Choosing a treat to carry on your dog walks might not be as easy as grabbing whatever is in your own house before starting your collections for the day.
Rewarding those recalls is important so not only does it need to be high value, but also economical for you, as a business, to buy. So when choosing treats consider the following;
- Allergies
- Value
- Easy to carry
- Price
- Appropriately sized
- Nutritional value
TLDR: We love dried sprats. Easy to carry, low calorie, easy to break up into suitable sizes and fish is low down on the list when it comes to things dogs might be allergic to.
Table of Contents
Allergies
As part of your initial meet and greet with a client you will have filled in an information sheet (as part of your contract) about the dog detailing any allergies.
Surprisingly the most common protein allergy in dogs in the UK is chicken. The theory is that most hypoallergenic foods are grain free in order to minimise an allergic reaction, however, where chickens are fed grains, this remains in the processed chicken and therefore finds itself in the food.
Chicken is also one of the most common protein sources used in dog food. Many commercial dog foods contain chicken as a primary ingredient, so dogs are frequently exposed to it in their diet. This high exposure can, in theory, increase the likelihood of developing an allergic reaction to chicken.
Another theory is that chicken can also contain antibiotics, hormones, and other additives that can trigger an allergic reaction in some dogs. These substances may be present in the chicken meat itself, or they may be introduced during processing or cooking.
So if you have a dog on your books who has allergies to anything it’s always best to ask the owner what they’re allowed.
If the owner is looking for suggestions themselves then trialling the dog with treats that are minimally processed is a good start.
Anything that is just dehydrated without additives is worth trying, such as fish skins and sprats and dehydrated or freeze-dried liver treats.
Value
Boring treats result in less successful recalls. Your treats need to have value to the dog.
Bearing in mind also that some of your dogs will be free fed (i.e. their food is down all day for them to graze from) so you can’t rely on them behaving for a dry old biscuit.
A dog that isn’t hungry will need a much tastier motivator.
Most dogs are fed on mid range, average quality kibble from the supermarket, so if you show up with some high quality, high meat content kibble they are going to be racing each other to get back to you first when you recall them.
Easy to carry
Hotdog sausages are high value and cheap but they’re a pain to carry as they need to be in a specific bag or treat pouch.
On a hot day, you’ll end up with a smelly, sweaty mess in your treat pouch.
Dehydrated sprats also need a specific pouch as they smell fantastic to dogs and horrific to us, but they hold up better in the warmer weather.
High quality kibble is easily chucked into normal pockets and tends not to leave the oily residue that cheaper treats and kibble does.
Price
This needs to be a concern as having a constant flow of rewards on your walks can soon mount up.
Although you can put them through as expenses this still only gives you a 20% discount in real terms. (i.e you’re not paying tax on your expenses so saving around 20% on everything you put through).
High quality kibble will be cheaper if you buy in bulk, as will sprats, which can also be broken up into 3 or 4 pieces to reduce your outlay.
Appropriately sized
Make sure your treats aren’t too big for your small dogs. No one wants to put their first aid skills to the test in a choking incident.
Nutritional value
2 or 4 treats tend not to do much harm to a dog’s diet on an hour’s walk however if you do have some dogs who are raw fed, overweight or just greedy (Labradors I’m looking at you!) then a low fat, natural option might be best.
Options
AATU make high quality, high meat content kibble that is perfect for rewards and makes it a cost effective option when you compare it against dog treats by weight.
Zooplus have a wide range of treats but they’re by far the cheapest place to order sprats from. If you sign up to collect reward points you can also spend those on the bags of kibble they usually have in the rewards section giving you even more free treats!
Cat biscuits are a great budget option as long as you don’t have any dogs with allergies (they’re usually cereal-based). Small, smelly and definitely not the same as their food at home these can be super high value to most dogs.
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