What Age Can Puppies Eat Homemade Treats?

Our canine companions can enjoy homemade puppy treats once they are old enough to eat solid foods and have been completely weaned from their mother's milk. This usually means that a puppy around 8 to 10 weeks of age is old enough to eat the tasty treats you've made for him. Use healthy ingredients to make your puppy some soft treats that he can chew with his new baby teeth.

  1. When Puppies Can Eat Treats

    • Puppies are weaned off of their mother's milk slowly starting around 4 weeks old, recommends the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The weaning process lasts about four weeks, during which time you'll need to feed your little pooch a mixture of canned or dry dog food mixed with puppy formula. This mixture should have a gruel-like texture to start with. During the course of the weaning period, you'll include more and more solid food for Fido. At the end of the weaning period, your pooch should be eating only puppy food and he'll be ready to snack on some homemade treats.

    Healthy Treat Ingredients

    • When making treats for your pup, include plenty of healthy protein in the form of eggs, turkey, chicken, beef, lamb or fish. Puppies need around 28 percent protein in their diet, which is 10 percent more than an adult dog, so protein-rich foods are healthy for them, recommends the Doctors Foster and Smith website. Along with proteins, use whole grains such as oats, buckwheat, barley and potato to provide fiber for your little pooch. Vegetable oils, such as olive oil, provide Fido with healthy sources of fat in his diet. Fats provide your pup with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, both of which are necessary to promote a healthy coat, brain function and a healthy heart, recommends petMD.

    Daily Calories and Treats

    • The ASPCA recommends that your pup get no more than 5 percent of his daily diet from treats to prevent obesity. Puppy food provides your pooch with the proper balance of nutrients and calories that he needs, so you don't want him to fill up on your homemade treats, which aren't nutritionally balanced. Only feed Fido a small amount of treats between meals and make him work for them. Use your homemade treats as rewards for Fido when he performs desired behaviors during obedience training, recommends the Humane Society of the United States. This way, he'll learn basic obedience commands through positive reinforcement and get to enjoy your yummy treats.

    Kinds of Treats

    • You can make several types of treats for your puppy, including baked cookie-like treats, soft cake-like treats and frozen treats. When making cookie-like biscuits for your growing pooch, don't make them too hard for him to chew because young puppies have brittle teeth that can break easily, warns the Advanced Animal Dentistry website. Frozen treats help alleviate pain for a young puppy who is first cutting his adult treat, which usually occurs between 3 and 6 months of age. Freezing little balls of canned puppy food is an easy way to make homemade treats. These treats also won't ruin your pup's diet, especially if he's eating a prescription veterinary food, recommends Hill's Pet Nutrition.