Hello,

My BC pup is now 9 weels old and getting on brilliantly :-D. I am wanting to start giving him treats but most treats are for pups aged 4 months and older. Do you know any treats that are for younger pups? I am wanting to put some in his puppy kong if we need to leave him and if we need to put him away to give our older dog some space.

I have just been giving him his normal food as treats - he hasn't realised yet (he is a belly on legs :-D :-D)

Can I start giving the puppy gravy frozen in the puppy kong yet or is he stll to young??

Also, what age can I start giving him rawhide type bones??

Thanks
GG

The breeder of our BCs gave them a small rawhide bone to chew on the journey home when we collected them at 7 weeks and they have gnawed on the occasional rawhide bone (now the much larger version) ever since (Always very well supervised).

I put combinations of Arden Grange Puppy, Nature Diet or Natures Menu (Puppy version), Cheese (chunks and cream cheese) and Natures Menu chicken treats into their Puppy Kongs...Sometimes they had Banana/Apple and ProBiotic Plain Yoghurt instead (Sounds like dinner followed by dessert doesn't it?).  They also tried raw chicken wings at 10 weeks of age...and loved them.
As for training treats?  I used cheese, baked liver, small pieces of chicken and Natures Menu chicken treats...They worked hard for all of these

Hi GG - I would advise you to use hotdog sausages, cut up into very small bits.  Or cheap value cheddar, also cut up small.  Or chicken or ham sandwich slices, cut up small.  Any of these are fine for treats for a puppy.  In fact, they are tastier than most commercial pet shop treats.

For things to put in a kong, I would advise soft cheese or peanut butter - just a bit, around the rim inside. 

Gravy frozen in the kong is also fine.

Don't give him all of these at once, introduce each new treat separately and wait a few days for his tummy to adjust to it before trying the next one.

Some people would say never to give rawhide bones.  Personally, I give them but only under supervision.  If you do give them, I would wait until he is at least 6 months old.

How about a nice BIG juicy knuckle bone... there's 18 of them in Nan's freezer :D

Rawhide bones aren't a good idea, as they can be swallowed and could choke a dog As Malakai says, no problem giving them a large raw bone to chew on :) Obviously keep an eye on him tho' :)

Daisy

In addition to the above, how about a Dog Treat Ball ? - the BUSTER one is really good, but for really young and small puppies I bought those 4" balls you can find in vending machines with a toy inside :)  there's usually a small coin slot in them, simply enlarge this a little to allow treats out :)  Once the pup can pick the ball up in his mouth its time to buy a bigger treat ball :D :D

I fill a puppy kong wth peanut butter and then freeze it - she loves it and slurps on it for about an hour.  Cream cheese is supposed to be good frozen in their too - although I haven't tried it.  I started giving mine big roasted cow knee bones from about 12 weeks  and she is fine with them - in fact she adores them.  They cost about 75p and allow me to watch a film without being bitten to pieces.

Cooked bones can be very dangerous as they are more likely to splinter than raw bones and the splinters can case choking or tears in the stomach/digestive tract. A lot of those cooked bones available in pet shops are actually deep fried too, not roasted Most butchers will give you knuckle/marrow bones for free an they are much safer for dogs to munch on. Mine usually get a pigs trotter when I need a bit of peace and quiet ;) Vile but effective :D