{"id":2037,"date":"2025-10-29T07:12:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T06:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/premios-y-snacks\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T20:35:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T19:35:16","slug":"treats-and-snacks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/treats-and-snacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Treats and snacks"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Treats and snacks\n<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How can you offer them without harming your dog\u2019s or cat\u2019s health?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Giving treats is one of the most natural ways to show affection and reinforce positive behavior in our pets. But not all treats are the same, and not every moment is the right time to offer them. Used wisely, treats are a valuable tool; used without control, they can become a health problem.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tModeration: the 10% rule\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Snacks should never exceed 10% of daily calorie intake. This helps prevent two common risks:<\/span><\/p>

  • Obesity: excess calories, even if they come in the form of \u201ctreats,\u201d lead to weight gain.<\/span><\/li>
  • Nutritional imbalance: if an animal eats too many treats, it may stop eating a complete and balanced diet.<\/span><\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tQuality matters: less sugar, fewer chemicals\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\tNot all treats are appropriate.

    \n\nAvoid snacks with added sugars, artificial colors, or unnecessary preservatives.

    \n\nChoose natural, high-quality options that are suitable for dogs or cats (e.g., dehydrated fish bites, small low-salt cheese cubes, or simple-ingredient snacks).

    \n\nBe careful with improvised \u201chomemade treats\u201d: many human foods (chocolate, grapes, onions, xylitol, and more) are toxic to them.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe right time: reinforcement and bonding\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\tTreats are more than just food: they are positive reinforcement and a resource for social enrichment.

    \n\nDuring training, an immediate reward for good behavior helps consolidate learning.\n

    \nHowever, in stressful situations, giving a treat during excessive excitement or immediately after unwanted behavior can create unwanted associations.\n

    \nThey are also an excellent tool for emotional bonding: offering a treat with eye contact and affection strengthens the human\u2013animal relationship.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPractical recommendations from an ethologist\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\tDecide in advance how many treats you\u2019ll give so you don\u2019t accidentally offer too many.

    \n\n\nUse part of their regular food ration as treats: this helps avoid excess calories.\n\n

    \nChoose small, frequent treats instead of large amounts. What matters is when you give the treat more than how much.\n\n

    \nObserve your pet\u2019s reaction: if treats cause excessive excitement, reserve them for specific moments and reinforce with petting or play at other times.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Treats are tools for communication, learning, and connection.\u00a0 But as with everything in nutrition and behavior, the key lies in moderation, quality, and timing.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Treats and snacks How can you offer them without harming your dog\u2019s or cat\u2019s health? Giving treats is one of the most natural ways to show affection and reinforce positive behavior in our pets. But not all treats are the same, and not every moment is the right time to offer them. Used wisely, treats […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2037","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2037"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2988,"href":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2037\/revisions\/2988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/almafiel.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}