What kinds of treats do dogs like?

So, in the ever swelling sea of dog treats out there, what kind of treats do they actually like? There are so many choices. Recently, I found some dog treats that sort of resemble gummy bears. I couldn't believe this. The first ingredient is corn syrup, aka sugar. I can't imagine what these tasted like, I wasn't brave enough to stick them in my own mouth. Thankfully, my dogs spit them right out, and didn't want any part of them. My biggest fear is that most dogs would have actually eaten these, since their normal treats are of so poor quality, that these might have actually tasted good to them.

The challenge in most pet treats is to make them, what the industry labels, "palatable". This is a fancy way of saying tastes good, and most of these companies use such sub standard ingredients that they have to add something to make them palatable. The first choice in palatability enhancers in IAMS is Liquid Digest.

"Liquid digest is simply protein that is enzymatically broken down into amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. The enzymatic process reduces large protein pieces to smaller protein pieces and free amino acids. By adding small amounts of acid, the enzymatic or digestive reaction is stopped and a stable liquid ingredient is produced. After a dry food formula is cooked, formed into kibbles, and dried, the liquid digest is sprayed evenly on the outside of the dry kibbles. This is called "enrobing". Not only does the liquid digest make the food highly palatable, it also adds to the overall digestibility of the food." (Taken from IAMS website)

Mmmmmm. This sounds yummy, doesn't it. Or, How About "The palatability enhancer, which preferably includes from about 0.1% to about 99% by weight of one or more sodium tripolyphosphate salts, is preferably topically applied to dry pet food pellets or kibbles after extrusion. Other constituents of the palatability enhancer can include one or more ingredients selected from meat, meat by-products, fish, fish by-products, dairy, dairy by-products, microbial proteins, vegetable proteins, amino acids, and carbohydrates. Additional ingredients, including other natural and artificial flavors, other palatability-enhancing acids and salts thereof, vitamins and mineral supplements, antioxidants, preservatives, inorganic salts, and the like, may also be utilized." (Taken from the World IP Website)

Salt. Sugar. Chemicals. We've all heard the stories of rancid restaurant grease being used as pallatability enhancers. Who wants to eat this stuff? I know I don't, and I seriously doubt your pet does either.

My first question is, why do we have to make things "taste better"? Shouldn't things taste great already? I mean, I completely understand adding chocolate syrup to ice cream to make it taste better. That makes perfect sense to everyone. But, would you add chocolate syrup to spoiled milk so that you could stomach it? Or how about some meat by products. What does it take for you to be able to eat some rancid, stomachs or intestines? A little A1 steak sauce perhaps? No offense to the A1 Steak Sauce people, but there isn't enough steak sauce to make me want to eat those, ever. OK, maybe if I was starving to death, could I get two or three bottles then please?

I am a big believer in that things taste good because they are supposed to, and because you like it. You shouldn't have to add so many chemicals, salt, and sugar to something so that every dog will find this food irresistible.

So, from my experience, what kinds of treats do dogs like? Believe it or not, they like a lot of the same things you and I like. They like peanut butter, cheese, eggs, liver (well, maybe some of you). They like human grade whole wheat, bacon, and they prefer KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, just like I do. They like sweet, and fat. Not so big on the salt, even. That doesn't mean that you should run out and feed them the fattiest, sweet treats you can find, but you can look at ingredients of the treats that you are buying, and know that honey and molasses are a great all natural sweetener, and a little animal fat has GOT to be better than partially broken down amino acids or sodium triphosphates. My treats I feed my dogs are the simplest I can make, and they do voice their opinion now and again. They can just refuse to eat something. They haven't bitten my hand yet, though I am careful when I try and feed them something less than great.