Treat Tuesday: Earthborn Holistic Bison Meal Recipe Grain-Free Biscuits

We got these Earthborn Holistic Grain-Free Bison Meal Recipe Biscuits free with the purchase of a big bag of Earthborn Holistic dog food at the nifty new pet food store near us. These are light, airy, oven-baked cookies decorated with tulips. So cute! They contain Antarctic krill meal, which is supposed to be awesome. I really like that the first ingredient is bison meal, which is a much more concentrated ingredient than fresh meat. It means there's a whole lot of bison in there. Aside from the krill and the bison, these things are made from peas, tapioca, and canola oil. There's also some apples, carrots, blueberries, spinach, and cranberries in the mix, but that's pretty much it.

Good For: Handing out for the dogs to crunch before I leave the house. Dogs with egg and poultry allergies. Picky chihuahuas who don't like most crunchy biscuits. Mid-value training treats. Cramming inside Kongs along with peanut butter and EZ-Cheez.

Not Good For: Dogs with beef or bison allergies. High-value training treats.

How Much We Like Them: Ru doesn't usually have to think very hard about eating them. Ru usually has to think very hard about eating things.

Treat Tuesday: Isle of Dogs Daily Essentials Antioxidants and Superfoods

These round waffle-textured Antioxidants and Superfoods cookies are from Isle Of Dogs' new Daily Essentials line of treats. They are wheat-free, corn-free, meat-free, egg-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and sweet potato-free. According to my dogs, they may also be taste-free. Maybe it's the pomegranate and spinach in there making them kinda bitter.

Good For: Super low-value food for practicing 'leave it' and balancing on noses in exchange for some ZiwiPeak. Tossing around to keep the dogs busy but not fighting as I walk out the door.

Not Good For: Training time. Picky dogs.

How Much We Like Them: Ru and Ranger won't eat them. Sisci has to think about it. Brisbane eats them out of obligation because they are, after all, food. Annie likes them, but not enough to fight anyone for them.

Treat Tuesday: Bocce's Bakery Awesome Dog Biscuits with Cheese

These heart-shaped biscuits from Bocce's Bakery are perfect for dogs with allergies. They're made with oat flour and cheese. That's it. No eggs. No barley flour. No chicken flavor. Just two ingredients that happen to not be on Brisbane's extensive list of allergies. They're pretty tasty too, according to the dogs. Even Ru will eat them.

Good For: Cramming into Kongs along with peanut butter or spray cheese. Hiding around the house for the dogs to find. Handing them on my way out the door to keep them distracted for a few seconds. Balancing on noses.

Not Good For: High-value training treats.

How Much We Like Them: I really need to take pictures of Brisbane and Sisci balancing these on their noses and paws. Such good dogs!

Treat Tuesday: Healthy Dogma Pumpkin Biscuits

The Halloween Pumpkin Biscuits  by Healthy Dogma arrived in our October Allergy-Friendly BarkBox. In addition to barley, oats, peas, and of course pumpkin, they also contain vanilla and cloves. Though not quite as amazing as the pumpkin pie Smoochers, they do smell quite tasty. They are, however, disappointingly bland to human taste buds. (Don't judge me!)

Good For: Dogs who will eat literally any type of food. Low value training treats. Hiding around the house for the dogs to discover. Stringing on wearable edible dog necklaces. Balancing on dog heads while practicing our leave-it command.

Not Good For: Super-picky chihuahuas. Little girl dogs who need to contemplate everything before they eat it. High-value training treats.

How Much We Like Them: Enough to lick them, apparently. They're really quite bland.

Treat Tuesday: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Flavored Dog Treats

These Pumpkin Flavored Dog Treats from Trader Joe's livened up our Halloween photo shoot quite a bit. I was expecting them to be full of eggs, but happily they are safe for Brisbane's egg and poultry allergies. I already use a bunch of canned pumpkin in their diets, but treats are something different. This year it feels like the "Pumpkin in EVERYTHING!!!!" thing has gotten even more extreme.

