Favorite dog treats for training your beagles

We love our treats! (They are beagles after all!)

Look at the awesome box we got from Merrick -- It's got all kinds of doggy treats inside.

I like to make sure Lulu and Jasmine are doing things and learning for their treats. I try very hard not to just hand them a cookie.

But some tricks and behaviors are more important than others. And I also have to make sure my girls don't lose their figure eating treats.

So here are the treats I like to use -- and why I use them.

Day-to-day small stuff

Merrick Kitchen Bites: These are small doggy biscuits made by Merrick and come in the company's canned food flavors. We particularly love the Brauts n Tots one because we think chicken makes Jasmine itchy.

Why I like these: Grain free, gluten free, and small. I like to use these for little midday treats, particularly when I need to get the dogs in the house, or I need to get Jasmine in her crate so I can go to work. They are crunchy, but not particularly stinky.

Keeping them in line 

Zuke's Treats: Zuke's treats are made in the USA or New Zealand. They are flavorful treats, and they aren't big treats. I like the Lil' Links and the Hip Action treats.

Why I like these: The treats are small enough to give the girls a taste of something good. I like to use them when we're out and about to keep their attention. For instance, I gave them to Lulu during outdoor photo shoots. I also used them to maintain her attention while at farmer's markets and the post office. They aren't too fattening, and the Hip Action have the added bonus of having glucosamine.

Training time

We have a small stash.

Natural Balance Food Rolls: My trainer, Adam at Petco, is the one who coined the term "puppy crack." It's the truth. Dogs will do almost anything for some food rolls. They are also Made in the USA.

Why I like these: The food rolls can be broken apart or cut. You can mold them into a ball. They are incredibly stinky. And with a beagle that can be a great help. I save these for training because it's helpful in keeping them focused on you. They love the taste and smell.

Now I say this all with the understanding that Natural Balance changed the recipe recently. The roll is crumblier and not as easy to use. But from what my trainer understands, NB has gotten so many complaints they are changing back to the old recipe.

Very Important Tasks

Peanut butter: I kid you not. Lulu can hear a jar open from half the house away. If I have peanut butter Lulu wants a taste. So I make it very special. For instance, pills. I put the pill in the middle of the peanut butter and she takes it in one go. Jasmine is a bit more judicious, licking and licking. But she still goes for the pill at the end. 

Why I like it: Ummm peanut butter is tasty? No seriously, I can buy a jar and share it between the dogs and I. Cheaper than treats, good for the dog and when they know it's extra special they'll do anything. Just try to buy one that doesn't have lots of sugar.

Busy time

 Jones Natural Chews rib bones: There are lots of ways to keep your pets busy, but I like these bones. Plus, stripping bones is good for doggy teeth.

Why I like these: All natural, made in the USA. No preservatives. Plus, Lulu finds these beef rib bones easier to chew. She likes her bones not to big, not too small. Plus, Jones also sell a "rib roller," a beef bone wrapped with pig skin. The dogs really like those!


What are your favorite treats for training? TELL US BELOW!

Dogs love peanut butter! Happy National Peanut Butter Day

Lulu's peanut butter jar. She likes Skippy.

Saturday is National Peanut Butter Day. So of course, I had to share some with Lulu. This beagle loves her peanut butter. She can hear a jar open on the other side of the apartment.

This is Lulu's Heartgard. I had to give it to her anyway, so I put on a dollop of peanut butter. 

Look at those eyes! She is excited!

She took it down in one gulp though! No lip smacking! I don't know about you, but if you don't enjoy a dog eating peanut butter, you probably have no soul.

So I pulled out a spoon and... well, here's how she took it.

(May not be available on mobile)

So I know what you'll ask -- is peanut butter even good for dogs?

Actually peanut butter is: in small doses. It's great for giving your pet a pill, or mixing it with fruit and yogurt for a special treat. Or you can do what I do and just give her a spoonful. Just one spoonful. Or stuff some in a Kong and freeze it for a busy treat.

Peanut butter is a good source of protein and vitamins too. Not just for your pet, but for you. Just try to stick to the natural peanut butters. If you can, go completely natural -- no salt or sugar.

Just be aware: like people, dogs can get peanut allergies too. They can develop over time. You might see itching, redness and bald spots. Those are pretty telltale signs for most food allergies.

Now, if you have some culinary skill, you could try your hand at making peanut butter treats! Head over to our buddies at Kol's Notes for all kinds of peanut butter treats.

Puppy Cake doggy cake mix review -- sort of

Photo courtesy of Puppy Cake.

The nice people at Puppy Cake sent me a box of their peanut butter cake mix for us to review. It came in the mail yesterday, and I THOUGHT I had kept it out of Lulu's reach.

But this is what I found when I got back from the doctor today.

Puppy Cake is like a Duncan-Hines style cake for dogs. They come in a variety of flavors -- banana, carob (a chocolate alternative that's safe for dogs), peanut butter and red velvet (no food coloring, they use beet powder for color).

