Is cutting puppy treats too small for training? My pup gagged.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is important to avoid this as much as possible as this can predispose dogs to things like aspiration pneumonia for example. One thing that has worked for me great in the past for patients that do not eat more slowly with the slow feeder is actually throwing the kibble in a small room like the bathroom for example so that they end up spread out in the room as that will force Millie to eat more slowly as it will take her longer to find them to eat it. While it sounds messy, this has actually worked very well for some of my patients. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello and thank you for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I like to use Tricky Trainers because they are grain free and are only 4kcal/treat. They also smell amazing to dogs and seem to be quite tasty to them. You can purchase these at any major pet supplies store. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Those ingredients look OK! The small amount of garlic powder in these treats is very unlikely enough to cause any problems. I would feel safe giving these to my dog. As with any treat, I would try to limit Isabelle's intake of treats to less than 10% of her daily calorie intake. These (and most) treats are high in calories (20 calories per treat!) so try to give them in small quantities, or even break them up into smaller pieces for training so she thinks she is getting more than she really is. I hope this is helpful!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Greenies have a risk of causing esophageal foreign bodies. I recommend following the size recommendations to be safe. Unless you can break them in to bite size pieces. I would worry if he would try to swallow the greenie whole. If he chews them slowly then try one and watch him closely. I hope this helps!

If Bruno is swallowing his treats rather than chewing them, you may want to consider offering something a little smaller and more easily digestible. I advise this in an attempt to make Bruno avoid swallowing something that is too large to pass through the GI tract. When this happens and something is unable to pass through the stomach, objects sometimes require surgical removal. Even worse is when an object can pass through the stomach but gets caught within the intestines. There is nothing wrong with offering treats to Bruno. But as I said, reduce the size and toughness for the time being until he gets a little bit older.

Occasional treats of plain, unseasoned, boiled chicken is probably ok. However, it is best only to use in special circumstances, like during training sessions. If you feed it rountinely she may not want to eat her regular dog food. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I actually think that is way too many treats. Treats should be used as reward or training. Those treats have a lot of calories in them and with 3 small dogs that’s an excess of calories. I would relate that to a human eating a doughnut. Three humans should not eat 40 doughnuts daily. I suspect your dogs are only picking at their dry food because they are eating mainly treats as their diet. Treats also do not have the right vitamins and minerals to promote proper bodily functions. I would recommend 1 snack per dog per day. If you would like for them to find food while you are at work, I would use their regular dog kibble. I hope this helps. Kisses to your pups!