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-   The Villages, Florida, General Discussion (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/)
-   -   Opinions on dog treats (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/opinions-dog-treats-315550/)

DAVES 01-27-2021 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovinganimals (Post 1893002)
I would like to know if shape plays into your decision to buy dog treats. I have a dog treat business and making bones or paw shapes takes 3 times as long as making simple flower shapes with a decorating tip. If you ordered treats, would it make a difference to you, as long as they were tasty and the dogs loved them?

I do wonder why you are asking. You should know what sells and what does not.
You are selling to people not to dogs. I expect milk bones are far less expensive than what you are selling. You are not the only one making these things. You really should visit competitors, see what they are doing, see what they charge. I know nothing about what you are doing. Perhaps, there are faster ways to do what you are doing.

DAVES 01-27-2021 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAT777 (Post 1893569)
I buy either beef or calf liver and dehydrate in my oven for treats. They get crunchy and my 2 dogs and all the neighborhood doggies love them also!
Store treats are so processed ☹️

An idea for you. I'm sure you can find one. I had a plastic rack for drying fruit. At the time, I had a small garden and tons of raspberries and strawberries. A microwave is far faster,
less expensive to run and does not heat up your kitchen in the summer. You find used microwaves everywhere so you could buy one for this use only.

DAVES 01-27-2021 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willow&Darla (Post 1893473)
I agreed with Bjean on the shape but I do care about the size. Dachshunds are prone to gain weight. I avoid buying hard treats because they are hard to cut in half. I prefer soft treats so I can split in half for my two doxies.


Simple solution to cutting hard stuff. I used it on pills. You buy a pair of pruning sheers
of the anvil type. I have one I bought new years ago. For your dog? Up to you, you can just clean a used one.

skippy05 01-27-2021 08:05 PM

I only give my dogs freeze-dried meat treats that are small in size. I would think most owners would steer clear of grains because of the calories and sugar/starch easily fattening the dog. You consider buying a Harvest Right (brand) freeze drier and going this route instead.

Scott O 01-28-2021 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PugMom (Post 1893393)
do you remember the great dog-food scare? everything was being recalled for killing pets due to melamine being used in the grains. during this time we made our own dog foods from a recipe our vet used. human grade meat, veggies, eggs & sweet potatoes went into every batch, & hubby had the most fun making it. the dogs rejoiced & we supplemented the diet with Vet-Tabs.

Oh yes I remember...I had a sick dog from Blue Buffalo canned food...it was a real eye opener. We feed raw or dehydrated human grade food and also lots of fresh good appropriate foods to our dogs as well...we cooked our own for quite a while as well...good for you and your dog.

Scott O 01-28-2021 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Two Bills (Post 1893431)
Back in the bad old days, before animal convenience foods were invented, our house dogs survived on what we left, (which wasn't much) boiled veg peelings, stale bread, plus horse meat, whale meat, or offals if available.
Funny thing was, they were lean, mean, and unlike many dogs today, exceedingly healthy.
Most of todays dog troubles are from overfeeding, and processed foods.
JMTC

Your so correct! Dog kibble was made for human convenience...

Scott O 01-28-2021 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIskra (Post 1893215)
Scott....Do you know of a Holistic Veterinarian near The Villages? I am in the process of adopting a 6 year old dog and I would love to take her to a holistic vet. Thanks!

We had used one down in Brooksville several months back during the first part of Covid, she has her practice on a horse farm. It was nice because she allowed us to be with our dog during the visit, instead of this coming to your car and taking your scared pet inside without you. Can’t remember the name off hand but if you search it. There is a few others that are listed as Holistic in the area...if you search there is a state listing of Veterinarians who are practicing this. Good luck..

lovinganimals 01-28-2021 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RuthB (Post 1893447)
My dog is small (12 pounds). I look for healthy, lower calorie ingredients without additives. Your treat seems to have a chocolate chip in the center. You will find that many people do not feed their dogs any chocolate. They sure look tasty.

This is not a chocolate chip as chocolate can be deadly to a dog. This is an unsweetened carob chip. I also use yogurt to decorate my treats, not " frosting with sugar".

lovinganimals 01-28-2021 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAVES (Post 1893598)
I do wonder why you are asking. You should know what sells and what does not.
You are selling to people not to dogs. I expect milk bones are far less expensive than what you are selling. You are not the only one making these things. You really should visit competitors, see what they are doing, see what they charge. I know nothing about what you are doing. Perhaps, there are faster ways to do what you are doing.

I am asking because I am not a big production. I make these out of my house, not in a warehouse or commercial kitchen. My treats have limited ingredients, no chemical preservatives but sometimes people want cute shapes, which take a long time to make. I enjoy making them but if I want to even just break even I need to make them quickly and I need people to buy them. Everyone here says quality is most important but you mention milkbones. Compare my ingredients ( peanut butter, whoke wheat or garbanzo flour, molasses, cinnamon, sweet potato etc) to the ingredients in the store brands. I started doing this when I went to buy my dog treats and sugar was in the ingredients! Even some chicken jerky has sugar..totally unnecessary. And chemicals as preservatives. But if I cant get people to buy them because they are not cute shapes or they prefer to buy ones from the store that has chemicals and sugar then I am wasting my time. So my reason for this post is to see what will and won't motivate people to buy. I do not have a store front so I am not in the same league as what you think is my competitors. I am an underdog just trying to have fun making great quality healthy treats and make back the money I spend on ingredients and renting tables at farmers markets. It can get quite expensive

Eg_cruz 01-28-2021 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAVES (Post 1893598)
I do wonder why you are asking. You should know what sells and what does not.
You are selling to people not to dogs. I expect milk bones are far less expensive than what you are selling. You are not the only one making these things. You really should visit competitors, see what they are doing, see what they charge. I know nothing about what you are doing. Perhaps, there are faster ways to do what you are doing.

Alway one in the crowd

BAT777 01-28-2021 10:43 AM

Thanks so much for the tip!

BAT777 01-28-2021 10:48 AM

Just keep doing what you are doing-home made is so much better.. I would think just the plain old dog bone shaped cookie cutters would work..They have the different sizes depending on the dog size..The important scenario are the ingredients. I'm pretty sure pet lovers here in the Villagers will agree..Fancy designs leave that up to the Stores that mass produce-may be cute but not necessarily the healthiest. :)

lovinganimals 01-29-2021 10:24 AM

2 Attachment(s)
Well, you all can see that quality is before anything else with me. These are carrot parmesan parsley and you can see pieces of carrot and parsley. And here are different sizes and shapes. My original photo has a carob chip in it, not chocolate as some people thought. Chocolate is toxic to dogs but carob is not


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