Keep treats nearby for anytime your puppy does something you want them to reinforce. We strongly believe in training your dog to be the companion you want at your side. This means lots and lots of treats! When using a lot of treats, they need to be as healthy and nutritionally balanced as possible, but also easy, convenient to carry or grab, and yummy enough to get your pup’s attention.

The best treats are often found right in your refrigerator!

We LOVE to use:

Small tiny pieces of chicken or turkey, cooked
Diced apples, zucchini, cucumber
Tiny pieces of cheese
A dab of peanut butter off a fingertip
A dab of yogurt off a fingertip

Baby Food Dog Treats

Ingredients

1 cup flour +
4 ounce baby food or pureed fruit or vegetable

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix 1 cup flour and 4 ounce baby food or puree in bowl
Knead and add small amount of flour until dough is not sticky
Roll out dough on a floured surface. Cut to desired shapes.
Place Cookie shapes on parchment paper lined cookie sheet
Bake 20-25 minutes until desired. Soft baked cookies need to be refrigerated. Crunchy dry cookies stay fresh longer. But these don’t last!
For the crunchiest cookies, turn off oven with door closed allowing cookies to continue baking as oven cools.

Puree Suggestions:

Banana, mashed
Applesauce
Canned pumpkin
Canned sweet potatoes
Chicken baby food
Beef baby food
Turkey baby food
Blueberry baby food

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
Water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together peanut butter, egg, and flour
Add in tsp of water at a time until mixture is ready to roll out into dough
Cut into desired shapes
Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet for 15 minutes

Apple Cinnamon Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup Cinnamon Applesauce
1 cup quick cook oats
1 egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients
Drop small spoons of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet
Bake 20-25 minutes

Chicken / Turkey Treat Bites

Ingredients

1 cup finely diced chicken or turkey, cooked
1/2 cup cooked rice, mashed
3 tbsp rice flour
1 egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients, spoon into oven safe silicone molds
Bake 20-30 minutes, allowing tops to turn golden brown
Allow to cool, remove from molds, and store in refrigerator

KONG STUFFERS

Stuff a Kong toy with these yummy snacks to keep your pup busy and entertained. Check out our KONG Recipes below!

Enrichment

Dogs value food as an essential resource. They typically devour it quickly, missing out on all the fun that could be had. You can teach your puppy or dog to use food as mental stimulation and enrichment, as a puzzle, toy, distraction or comfort. Stuffed Kongs are especially useful for crate training. They can also be used to teach your dog to stay in their “place” when you ask,, like staying on a dog bed while you answer the door or bring in groceries. Use a Kong during grooming to help your pup relax during brushing and nail trimming, with a yummy distraction to take away any anxieties.

Start Small & Easy

Start with a small Kong and work your way up in size as your Shih Tzu can reach father and farther back.
Kongs are dishwasher safe, so make a few, freeze them, and stick them in the dishwasher when your flat faced friend has gotten out all he can.

While teaching your puppy the joy of a stuffed Kong, start out easy. Smear a little peanut butter just at the opening. Let them lick it. Then smear peanut butter father down for them to learn to reach in with more effort. Now you can start filling the Kong up with different wholesome treats. Some dogs are very food driven and will gobble the Kong fillings quickly. For these dogs, you can try freezing the Kong & filling to help extend the fun, so it takes them longer to finish. Some Shih Tzus, however, are quite a bit more lazy and will refuse a frozen Kong. Experiment to see what works for your dog. It’s a balance between their drive and the length of the reward. The first couple times you might have to help your dog by dropping the Kong in front of them so food falls out.

Healthy, Whole Foods

Use wholesome, whole foods. When possible, use low sodium, low sugar foods. Use a variety of meats along with some extras like fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs, and grains. When cooking meats or other foods, consider leaving out seasonings and salts. Just plain is fine for the pups.

No Xylitol

Be cautious of artificial sweeteners with dogs. Some *may* cause a dangerous reaction in dogs, like xylitol. Check labels for ingredients. Get the regular yogurt and peanut butter, not “light” or “less sugar”. A little natural sugar in a treat is healthier than some sugar substitutes for dogs.

Layer Kongs

When stuffing a Kong, put bigger, bulkier items in first. Then add smaller foods in the remaining spaces. Use thinner foods or pastes to fill in the rest and seal the top. Applesauce, yogurt, peanut butter, and cottage cheese are great toppers.

Add a Stick.

