As a longstanding Great Dane owner, I understand the joy these gentle giants bring to our lives. One way to express our love for them is through carefully chosen treats that cater to their specific needs. So what are the best treats for Great Danes?  In this article, we’ll explore the best dog treats for your Great Dane, considering both commercial options and homemade delights, as well as why you would use treats.

Introduction

Welcoming a Great Dane into your home comes with the responsibility of providing them with the best care, and that includes choosing the right treats. Treats are more than just indulgences; they play a crucial role in training, bonding, and maintaining your dog’s overall well-being.  There are a number of things to consider when choosing the best treats for your Great Dane.

Know Your Great Dane’s Needs

Before diving into treat recommendations, it’s essential to understand the unique nutritional requirements of Great Danes. These beautiful dogs have specific needs, given their size and breed characteristics. Ensuring a balanced diet, even in the form of treats, is vital for their health and longevity. You don’t want to overfeed on treats when treats are meant to be an aid for training not a meal replacement. Treats are also often little flavour bombs for your dog but they should not be eating vast quantities of them even if they do love them.

Best Training Treats for Great Danes

Training a Great Dane requires patience and positive reinforcement. Choose small, easily digestible treats for training sessions. Options like carrot chunks, freeze-dried liver, diced chicken, or specially formulated training treats work wonders in reinforcing good behavior.

Frequency and Portion Control

As much as your Great Dane loves treats, moderation is key. Excessive treats can lead to weight gain and nutritional imbalances. Be mindful of portion sizes and consider incorporating treats into your dog’s overall daily calorie intake. Your Great Dane, while a large dog, really doesn’t need a large treat.  It really is just to be considered a small titbit, just a taste really, for your dog to understand that they’ve been good.

Common Ingredients to Look For

When selecting treats for your Great Dane, pay attention to the ingredients. Opt for treats rich in protein, essential fats, and vitamins.

The best treats for Great Danes include ingredients like lean meats, vegetables, and whole grains contribute to a well-rounded diet and support your dog’s overall health.

Avoiding Harmful Ingredients

While exploring treat options, be vigilant about harmful ingredients. Avoid treats with excessive additives, artificial colors, and preservatives. Chocolate, caffeine, and certain fruits can be toxic to dogs, so always check labels before making a purchase.

Preservatives and especially artificial colors should be kept to a minimum or eliminated completely if possible. Bright red or green treats are really attractive to their humans (with the credit card) but your dog really doesn’t care what color their treats are – it just has to be tasty and relatively healthy. De-hydrated treats are a good choice and should not have any preservatives added as the drying process, done properly should reduce the possibility of mould or perishing.

Best Treats: Homemade vs. Store-Bought Treats

The debate between homemade and store-bought treats is a common one. While commercial treats offer convenience, homemade treats provide you with control over ingredients. Weigh the pros and cons based on your lifestyle and your Great Dane’s preferences.  Ultimately the best treats for your Great Dane will be a choice you both make – you, as the purchaser, and your dog as the one who eats it…or not.

Top 5 Commercial Treats for Great Danes

These are just some of the most popular dog treats on the market. You may choose a variety of these or others to keep your Great Dane interested, or to find the ones they like the most.

1. Nutro Ultra Grain-Free Dog Biscuits

• A wholesome choice with a blend of high-quality proteins and superfoods. Flavors include Beef & Hickory Smoke; Chicken & Carrot; Berry & Yoghurt; Peanut flavor; Crunchy Treats with real apple, or real banana, or real mixed berries, or real peanut butter.

2. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Trail Treats

• Grain-free treats featuring real meat as the main ingredient. BLUE Wilderness Trail Treats Biscuits are crunchy, high-protein treats for your meat-loving dog. Enhanced with vitamins and minerals, they are made with the finest natural ingredients including duck, potatoes, and flaxseed.

