. (Think parrot foraging toys, but for dogs!). Instead of giving a fatty treat, put their normal kibble into the puzzler (do you feed them twice or once a day?) and this makes them work for their meal. Now instead of scarfing down dinner from a bowl which takes no effort or thought whatsoever, and also gives them time to beg for treats, they instead will have to use their brains and coordination to work for their kibble. Here are examples of some food puzzlers:
http://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-I ... puzzle+toy

http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Kibble-Ni ... puzzle+toy

http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Genius-Mike- ... puzzle+toy

Another thing you can do is buy small, metal buckets like this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005N127YS/ref ... UTF8&psc=1
Take their kibble meal, add a small amount of canned pumpkin (good for the GI tract, much better than peanut butter, just make sure it's plain canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling!) and add any other treat you'd like, like a milkbone. Next, pour in a small amount of water, stir it all up and stick the bucket in the freezer. The next day, pull out the bucket from the freezer and give it to the dog (do not thaw). Now they have a frozen meal that they have to work really hard to eat. It'll keep them occupied and they love it.
One more thing you can do it hide treats around the house to make them work for their goody. I would use something like their normal kibble, tiny pieces of mozzarella cheese, or good quality chewy treat like Wellness Pure Rewards. Put the dogs away in another room so they can't see you hide the treats. Turn it into a game that you play every day at the same time, with a prompt like "find the treat!". The dogs will learn the game and look forward to it each day. You'll have to cheat and show them where they are hidden a few times at first.
Basically, make them work for their reward!

[Pajarita]

But that can only work for when it's real hot in the summer because you can't give a dog a frozen meal in the winter! Mine actually get hot water and canned food mixed with their kibble (but I wait a bit until the kibble absorbed most of the water so, by the time they eat it, it's no longer hot but barely warm - close to room temperature) because I think that kibble is too dry for an animal that was meant to eat meat which is 75% water.

[liz]

Other than the hot dog at 3 pm and a jerky treat at bed time my house dogs only get their dry food. I choose the best I can find since that is what they eat most. Their snacks are supplement to the dry food (Rachel Ray's brand).

I have been wanting to make the treats so they can be and extension of their diet.

Rachel's horses were getting hay, grain and water. She has been gone for more than a month now and I have adjusted their diet. I had been cutting up my produce to add to their grain but it started getting expensive. Then I remembered the alfalfa cubes. They are green which is what the horses were not getting. I mix the cubes in the same feed bucket as their grain that way they eat slower. They love them. Rachel had a bag that she was using as treats. I have bins of horse food on my deck so I can put the food together without being surrounded by them. They can hear when I am making noise with the cubes going into their meal and will come to the back deck for a bite ahead of supper. Since I do it at the same time every day I guess you can say that these horses know snack time.
It is funny that my son's two little dogs have also learned snack time and show up at 3 pm and 8 pm for their share.

[Pajarita]

So eliminate the 3 pm! They don't really need treats throughout the day, you know...