snack sugestions

jettababy

There are treats called Charlie Bear treats at Petsmart (and probably Petco too). They are tiny and low calorie.

They are at Trader Joe's for a GREAT price too! 3 kcal each.  In normal training sessions they are fine for a large dog (kibble size) however when I used them in a class my big guy inhaled them and would wind up choking

If I want to give my dog something to chew he gets it in a kong or treat ball thing.  I count what he gets in those towards his kcal for the day and tend to use quality stuff like some food roll or a favorite here is a piece of dried lung wedged in a kong. 

Has anyone heard of Miss Mollies? They are a sandwhich cookie. They have honey wheat dough in them. Yum yum yum!! A 2 oz. bag is about 2 bucks. So not overly expensive. Just go to tailwagginsbakery.com. Good luck!!

for training rewards your best bet is to forget the commercial "doggie cookies" and buy some meat. Low fat chicken or beef, cook it, cut into tiny little bits. For training you need something soft, easy to consume, tiny pieces, and very motivating.

I use end cuts from the deli and watermelon for training treats. The end cuts are cheap, and my deli sold me a pound of roast beef for $0.99 cents last night. I did have to trim some fat off, before cutting the treats into small bites, but I think I spent $2 total on "treats" for Luna's agility class. Sweet!

 Also, we use marrow bones as chew (like Liesje said), but I take the marrow out for my dog that puts on weight easily, and then factor that into the dogs' total calorie intake for the day.
 

I work in a deli and could have all the ends I want but the sodium in lunchmeat is sky high so I don't give it to her.I do offer watermelon though.For years I've been giving Jewel the rind as a chewie which she loves.She'll eat any veggie except hot pepers so I'm going to try some broccoli florettes next.Can anyone tell me how many Kcals to shoot for?She is nearly 10, spayed, moderate activity and now weighs 80 pounds.I would like to see her drop 6 or 7 more pounds.

Tena 

4HAND

florettes next.Can anyone tell me how many Kcals to shoot for?She is nearly 10, spayed, moderate activity and now weighs 80 pounds.I would like to see her drop 6 or 7 more pounds.

Watch those cruciferous veggies!  Some dogs have a - ahem - interesting reaction to them.  They do adjust eventually, most of them, but you may want to move to another house - or state - before then.  

mudpuppy

for training rewards your best bet is to forget the commercial "doggie cookies" and buy some meat. Low fat chicken or beef, cook it, cut into tiny little bits. For training you need something soft, easy to consume, tiny pieces, and very motivating.

meat is my favorite training treat.  Easy to dice up small, and easy for them to eat.  I do actually use kibble in training too (but I make Ari work for a meal on occasion - and she's convinced that kibble from my pocket is something super special *and I thought her smart lol*)

Thanks for the Kcal calculator but even if I enter her ideal weight instead of her actual weight I find that it's way off.It doesn't allow for an old or spayed dog and I have to believe that those factors affect metabolism.She is probably getting less than 900 now but I doubt she ever got the 1400 to 1500 they suggest. I know that meat is the best food for a dog.I guess my reason for leaning towards veggies is sheer volume.I havn't noticed any gas from them,she's always had a cast iron gut though.In her whole life she's only thrown up twice.

Tena