The ingredients are pretty much the same for each flavor -- evaporated cane juice, rice powder, baking soda and salt. For the peanut butter cake, they add peanut flour to the mix. All you add is eggs, oil and water. Which means there's nothing in there that can't be eaten...

This happened after I had picked up the bag to take to the garbage in the kitchen.

... right out of the bag. 

It also comes with a packet of unflavored yogurt powder. A few teaspoons of water turns this into a frosting. Lulu especially liked this part. There was nothing left!

You can make these in a regular cake pan or cupcake pan, or you can buy the special bone-shaped pans via the Puppy Cake website. Or you can just leave it for your dog to get. They'll enjoy it just the same! (This is sarcasm, if you couldn't tell)

So:

PROS:

• Natural ingredients, nothing you couldn't actually eat yourself
• As easy as Duncan Hines cake mixes
• Can be made in an oven or a microwave
• Lulu seemed to like it, or at least the mix.
• Oh... and it comes out of the carpet with a bit of vaccuuming

CONS:

• It can be a little pricey -- about $7 a box
•  It has quite a bit of protein, but it's not meant for every day consumption
• If you have a pet with a really good nose... keep it high. REALLY HIGH.

 

This is one penitent puppy.

Puppy Cake has a store locator on their website.

I think it's safe to say Puppy Cake could get a new slogan from this review: Cake so good dogs won't wait for you to bake it!

DISCLAIMER: This was not meant to happen. I'm making the best of a bad situation. Do not try this with your dog at home.

ANOTHER DISCLAIMER: As I state in the review, Puppy Cake sent me a free box of cake mix to try out. I don't think this is what they intended.

Tips to keep your dog safe this Easter

It's the Easter Beagle!

Lulu loves sweet things. Believe me, getting her to sit like that and not touch them was hard.

But here's the bottom line -- Easter candy, much of it, is no good for dogs.

Here's some reasons why:
1) Chocolate -- the biggest thing you'll find in abundance is the worst for dogs... but it all depends. Milk chocolate is not as bad as dark chocolate or baking chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the more it has of a certain chemical that is toxic.

I had a dog when I was a kid who broke into two Easter baskets and lived to tell the tale. Doesn't mean it's ok, of course. Always keep chocolate from dogs.
2) Xylitol -- This sweetener is used in sugar-free and no-sugar added treats. It's also used in chewing gum. All bad for dogs! They can't digest it.
3) Easter grass -- Not a candy, but used in the Easter baskets. Can be a big problem! Dogs, and cats, can't digest the grass. It can mess up their system the way ribbon and mylar can.
4) Raisins -- What are the chances you'll put raisins in an Easter basket? Maybe not. But grapes are bad for dogs. So raisins are also not good.

 Now, there are treats you can make, even buy, to help your dog enjoy Easter with your family, like hard-boiled eggs (just make sure they are properly refrigerated). Eggs are good for your dog's coat.

Dogs love peanut butter. Lulu sniffed it right through the paper. And peanut butter is ok for dogs. So here is an idea.

Three Dog Blog makes peanut butter cups for dogs. Instead of chocolate, they use carob chips. Carob is a chocolate substitute that you will find in dog treats from time to time.

Peanut Butter Cups (from Three Dog Blog)

• 1/2 cup carob chips, unsweetened
• 6 teaspoons peanut butter
• 12 confection candy cups or cup cake cups

Place cups on tray that will fit in your refrigerator. In a small pan, on medium heat, melt carob chips. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of melted carob into each cup. Chill 10 minutes. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter on top of chilled carob. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of melted carob on top of peanut butter. Chill 10 minutes. Peel and treat!

Now, instead of using a cake cups, you could use a silicone pan. Get one with bunny or egg molds and voila! Easter treats for you dog!

Fun with Vine: New video app fun for humans and dogs alike

There's a new video app that allows you to create fun little videos. And it's free.

It's called Vine.

The app taps into your phone and lets you make little seven second videos. How creative can you get in seven seconds? You would be surprised.

Check out this video I made, called:

"Just Experimenting" (click that link to play the video)

 


What do you think? Kind of fun!

Here's how it works:

This is what your record page looks like. The green bar up top represents the length of the video. To record, just hold your finger down on the image. You can hold it down up to the end of the video.

What makes it so much fun though is that you can take your finger off the image whenever you want, as often as you want. So if you look at the "Just Experimenting" video, I stopped and started the same clip five times. And it created that cool stop motion effect.

You then have the option to share it on Vine, which has its own social networking setup (even already has a Pets category!), and share on Twitter and Facebook. In order to get a link to share on your blog, you need to share it on Twitter or Facebook right now.

Also right now it seems to only be available on iPhone, but if it takes off, you can be sure there will be Droid capability soon. 

What else could you do with this video? Think about it and give it a shot if you have an iPhone!

I leave you with one more video, (again, click the link):

Lulu vs. the Peanut Butter   

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