🐾 Homemade Treats for Dogs With Sensitive Stomachs

At Alan’s K9 Academy, we often recommend simple homemade treats for dogs with digestive sensitivities. When you control the ingredients, you reduce the risk of reactions and still have effective rewards for training.

Simple is not boring.
Simple is safe.

🧠 Why Sensitive Stomachs React to Treats

Dogs with sensitive digestion often struggle with:
• artificial additives
• high fat content
• multiple protein sources
• sudden diet changes
• overly rich ingredients

Even small amounts of the wrong treat can disrupt the gut. Homemade options allow you to keep ingredients clean, predictable, and easy to digest.

🍠 Gentle Homemade Treat Options

These options are commonly well tolerated and easy to prepare.

Cooked Sweet Potato

Slice or cube sweet potato and bake or boil until soft. Let cool and cut into small pieces. Sweet potato is gentle, fiber rich, and easy to digest.

Plain Chicken

Boil chicken breast with no seasoning. Shred or cube into tiny pieces. This is a great high value option for training without added fat.

Pumpkin Bites

Use plain canned pumpkin only, not pumpkin pie filling. Mix with a small amount of oat flour, bake into soft treats, and cool completely.

Rice and Turkey Mix

Cook plain white rice and lean ground turkey. Roll into tiny balls and refrigerate. This option works well for dogs with protein sensitivities.

Frozen Banana Slices

Slice ripe banana and freeze. Use sparingly due to natural sugar, but many sensitive dogs tolerate it well.

⚠️ Ingredients to Avoid

Even homemade treats can cause problems if the ingredients are wrong. Avoid:
• dairy heavy recipes
• peanut butter with additives
• oils and butter
• seasoning of any kind
• onions or garlic
• sudden ingredient changes

When in doubt, fewer ingredients is always better.

🧩 How to Use Homemade Treats in Training

Homemade treats should be:
• very small
• soft and easy to chew
• used intentionally
• matched to training difficulty

You do not need large treats for effective reinforcement. Tiny pieces delivered with good timing are far more powerful.

💛 The Alan’s K9 Academy Perspective

Training should never come at the cost of your dog’s health.

We encourage owners to find rewards that motivate without causing discomfort. When dogs feel good physically, they learn better mentally.

Healthy digestion supports calm behavior.

🔥 Final Thought

Dogs with sensitive stomachs can still enjoy training and rewards.

Keep ingredients simple.
Change slowly.
Use food intentionally.

A happy gut makes for a happier dog.

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