Photo by Erin Koski

Good For: Giving the dogs when I want them to spend a few minutes crunching on something. These are really dense, hard cookies and it takes the dogs an entire mailman visit to eat them. Possibly balancing on dog noses, we're working on that trick.

Not Good For: High-value training treats. Breaking into smaller pieces.

How Much We Like Them: "Did you hear the mailman? Now everybody gets a pumpkin cookie!"

Photo by Erin Koski

Photo by Erin Koski

Treat Tuesday: Your Dog's Diner Pizza Pawty Crusts

These Pizza Pawty Crusts from Your Dog's Diner arrived in last month's BarkBox. These are dense crackers made from rye and oat flour, beef and cheese, oregano and basil, and that's all. They have a big crunch, and are big cookies.

Good For: Handing the dogs on my way out the door to keep them busy crunching for a few minutes. Pretending I'm feeding them pizza crusts (they know the difference).

Not Good For: High-value training treats. Stuffing in Kongs for unmotivated dogs.

How Much We Like Them: Enough to feed them all to the dogs within a week or two. Not enough to buy more though, as Brisbane was the only one who would reliably eat them.

Treat Tuesday: Healthy Dogma Bacon Hearts

This cup of Healthy Dogma Bacon Hearts arrived in our March Allergy-Friendly BarkBox. Unlike the Jamaican Bacon Hearts found on the Healthy Dogma website, these contain no poultry, eggs, beef, corn, wheat, soy, or gluten. They are made from peas, pea flour, tapioca, canola oil, cranberry, sweet potato, and of course bacon.

Good For: Mid-value training treats. Popping into Kongs and the Treat-Dispensing Chew Ball. Find-the-treat games.

Not Good For: Lasing very long.

How Much We Like Them: They're half-gone already.

Treat Tuesday: Le Petit Treat King Cake Biscuits

Le Petit Treat King Cake Biscuits are darling heart-shaped dog cookies. They are gluten-free, corn-free, and soy-free. Le Petit Treat products are made in the USA. The ingredient list for these treats consists of four items: rice flour, apples, peanut butter, and olive oil. These arrived in our February Allergy-Friendly BarkBox.

Good For: Stuffing inside Kongs. Giving my chihuahua a healthy snack. Feeding the dogs on my way out the door without making my hands smell like liver or fish.

Not Good For: High-value training treats. Dogs with rice allergies. Taking pictures of pretty, unbroken heart-shaped cookies.

How Much We Like Them: Enough to buy a box if I ever see them at the store. They're pretty cute.

Treat Tuesday: Max & Ruffy's Blizzard Bites

These Max & Ruffy's Blizzard Bites came in our winter-themed January BarkBox. They are molasses and ginger-flavored, and smell very gingery. They are made in the USA, and contain buckwheat flour, olive oil, molasses, and spices.

Good For: Dogs with food allergies. Handing to the dogs as I walk out the door, without making my hands smell like death and horror. Being a low-value treat for training.

Not Good For: High-value training treats, Super-picky chihuahuas. Non-food-motivated puppies.

How Much We Like Them: Probably not enough to buy them again, but enough to keep them and use them rather than foisting them off on my unsuspecting coworkers.

Treat Tuesday: Superior Farms Lamb Biscuits

We got our first bag of Superior Farms Lamb Biscuits in a BarkBox, and loved them so much I had to get more. These are nice stinky grain-free cookies with an odor that I find rather pleasant, if meaty. The little hearts are very dense and difficult to break, and are just a tiny bit bigger than the opening of a large Kong.

Good For: Hiding in board game puzzle toys and playing games where the dogs can sniff them out. Surprise treats left in crates for dogs to find. 'Just because I love you' treats.

Not Good For: Shoving inside Kongs and other toys with holes too small for the biscuits to just fall out, at least around here. Tossing to the dogs on my way out the door when I don't want my hands to smell like stinky treats.

How Much We Like Them: Enough to keep them on hand most of the time. These were also Josie's favorite treat, and at her final vet appointment she went to sleep with her nose in a bowl of them, so I have a very sentimental attachment to these dog biscuits. Is that weird? It's probably weird.