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Y’all ready for this? For Christmas, I mean?
The next 3 or 4 days are going to be a train wreck of social activity, family togetherness and fun. If your friends and family are anything like mine, they are so good to my dogs at the Holidays. There will be dog gifts under the tree. People will save their turkey necks. The dogs will be welcome to visit the Holiday parties.
And there will be snack. Oh yes, there will be snacks.
What is it about dogs that makes everyone want to give them a treat?! Do you think it has anything to do with THIS FACE?
So, I guess I get it. Living with them day in and day out has hardened me to their “puppy dog eyes”, but I can see how weaker humans might cave and sneak them snack after snack after snack under the table.
Dietary indiscretion can be dangerous for your dog.
Even though everyone has the best of intentions, all these secret snacks can be dangerous. Worst case, your dog is given something toxic like onions or chocolate. Maybe, they get too many rich, fatty treats and get pancreatitis? Even if your pet doesn’t get seriously ill, after a day of snacking, most dogs will have one heck of an upset tummy.
My solution? Create a “safe snacking bowl” and encourage your friends and family to treat your dog to as many snacks from the bowl as they like.
I swear, this works!
It’s so simple! Just grab a bowl that is clearly a dog bowl. After all, you don’t want people mistaking the dog bowl for a bowl of people snacks.
Fill your dog bowl with approved snacks. Ours is usually a mix of:
- Grain free kibble
- Carrot chunks
- Sweet pepper pieces
- White meat turkey pieces
- Sweet potato or squash cubes
- Small pieces of Jerky Treats, like Natural Value Duck Meat Sticks
They key is to create a mix that is mostly foods your pet is used to eat, with just a few “treats” tossed in. People can give your dog a treat, you can feel good knowing your pet isn’t getting anything they shouldn’t and everyone can have a holly jolly Christmas.
To make sure everybody knows what’s up, we’ve created a couple printable signs to go with your safe snacking dog bowl. (One sweet & one a little sassy.) Simply print and pop into a 4 x 6 picture frame (or you can tape it up on the wall by the bowl).
They’re kinda cute, right?
FOOD!
Venison, the dogs love venison.
Either small pieces of bacon, cubes of cheese, or a peanut butter flavored treat.
Protein of some kind….beef, cheese, chicken and beef heart.
chicken!
Beef liver taffy!!!
We use low salt rice cakes. Some homemade oatmeal dog cookies.
Peanut butter! 😀
Venison! My dog has severe allergies so that is the only thing she can eat.
The grain-free corned beef and cabbage treats I just took out of the dehydrator.
veggies!
Probably Wager’s food, as both dogs can eat it. Shiloh has a pretty hardy stomach, but Wager’s is sensitive and I have to watch what he gets. Zuke’s treats, maybe some chicken.
What an adorable bowl! We’d stash some Milkbones in there, or if we were really getting festive, some doggie “cookie” treats!
Beef or chicken jerky treats! I have one dog who is allergic to lamb and fish (and possibly a few more things that we haven’t pinned down yet.) We allow guests to slip them cheese or crackers, but anything else is a no-go.
The main ingredient would be… love <3
My dogslove sweet potatoes, so I like to use them in their treats.
dehydrated sweet potato chips
Sweet potatoes and turkey
We would have grain free food 🙂
Beef since a lot of other proteins make Jada itchy
Free range chicken eggs from my friend’s farm.
Our main treat for our dog’s goodie bowl would be pieces of dehydrated sweet potato. Our dogs love them 🙂
freeze dried turkey
Chopped carrots & kibble!
The main ingredient in my dogs safe snacking dog bowl would be small pieces of Jerky Treats.
chicken!
Probably chicken! My dogs love anything with chicken.
Homemade peanut butter and pumpkin dog treats. My daughter’s girl scout troop made them to race money for shelter dogs.
Carrots and home made treats made of peanut butter or pumpkin
jerky
Jedi loves dried sweet potatoes, and begs for ice cubes. And Roxy will do anything for fresh pear. I know, my dogs are weird.
for dog food- i use raw human grade venison, holistic select kibble, cooked baby peas and carrots, no salt chicken broth, plain greek yogurt, and their suppliments which they get abt 7. for snacking the girls love anything but the oldest loves her beef taffy, salmon skins, lambs ears
Beef and Beef Liver which Layla loves
My dogs will do anything for cheese! )
Chicken livers would be in it
I would use chicken jerky or dehydrated duck.
Chicken. My dogs take treats nicely except when it comes to chicken, then they almost take my fingers too!
Their USA-made treats, cucumber, and small pieces of apple/banana/oranges.
An agility trial the weekend after Christmas is a new tradition for us, so we’re extra careful about holiday treats. Kibble from his dinner would be in our bowl. (No worries, though, he LOVES his kibble and would gladly take anything as a treat.)
Our main ingredient would be beef. 🙂
Light/low fat/low calorie dog treats would be in their bowl. Otherwise, a carrot or two would be okay.
I would probably put apple chunks or baby carrots.
Meat!
The main ingredient in my safe snacking bowl would be dehydrated sweet potatoes. My dogs love them and I do not mind the extra calories as they can eat however many they want to get from anyone.
Leonard’s kibble and baby carrots
We would have bananas and chicken chunks.
sweet potato pieces and lamb treats
I don’t give my dog treats but I do like Carna4 dog food.
chicken!
I’d fill this with dried sweet potato treats and low-calorie biscuits.