Treats can be an excellent way to train dogs and incentivize positive behavior. But they should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s total daily caloric intake.
Low calorie treats are an excellent way to manage weight, train effectively and address specific health concerns. Look for foods with limited ingredients and digestion-friendly properties for best results.
Contents
Honest Kitchen Whitefish Fillets
Dehydrated pet treats made with all-natural, high-protein fish make an all-natural treat, rich with proteins and omega-3 fatty acids derived from wild caught white fish. Large, dehydrated filets can easily be snapped into smaller morsels for use as treats or training aids.
This food is produced and processed in the USA to meet The Honest Kitchen’s “human grade” standards, meaning it is Non-GMO, without by-products and fillers, artificial preservatives or grains, as well as suitable for pets with sensitivities to fish or gluten.
This food provides an abundance of essential vitamins and nutrients in an easy-to-digest blend of dehydrated fish, whole fruits and vegetables, organic oats and barley for heart-healthy fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids – perfect for lean diets! Additionally, minimum crude fat content (2.40%) makes digestion even simpler than many other dehydrated dog food options.
Bones
Bones are natural chewy treats that offer your dog many essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. Furthermore, bones help stimulate gums while simultaneously supporting dental health – not forgetting they also serve as an excellent source of protein!
Based on your dog’s size and daily calorie needs, select an appropriate bone. Large dogs should only receive bone treats occasionally to ensure optimal health and happiness.
Wellness’s freeze-dried treats offer a tasty and nutritious alternative to other low calorie treats, containing just three calories each and being broken up into smaller pieces for use during long training sessions. Furthermore, their high value treat status makes them great re-engagement tools should your dog begin losing focus during sessions.
Kibble
Kibble is a dry processed food designed to mimic the nutritional value of raw diets for dogs. Kibble can be easier and faster to feed than raw/tinned food options; however, many dogs develop food sensitivities or digestive issues when fed solely kibble.
Kibble foods typically use lower quality meat sources like meat meal or animal byproducts that would otherwise be discarded as well as high levels of carbohydrates from genetically engineered corn, wheat, rice and potatoes; as well as legumes such as peas & lentils.
These ingredients are ground and cooked under high heat to form a granular-textured food product, then vitamins and minerals are added as supplements.
Most dog foods contain 18-23% protein. Unfortunately, this often leads to confusion as crude protein doesn’t translate to biologically available protein sources. Protein is essential for dogs’ wellbeing and should always be provided in high quality form through food sources such as Kibble.
Treats
Healthy low calorie dog treats offer many options to meet the needs of your pup without overfeeding. Some of the cheapest and best treats for dogs include carrot sticks, cucumber slices, zucchini or apple (without seeds), cooked lean meats, unsalted nuts bananas watermelons strawberries blueberries or cantaloupe as possible options.
Merrick Pumpkin-Based Training Treats provide an ideal, low-calorie solution to reward your pup during long training sessions and maintain attention during high-value behaviors such as holding and distance work.
Fruitables baked pumpkin and apple training treats provide your pup with nutritious, tummy-tickling treats made from natural ingredients without preservatives, free from gluten, corn, wheat and dairy – an ideal treat choice for dogs with food allergies or sensitivities.