3. Wellness Natural Grain-Free Puppy Training Treats

• Ideal for training sessions, these treats are available in Soft, Crunchy or Brainiac Puppy styles.
• Wellness puppy treats are all natural, grain free, bite-sized, healthy puppy treats made specially for growing puppies. Puppy Bites are a natural source of DHA and contain no meat by-products, corn, wheat, dairy, artificial colors or flavors.

4. Hill’s Science Diet Soft Savories

• Soft and delicious, these treats support skin and coat health.
• Available in Beef & Cheddar, Chicken & Yogurt and Peanut Butter & Banana

5. Merrick Power Bites Real Texas Beef Recipe

• Treats suitable for Great Danes with an active lifestyle. Soft and chewy all-natural treats with industry-leading levels of powerful protein packed into every bite, including several flavors that start with deboned meat as the No. 1 ingredient. These small star-shaped treats are perfect for training and rewarding dogs, and in addition to being grain-free and gluten-free, these treats contain no sorbic acid. Available in six flavors; in 6-oz. bags

DIY Best Treat Recipes for Great Danes

For those who enjoy getting creative in the kitchen, here are some simple and nutritious homemade treat recipes: You will also know exactly what is in your dog treats and be able to avoid certain ingredients if your dog has sensitivities.

Carrot Chunks – simply wash and cut fresh carrots into small chunks. Some dogs really love these crunchy, low calorie, low fat, healthy treats that are so easy to make. Especially if your Great Dane really responds to food/treats and goes through a lot when training, these might be a good alternative for them.

Dehydrated Meat Pops – cut sliced pieces of boned, skinned chicken (breast is good for convenience and ease of cutting), lamb or beef and dry in your dehydrator according to the instructions of your dehydrator. The ultimate healthy, tasty and clean dog treat. It just takes a bit of time.

Wheat-free Tuna Dog treats
Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal
1 small can tuna in oil – undrained
1 clove garlic, chopped (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1/3 cup water
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Method
• Grind oatmeal in processor to make a coarse flour. Set aside in small bowl.
• In food processor, whirr tuna and garlic with the oil, and just enough water to become completely liquid, then add rest of water and all the rest of ingredients. Pulse till mixture forms a ball.
• Knead on floured surface till it forms a soft ball of dough. Form tablespoonfuls into elongated balls.
• Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet , at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

15 Minute Liver Dog Treats
Ingredients
1lb chicken livers
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Egg

Method
• Place chicken livers and liquid in blender, liquify. Add egg, mix a minute more.
• Pour into bowl. Add flour, corn meal and garlic powder. Mix.
• Spray jelly roll pan with oil.
• Pour mixture into pan. Bake 15 minutes in 400°F hot oven.
• Cut into small squares while still warm.
• Keep in freezer to prevent spoilage. If you have a dehydrator, you may wish to experiment with drying the squares more fully for better preservation and shelf life.

Peanut Butter and Banana Bites
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup water

Method:
• Mix all ingredients until well combined.
• Shape into bite-sized treats and place on a lined tray.
• Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.

Cheddar Bacon Dog Treats
Makes about 10 treats
Ingredients:

1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 eggs

Method
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Add oats, cheese, and bacon to the bowl of a food processor and process until ingredients reach a crumb-like consistency.
• Add two eggs to food processor and process until mixture resembles a sticky dough.
• Sprinkle flour or finely ground oats onto a wood cutting board and roll out dough to about ¼-inch thick. Using a cookie cutter (for fun look for dog bone or paw cutters for cute dog treats) , cut out dough into desired shape.
• Transfer dog treats to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes.
• Cool treats completely and store in an airtight glass or plastic container.

Sweet Potato Chews
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes, washed and sliced into strips

Method:
• Place sweet potato strips on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 250°F for 3 hours, flipping halfway through.

Recipes for other best treats for Great Danes

There are plenty of other recipes for DIY dog treats – do a Google search and you will find a lot of easy recipes.

Conclusion

Choosing the best treats for your Great Dane involves a mix of understanding their nutritional needs, exploring quality commercial options, and adding a personal touch with homemade treats. Treats are more than rewards; they are expressions of love and care. So, choose wisely, considering your dog’s health and happiness.