German Shepherds Forum banner

Looking for cheap treats (or stick with Milkbone?)

3K views 13 replies 13 participants last post by  s14roller 
#1 ·
My 9-year-old GSD eats Fromm's. Fromm's is kind of expensive.

I mix in Wild Calling, a premium wet food. Wild Calling is kind of expensive.

I give him a greenie every night as a treat and for glucosamine. Greenies are kind of expensive.

When he comes in from the yard, does what he's supposed to, etc. I give him a small treat. Frankly, I'm a bit fatigued from all the other costs...I love the guy but there's a limit to my budget. So I've been giving him Milkbones.

I used to give him Natural Balance treats (which are expensive) though I've moved away from their line since they were bought by Del Monte.

My wife says "you stopped serving him Natural Balance, but you give him Milkbones and they're made by Del Monte!" She's right as usual.

What is a good cheap treat?
 
#2 ·
I don't know about cheap, but I give natural balance loafs as treats. I just cut them in small pieces and keep them in a zip lock in the fridge. The large loaf is about $12 to $14, but last a while. My trainer has suggested I try hot dogs as training treats. I just bought some today, but haven't tried them yet.

We also have rice and lamb jerky treats we get at costco. I really large tub is only $12.00.
 
#3 ·
When I want cheap treats I make them! All natural peanut butter (with no added sugar), bananas, honey, rice (or other) flour, and eggs. Roll out and cut into whatever shape and bake. Super easy and inexpensive.

I also use Real meat brand dehydrated dog food for treats. While slightly pricey, they come in super small pieces so they last quite awhile if you aren't training with them. I used to use the Natural Balance rolls, but I like the ingredients in the dehydrated raw food much better.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App
 
#4 ·
I've gotten a few of the Supreme Healthy Max Skin & Coat treats for $1 from Dollar Tree before and I couldn't believe the ingredients with salmon being the first listed. Not bad but probably not the best either. I just got some Dogswell treats and they are usually only $5-$7.99 at stores or online.

Also, I've made homemade dog treats before but it all depends on what you're using to make them.
 
#5 ·
Hot dogs for sure.

Any discounted meat at the grocery. Cook and cube it, or slice and dehydrate.

Appropriate leftovers.

Carrot slices, frozen berries, cheese cubes.

Variety is a great thing!

David Winners
 
#6 ·
I use the tubes for training. Buy a large one for around 10 - 12 $, cube it, freeze it in zip locks. The puppy thinks kibble is a treat. I did get some hot dog for training as I think it might work better with her to feed from a long string rather than bits. But I don't like the crap in hot dogs.

I have a recipe somewhere that calls for pureed beef liver, flour, garlic. Bake it & cut it into small bits. Cheap, tasty and you have a good quality, controlled ingredient treat.
 
#7 ·
I second the discount meat at the grocery store. You can get a whole tub of livers or gizzards at my grocery store for just a few bucks. Boil em and freeze, give them raw, bake them, etc, all good.

Honestly I dont think a few milkbones will kill your dog though if he likes them.
 
#9 ·
I use Nutripet Large Peanut Butter biscuits - each one contains 500 mg glucosamine - Tractor Supply has large bags (often on sale) for 9.99. They are at least 20.00 everywhere else.
 
#11 ·
Honestly, I get as wrapped up over ingredients as the next person, but honestly I also think we overthink it. For example, we are trained to think byproducts are a no-no, yet some studies will show that “byproducts” are actually what makes sense for the dog…instead of deboned chicken, they may actually prefer the nutrition from liver, hearts, and other nasty things that humans don’t like and find disgusting.

With that said, for treats don’t worry too much. Use the milkbones if you want, or whatever else you want to grab. Even if it’s not as nutritious as a NB treat (and I’m not certain it is or isn’t) I’d guess there’s probably stuff in all of our kitchens that aren’t exactly that nutritious for us either…but we still enjoy snacking on them.
 
#13 ·
Honestly, I get as wrapped up over ingredients as the next person, but honestly I also think we overthink it. For example, we are trained to think byproducts are a no-no, yet some studies will show that “byproducts” are actually what makes sense for the dog…instead of deboned chicken, they may actually prefer the nutrition from liver, hearts, and other nasty things that humans don’t like and find
There is a difference between byproducts from big dog food industry and what raw feeders concider byproduts as organs and such. There is no telling what is in the byproduct from commercial industry except for waste
 
#12 ·
Just curious why you put canned with the kibble? If it's for taste or your dog wont eat without it, I would try some kind of broth instead, cheap and lasts a while.

If greenies are for breath I would switch to the kind you pour a table spoon into their water.. supposedly adds no flavor but Titan sometimes gets picky when I add it. Eventually jsut drinks it. If it's for Teeth cleaning, have you tried an antler or a raw marrow bone?

Now for treats... I buy these Dog Food Roll Formulas - Natural Balance Pet Foods which I know you stopped buying treats from the company.. but wasn't sure if you had tried these at all. I just buy the largest one and cut it up into half inch pieces, though you could do bigger if you are using as an end of the night reward.. but I freeze the bags and they last a really long time.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top