Five Occasions to Give Your Dog Treats

If you own one or more dogs, it’s a good idea to keep a supply of dog treats on hand. Giving your dog a small treat can be helpful in a number of different situations. Checkout four occasions when giving your dog a treat can benefit both you and your dog.

During Training Lessons

Perhaps you and your dog are enrolled in a training class. You may have a puppy going through a basic obedience course. Or, maybe you have a dog with a specific obedience issue that needs to be addressed via a training class. You can buy dog treats online and take them along with you to serve as incentive for your dog to listen to your commands and obey. Not surprisingly, if the treats are particularly tasty, your dog will focus and strive to please you in order to get another treat!

Unfamiliar Environments and Situations

Your dog may encounter some situations where it feels ill at ease or stressed. For example, maybe you are taking your dog to a new vet’s office after your previous vet retired. Your dog is likely to be anxious at entering an unfamiliar office. Giving your dog a treat or two can be helpful as you speak softly and reassure your pet that it’s safe. Some examples of other stressful situations for dogs include a new doggy daycare, walking through a pet-friendly store or even a long ride in the car.

After a Medical Procedure

If it’s okay with your veterinarian, you can use dog treats to stir your dog’s appetite after a surgery or medical procedure. Your dog may not want to eat an entire bowl of food after surgery or perhaps its usual diet is hard to digest. Giving it a couple of treats that are easy to swallow can serve as nutrition until your dog feels up to eating entire meals again.

Between Meals to Curb Appetite

Some dogs get hungry between meals. Giving your dog an extra meal can cause it to gain excess weight. But, giving your dog a nutritious treat can ease its hunger pangs, so it will be satisfied until its next meal. Plus, the ingredients in a dog treat can benefit the health of your dog’s coat, teeth, gums and eyes.

When Introducing a Dog to a New Member of the Family

Use your dog treats to ease your dog when it’s meeting new member of the family. For instance, bringing home a new baby and introducing him or her to your dog is a little less stressful when you give your pup a couple treats along the way. Or, maybe you want to add a cat or another dog to your household. Reassure your dog that it is still a part of the family be giving it treats as you go introduce the new pet to your home.

Lastly, these are just a few instances where dog treats are helpful to keep with you. Your dog is likely to connect a new experience or a new pet in the family with the experience of getting a delicious treat. This connection can lower the anxiety in any unfamiliar situation.