One of the easiest ways for a dog owner to show love to their four-legged friend is through their favorite treats. However, not every treat your dog loves will be good for their health. With everything from dental treats to organic dog treats readily available, it can be hard to know exactly what to choose for your pooch. Should you look for something with a vegetable as the first ingredient? Should you try to find a dental treat they like?

Is corn and wheat gluten back for your dog? If you've got more questions than answers, we've developed a guide to help you find the perfect dog treat. Check out our lists below to know exactly what you should be looking for and what you want to avoid.

When choosing a treat for your dog, there are really only a few things to keep in mind. Luckily, they're largely the same rules you would apply to yourself: Stick to natural foods. When buying dog treats, you'll always want to choose treats with simple ingredients and options with meat as the first ingredient. Whether you're buying dog treats online or in a store, be sure to search for treats which have the following:

Protein

Protein is an important part of every man and animal's diet. While you may know exactly how much protein you need, it can be difficult to know how much protein your dog will need. In general, you want one gram of protein per pound of ideal weight. If your pup should have an ideal weight of 20 pounds, that means they should have 20 grams of protein per day. When searching for treats, keep their required amount of protein in mind; you'll want to choose a protein-rich treat over one that's filled with wheat and other carbohydrates.
Whole ingredients. While this may seem difficult to understand at first, this is actually a pretty simple preference to adopt. Choose whole ingredients over partial ingredients. For example, if there is wheat in your ingredients list, make sure it's "wheat" and not "wheat germ" or "wheat flour".


What to Avoid

Now that you know what it is you should be looking for in the ingredients list, you also need to know what to avoid in order to keep Fido happy and healthy. Just like in your own food, you should avoid any ingredients that you can't pronounce; however, there are some sneaky culprits which can actually harm your dog. If you can, try to avoid the following:

No soy

While tofu can be a great alternative for people, it's not a great alternative for your dog. More often than not, soy is added to dog food to bolster the label and make it look like it has more protein than it really has. Since this can often be an allergen for dogs, it's best to try to avoid soy altogether.

No salt

In some small doses, salt can be good for both humans and animals. Unfortunately, just like in humans, dogs often get too much salt in their diet. Whether it's listed as sea salt or sodium chloride, try to avoid any unnecessary salt in your dog's diet. When in doubt, leave it out.

No sugar

Similar to how sugar is bad for you, added sugars can be dangerous for your dog as well. Whether it's appearing on the ingredients list as corn syrup, sugar, or sucrose, try to avoid any and all sweeteners when it comes to your dog's treats.

Grain free

Always remember, dogs are natural carnivores. While they might not look it when spending every afternoon napping in the sun, our favorite animals are still built to be active companions. Always try to go with a treat that has little or no grains listed. The more protein, the better.

Choosing the Best Treats

Whether you're deciding to buy dog treats online or in person, always remember to choose an option your dog loves. Besides choosing natural treats and monitoring your dog's protein intake, it's also a great idea to check out your dog's caloric intake. Remember that 10% or less of your dog's daily calories should be from treats. While everyone loves rewarding their pups with their favorite goodies, it's important to remember that they're called treats for a reason: Try not to overfeed your dog and make sure to take the time to find the treat that's best for them.

Check out our selection of high-quality Sojos brand treats! With all natural, human grade ingredients, and no preservatives, corn, or wheat, they not only taste great but will keep your dog looking and feeling their best.