The Best Snacks for a Pug
Avoid:
Whenever you are giving your Pug any sort of food, it is just as important to be aware of which ingredients need to be avoided as it is to what is being offered. Issues seen with these sorts of ingredients and additives range from allergic reaction (itching, rash, hives, and/or breathing issues) to upset stomach, and with some, long term consumption is linked to disease including certain cancers.
Ingredients to steer clear of include:- Synthetic preservatives.
- Artificial coloring or flavoring.
- Soy, corn, and high levels of wheat
- By-products
- Generic meats or oils
- Made overseas, particularly China
Look for:
Choose snacks that are preserved using a vitamin blend (will show as mixed tocopherols), with only natural flavors and wholesome ingredients such as real meat (including fish, chicken, turkey, bison, salmon, and lamb), fruits (including apple, blueberry, strawberry, melon, pumpkin, cranberry, and banana), vegetables (including carrots and sweet potatoes), and/or other healthy ingredients including yogurt, cheese, and peanut butter. And, as we covered, these should be dry (not moist).
Recommended:
There are some great options:
1.
Fruitables Pumpkin Baked Crunchy Dog Treats. This is a line of super-healthy 100% all-natural treats and these particular ones have a great crunch to them. There are so many awesome flavors including those with yogurt or a beef base, and this one is a variety pack that pairs pumpkin with apple, banana, blueberry, and cranberry. It's a great way to give a Pug different flavors, each is only 9 calories, and these are made in the USA.
2.
Bandit's Biscuits All-Natural Cookies. These are good-sized crunchy wafer cookies that are also 100% all-natural. There are 3 delicious recipes: peanut butter, blueberry, and cheese & bacon. These have no corn, wheat, or soy, have just 10 calories per cookie, and are made in the USA.
3.
Old Mother Hubbard Classic Crunchy Natural Treats. This is a fantastic option for helping a Pug stay happy until the next meal. These are dry baked biscuits made in North America (the US and Canada) with lots of yummy flavors to choose from. There are veggie biscuits with carrots, sweet potatoes, and apples and there's also liver, bacon & cheese, and peanut butter to name a few. Note that some of these recipes have flour or some grains but there is also a grain-free option if you prefer that for your Pug. The small size works for most adult Pugs and mini size is best for most Pug puppies.
4.
Sam's Yams Veggie Rawhide Sweet Potato Treats. Though 'rawhide' is in the name, that is just their way of letting you know that these chews are a great alternative to real rawhides (which as we covered are dangerous) for dogs that like to chew. These are designed for small and medium sized breeds, like the Pug, and literally have just one ingredient: healthy sweet potatoes. These are good for a dog's teeth, which is always a plus and these are made in the USA.
The Best Training Treats for a Pug
Avoid:
Just like snacks, training treats should not have synthetic preservatives, artificial coloring or flavoring, soy, corn, high levels of wheat, by-products, generic meats or oils, or be made overseas (particularly China).
Since these are meant to offer just a small yet powerful burst of flavor to mark good behavior and help with training, avoid anything that is large enough that your Pug has to chew more than just a few times.
Look for:
Treats that use a vitamin blend as a preservative (mixed tocopherols). These should have a strong flavor that dogs see as high-value including meats like bacon, lamb, and bison and sweet fruits like watermelon, apple, and berries.
Here are a few that are healthy for Pugs and extra tasty:
1.
Fruitables Skinny Minis. Though all the entire line of Fruitables are pretty low in calories, the ones in this line have just 2 or 3 calories per treat which make these a great choice for adult Pugs that need an eye kept on their weight and are the perfect chewy consistency for giving rewards. This is a variety pack with apple & bacon, pumpkin & berry, and pumpkin & mango. These are all-natural and are made in the USA.
2.
Wellness Natural WellBites Soft Treats. Wellness does a fantastic job with both kibble and treats; there is no grain, soy, corn, by-products, or other additives and all are preserved with vitamins. And, these are made in the USA.
These little square training treats are ideal because you can break these in half if you're doing a session that involves lots of action rewards, like heeling or working on a command or offer one square for one-time action rewards like house training. There are lots of yummy recipes to choose from for these treats including turkey & duck, beef & turkey, chicken & lamb, and lamb & salmon.
3.
Zuke's Mini Naturals Dog Treats.These are fantastic training treats for Pugs in that they are a great size for giving multiple times, have just 3 calories per piece, and come in a wide range of flavors that dogs love including chicken, duck, rabbit, peanut butter & oats, and salmon. There is no corn, soy, or wheat, these are made in the USA, and a citrus and vitamin blend is used as a natural preservative.
Giving Fruits and Vegetables as Snacks
There are some crunchy vegetables and soft fruits that you can give to a Pug, if you wish.
Veggies - Not every dog will be thrilled to be given plain veggies, but some do like to chew on raw baby carrots which are good for the teeth. Other vegetables that a Pug can eat include peas, green beans, potato, sweet potato, spinach, and kale, but these are best mixed into meals.
Fruits - Many fruits have good levels of fiber that cause natural sugar to be absorbed slowly, so fruit can be given in moderation. Fruits that Pugs can eat include pear, banana, blueberries, raspberries, and mango. On
hot summer days, berries can first be frozen which can make a nice, cool treat.