Why Should You Give Your Dog Treats?

Well, for one thing, the same reason you should treat yourself every now and then, and because it's a great aid to positive re-enforcement training with animals. Many people don't believe in training their animals with treats because they are concerned with whether or not the dog will always expect a reward for good behaviour. And if so, the dog might behave badly, --chewing, barking, jumping up, because they will always expect a treat, or because they didn't get one for behaving well on a different occasion. This approach is the owner's decision, of course, but generally speaking, dogs trained with treats do often learn to appreciate good behaviour for the sake of being good. Whether it's for training or good behaviour, as a nice little treat for any occasion, or even to assist with giving your dog medicine or their regular prescription, --dog treats are useful and a tasty treat for your pet.

Just Because

Giving your dog a special treat now and then just for the sake of treating him or her is a sweet gesture to encourage good behaviour. You shouldn't make it an every-five-minutes deal, but you should do it now and then to just to let him know he did good. If you come home, and nothing has been chewed up, --sometimes you have to check first, trust me, that's a good time to give him a treat. Or if you have company, and --wonder of wonders, your pet doesn't go crazy and bark at everyone, that's a good time to give him a treat. Another great time is when you can actually see your dog -wanting- to jump up on you, but not doing it, --it's a struggle for him because it's in their nature to welcome you home with a big hug and a sloppy kiss. Go ahead and administer a treat on these occasions too. But don't just hand them out all the time for no reason, or the dog will just expect them all the time, and it won't be special anymore.  

During Training

Expert dog trainers recommend training your dogs with treats because it's a good, strong reenforcement to good behaviour. As opposed to negative re-enforcement that sometimes borders on abusive treatment of the animal, and only detracts from all the sweet qualities from your pet that made you fall in love with him or her to begin with. According to some trainers, it's easier to make a "bait pouch" attached to your belt or waistband for treats, because having to fumble for treats in a pocket might take too long, and deprecate the value of the training in the first place. Prompt delivery of a treat will show the dog that he did an excellent job. From experience, use a material that's fairly airtight, because the dog will smell the treats, and might become distracted from training.

Assisting With Medication

Finally, dog treats are an excellent way to make giving your dog his or her medication, or medicine. Many veterinarians have optimized the usual medications for delivering them to the animal more easily, and to prevent them from just letting the nasty taste fall out of their mouth. If your veterinarian has prescribed the medication in pill form, then ask your vet what kind of homemade treats you can give your dog, so that you can disguise the pills and make it easier for the animal to swallow.