Snacks, Chews, and Training Treats for Boxers

Overview

Just as much thought should go into what you offer your Boxer puppy for snacks and training treats as it does for their main meals since these tidbits can have the same detrimental ingredients as dog foods. And, snacks and treats as meant to serve different purposes; read on to get the most out of both of these.

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Snacks vs Chews vs Training Treats

Snacks

These are meant to be given in between meals to tide over a dog's appetite. One or two given at night before bedtime can keep Boxer satiated until morning. Snacks also help prevent rapid ingestion of meals due to being overly hungry. And, if the right ones are given, these can help prevent upset stomach from having the stomach too empty or queasiness that is linked to motion sickness.

Snacks for Boxer puppies and dogs should be hard and dry. These may be labeled as cookies or biscuits and if you simply see the word 'treats' or 'bites', look for the words crunchy, dry, or baked.

Chews

Chews are a bit like snacks in the fact that they are given in between meals. However, different from a crunchy tidbit that a Boxer can chow down in under a minute, chews are meant to be, well, chewed. They are typically made of some sort of compressed and/or dense food that requires a certain level of work to ingest it. This aspect can make them good for a dog's teeth since the long and drawn-out chewing process can help to loosen plaque.

Pig ears and rawhide are two of the most well-known type of dog chews; but, these are not recommended since they can be choking hazards and/or cause stomach or intestinal obstruction. Fortunately, there are some excellent alternatives (more ahead).

Training Treats

These serve an entirely different purpose. As the name implies, these are used when training a dog to do something, and also are used to reinforce good behavior. So, these may be handed out when house training or command training or may be given out just to send the message of a job well done; for example, when your Boxer heels nicely besides you, behaves well around your neighbor, or had a successful play session with other dogs at the dog park.

Because these may be doled out in succession or at many times during the day, these should be very small so that they do not interfere with a dog's appetite. Typically, training treats are tiny when compared to snacks and you may see these labeled as 'mini'.

These should also pack a punch in regard to flavor so that they are seen as high value. For dogs, strong flavors like bacon, salmon, duck, lamb, and cheese are usually highly regarded, but sweet treats (like those that have fruit) can be greatly appreciated as well.

Training treats should also be soft and chewy since this also contributes toward the 'high value' factor. This sort of treat may be labeled as 'rewards' and look for the words soft, soft-baked, chewy, or moist.

Elements to Avoid

You must navigate around snacks, chews, and treats for your Boxer dog just like you do when choosing a kibble for meals since you'll run into the same pitfalls:

Chemical preservatives. These are responsible for a host of allergic reactions and are linked to both behavioral issues and health issues including some forms of cancer.
Artificial coloring. Avoid Yellow #5 and #6, Blue #2, and Red #40 which are linked to a range of serious issues including neurological problems and allergies.
Artificial flavor enhancers. MSG is one of the worst culprits and is linked to a wide range of symptoms including anxiety, rapid heartbeat, numb extremities, and asthma.
Meat by-products. These are meats and tissues deemed unfit for human consumption and includes spinal tissue, spleens, hooves, tongues, brain, lungs, and more.
High grain count - Though most Boxers should have some healthy grains in their diet, particularly low or no gluten options like rice, oatmeal, or quinoa, high levels of certain grains like wheat can cause all sorts of stomach issues including flatulence. Note that if your Boxer dog's main meals contain some grains, grain-free snacks are absolutely fine.

The Best Dry Snacks for Boxer Dogs

Keeping in mind the points we covered that snacks should be dry and hard and given to satiate a Boxer in between meals, our top 3 recommendations are:

1. Wet Noses All-Natural Dog Treats.

If you don't know about these yet, you'll be psyched that you found them. Wet Noses offers an amazing line of 100% USDA Certified Organic dog treats with no additives at all, all-natural preservatives, and non-GMO ingredients. So, when you offer these to your Boxer, you can be confident it's a super-healthy option.

The only trouble you may run into is choosing the flavors. There's peanut butter & banana, peanut butter & molasses, pumpkin, sweet potato, peas & carrots, berry blast, hemp seed & banana, and apples & carrots.

2. Nudges Steak Grillers Dog Treats.

If you're looking for some healthy meat-based dry snacks for your Boxer, these are it. But, keep in mind that this brand also offers soft treats as well. These steak grillers and also their savory chicken bits are the crunchy ones. In addition, they also have crunchy plus 'fresh breath' snacks (via parsley and peppermint oil) if your Boxer could use a bit of breath freshening.

These have real meat as the #1 ingredient and there is no corn, wheat, soy, animal by-products, artificial flavors or artificial preservatives. As expected with our recommendations, these oven-baked treats are made in the USA.

The Best Chews for Rawhide Alternatives

1. Himal Dog Treat Natural Yak Chews.

These are super-hard cheese treats made from just 4 simple ingredients: yak's milk, cow's milk, salt, and lime juice. These last for hours and are a much safer option than rawhide chews that can cause choking or internal blockage which can be very dangerous (just be sure to supervise and remove the chew when it gets gnawed down to about 1 inch in size).

As implied with its very limited ingredients, there are no chemical preservatives or additives of any kind. These are crafted in the Himalayas of Nepal and then shipped directly to the US in air-tight bags. These are ideal for Boxers of any age, just pay attention to the weight limits for the small, medium, and large sizes.

2. Brutus & Barnaby Sweet Potato Dog Treats.

These are also a great alternative to rawhides, they are hard and take some time to chew down but are made out just one ingredient: sweet potato. So, if you're trying to avoid additives, this is the way to go. Heads up that since there are no preservatives at all, keep these in your fridge.

The Best Training Treats

1. Zuke's Mini Naturals Training Treats.

Zuke's offers an amazing line of training treats that will make training for just about anything easier. These are the ideal size when you plan to be rewarding consecutively (command training, heeling, etc.). Recipes include the classic chicken that every dog loves, as well as peanut butter & oats, duck, pork, rabbit, and salmon.

These are 100% all-natural with zero chemical preservatives or additives and are made in the USA.

2. Full Moon Organic Training Treats For Dogs.

These are a top pick for training treats for Boxer dogs for several reasons. These are 100% organic, contain only human-grade ingredients, are 100% all natural (no coloring, flavoring, or chemical preservatives), and are surprisingly just 3 calories per treat which is ideal when you want to reward your Boxer a lot.

Aside from the round training treats, there are also sticks and the two main flavors for this line are chicken and duck.