Before freezing, add a ‘stick’ into the wide opening of Kong. Push in a chicken foot, carrot, green bean, bully stick, slice of pumpkin or cucumber, or your pup’s favorite treat. It’ll act as a handle or edible popsicle stick. This is a fun addition to the Kong to give them an easy, instant reward, with the draw to go in for more.

Baby Food Works, Too!

Baby food in small jars or pouches are the perfect serving size for filling Shih Tzu Kongs. Mix in something bulky like their dog food kibble or Scrambled eggs. Seal with beanut butter.

Starter KONG

Peanut butter

Simply smear peanut butter on the inside especially close to the large opening so its easy to lick out.

Edible Sticks – For KONG

Carrot stick
Cucumber slice
Pumpkin slice
Dried or raw chicken foot
Pig ear slice
Green bean
Bully stick

Mix it up – For KONG

Use a mixture of any of these ingredients:

Chicken
Turkey
Ground beef, chicken, turkey, or pork, cooked
Cooked white rice or brown rice, plain
Canned pumpkin
Yogurt
Scrabled eggs
Plain oatmeal
Apple sauce
Cottage cheese
Fruits, fresh or frozen
Vegetables, fresh or frozen
Baby food – meats, fruits, vegetables
Dog food – dry kibble
Raw dog food if your dog is raw fed

Thanksgiving KONG

Leftover turkey, chopped
Canned pumpkin
Canned sweet potatoes, mashed
Fresh cranberries
Canned corn
Cooked rice

Mix together or layer. Stick 3 green beans in the end, sticking out like a green bean popsicle stick.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Berry Chiller KONG

Strawberry flavored yogurt
Fresh or frozen blueberries

Stuff Kong.

Add a berry on outside.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Easy on the Tummy KONG

Chicken, chopped
White rice, cooked
Use plain chicken, baked, boiled, skillet, or rotisserie.

Mix together. Stuff Kong.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Easy Pup Burgers KONG

Ground beef, cooked
White rice, cooked

Mix together. Stuff Kong.

*optional: add plain or vanilla yogurt to hold the foods together.

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Breakfast Omlette KONG

Scrambled eggs
Turkey or other meat
Yogurt, plain or flavored
Fresh or frozen berries
Fresh sliced or mashed banana

Mix together OR layer in Kong.

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Peanut Butter N Jelly KONG

Smear peanut butter along inside of Kong

Fill halfway with strawberry yogurt

Top with sliced strawberries and or bananas

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Peanut Butter & Oats KONG

Ripe mashed bananas
Rolled oats
Small amount of peanut butter

Mix together in desired ratios. Stuff into Kong.

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Daily Snack KONG

Dry dog food kibble
Peanut butter

Use just enough peanut butter to coat the dog food, stir together, stuff in Kong.

Add a stick. Before freezing, add a ‘stick’ into the wide opening of Kong. Push in a chicken foot, carrot, green bean, bully stick, slice of pumpkin or cucumber, or your pup’s favorite treat. It’ll act as a handle or edible popsicle stick. This is a fun addition to the Kong to give them an easy, instant reward, with the draw to go in for more.

Hawaiian Pizza KONG

Ground pork, cooked
Crushed pineapple, canned
Peanut butter

Smear peanut butter along inside of Kong, then stuff with pork and pinapple.

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie KONG

Fresh strawberries diced (optional)
Fresh ripe banana, mashed (optional)
Yogurt, plain or strawberry banana flavored

Mix ingredients together or layer. Stuff Kong.

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Cucumber Carrot Cooler KONG

Cucumber, sliced in long sticks
Carrots, sliced in long sticks
Yogurt, cottage cheese, or baby food of your choice.

Stick carrots and cucumbers into Kong. Pour in additional filling.

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Melon Medley KONG

Watermelon
Honeydew
Cantelope
And/or fresh melons available
Cottage cheese or yogurt

Chop melons into small pieces or mash

Mix or layer in Kong.

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Pumpkin Pie KONG

Canned Pumpkin
Vanilla yogurt

Mix together, fill Kong

Add an edible ‘stick’ if desired.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.

Apples & Cheese KONG

Dry dog food, kibble
Applesauce
Cheese stick, sliced
Peanut butter
Apple sliced or cut to rectangles

Coat dry dog food with Applesauce. Stuff in kong. Smear peanut butter across opening to seal. Poke apple & cheese sticks into Kong as edible handles.

Freeze or chill to your dog’s preference.