I am currently using chicken jerky from Trader Joe’s. I pick the packets carefully though, because they sometimes have pretty hard/brittle pieces, which I *don’t* give to my dogs.

Sorry, I do not know the exact salt content.

I actually use my dog’s kibble as rewards for doing regular tasks throughout the day. I am currently using Wellness CORE for my dogs, and I measure out how much each should get per day. Whatever is left over, I put in interactive food toys for my dog to work on.

For more difficult tasks like grooming or getting their attention during walks, I use microwave chicken or chicken jerky (made in USA). If you want to try using chicken jerky, please read the chicken jerky section in the article above. You want to stay away from products that are made in China or have packaging or any additives from China.

I cut the microwave chicken up into little pieces beforehand, then they are easy to use around the house. The chicken jerky can be more difficult to break, but I use pliers to help with that. I can break the pieces beforehand, and then keep the little pieces in the bag that I take with me during walks.

I also keep track of how much of these I use, and I reduce the amount of kibble that my dog gets accordingly.

My Shiba is allergic to wheat, and my Huskies have very sensitive stomachs, so I generally stay away from wheat and most other grains. Rice is probably the only one that my dogs are ok with. I try to pick treats with meat as its primary ingredient, and with as few additives as possible.

Heh, I used most of those as well when Sephy was young. Now I go with a more limited number of treats, because both my Huskies have very sensitive tummies. Also, there have just been so many recalls lately, I decided to simplify and focus on finding treats with high meat protein and few additives.

Freeze dried liver is generally high in protein and does not have many additives. Unfortunately, neither Sephy nor my Huskies are very interested in them. It probably depends a lot on the individual dog’s tastes.

My dogs really like chicken jerky treats, which are also high in protein, with few additives. However, there have been a lot of recalls and complaints on jerky based treats that are –
1. Made in China,
2. Contain materials from China, or are
3. Packaged in China.

I am currently using Trader Joe’s chicken jerky treats which is fully made in the USA.

Sephy really loved Charlie Bears and the Natural Balance Food Rolls when he was young, but both of these contain a lot of wheat, which he is somewhat allergic to. Eating them sometimes gave him digestive issues and also made his poop soft.

Also, thanks for the alert on the garlic powder.The ingredient list for Charlie Bears never really looked all that great to me. Here is what they say on their FAQ page-

We have researched the current concern about garlic and have been advised that at the level it is in our treats it does not present any problem.
Charlie Bear FAQ

But really, why take the risk and pay good money for it. I will have to update the Charlie Bear section with this.

For an alternative outside treat, I recently got the Blue Wilderness biscuits, which turned out to be a really big hit with all of my dogs. It is on the expensive side, but it has a very good ingredient list.

Otherwise, I am using a lot of boiled or microwave chicken. I get human grade boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders, put it in the microwave, cut it into little pieces, and I use it for grooming, brushing teeth, and general training around the house. It is not as good for carrying around during walks, but it works great for around the house.

Finally, I am going to update the Greenie section soon. I have been thinking of replacing my dogs’ Greenies with 4 inch bully sticks instead.
– They gobble up their Greenies so quickly, I am skeptical as to how much they really do in terms of teeth cleaning.
– Greenies contain a lot of wheat products and glycerin, which does not add much nutritional value to their diet. It is actually kinda ridiculous how expensive they are, given what is in the ingredient list.

Big hugs to your Shiba puppy! He is a very lucky boy! 😀

How do you feel about PureBites freeze dried chicken/beef liver treats? I’m also looking to try the Natural Balance Food Rolls.