Puppies
Before you start a puppy on a monthly treat box
Updated
A treat subscription box for puppies is the same dog box an older dog gets, so the decisions sit with you. Ask your veterinarian which treats fit your puppy's diet. Then break pieces small and bring in one new treat at a time before the whole lineup is in play. None of that is hard, but the order matters.
Is there a separate box for puppies?
No. You choose Dog or Cat at checkout, and a puppy is a dog, so a puppy gets the dog box. There is no treat subscription box for puppies as such, and the lineup is not chosen with a puppy in mind. It is chosen by theme, and the theme changes every month along with the treats inside it.
That puts the judgment on your side of the counter, which is where it belongs with a young dog you know and we do not. The dog box page lays out what one box is and how an order goes. Read it as a description of the box rather than a recommendation for your puppy, because the box page gives no feeding advice and neither does this one.
What should you ask your vet before the first box?
The box page tells owners to ask a veterinarian about special diets, and for our purposes a puppy's diet counts as special. Treats are extras beside the puppy's food, not a stand-in for any part of it, so the first question is how much room there is for extras at all. Bring the lineup idea to the next visit and come home with answers to these:
- Which proteins should this puppy skip, so the note on the order is right from the first box.
- Does a freeze-dried or air-dried meat treat suit this puppy, and how much of one in a day.
- Is there anything in the puppy's current food plan that treats should stay clear of.
Write the answers down. The proteins to skip go in the note at checkout, and the daily amount goes on the fridge where you will see it at treat time.
How do you introduce new treats to a puppy?
One at a time. A box brings several bags at once, and it is tempting to tear into every one the first evening, the way a new set of keys makes you want to drive that night. Do not. Open one bag, give a small piece, and leave the other bags sealed for some days before the next new one comes out. VCA Animal Hospitals gives the same advice: bring in one new treat at a time, and keep the amounts small.
With a puppy, keep the piece small and the first offers few. A puppy that has decided a new treat is the best thing in the house will tell you so, and that enthusiasm is not a reason to open the next bag early. The theme changes every month, so another lineup is always on the way. There is no need to rush through this one.
How small should the pieces be for a puppy?
Small enough to be taken in one easy bite, and then a little smaller than that. Our treats are freeze-dried or air-dried in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Snap a piece between your fingers, and if it does not snap, kitchen scissors do the job.
There is no measurement we can give you, because puppies come in every size and a piece that suits one would be wrong for another. Your eye is the tool here. Our guide to a subscription box for small dogs goes into breaking treats down and pacing them through the day, and most of it applies to a puppy of any breed.
Is a treat box a good gift for a new puppy owner?
It can be, with one conversation first. You can give the friend's address at checkout, so it goes straight to the house with the new puppy. It is a subscription rather than a one-time box, so the person receiving it should know that before the first box arrives. Ask them which proteins the puppy should skip, too, so the note is right from the start.
A new puppy owner is already buried in crate assembly and vet appointments, so a box that turns up with treats they can portion is a reasonable present. The Modified Monthly page is the place to send them if they want to see what the box is before you order it. More on gifts, and the rest of running a box at home, sits on the guides hub.
Questions
When can a puppy start having treats?
That is a question for your vet, not for a treat company, and we will not name a starting point. That conversation covers the puppy's food plan and what room it leaves for extras. Raise it at the next visit, and start the box once you have that answer and the proteins to skip written down.
Can puppies have freeze-dried treats?
Put that to your vet with the lineup in hand. Freeze drying pulls the water out of a treat and leaves a light, dry piece that breaks apart easily, which is handy when you need small pieces. Whether that piece suits your puppy depends on the puppy, and nobody at a treat company can see the dog in front of you.
Can I use box treats as rewards while my puppy learns?
Yes, in small pieces. Break a treat down so each reward is a crumb rather than a mouthful, and count the pieces out before you start so the day's total stays where you planned it. The treats are extras, so a session with many rewards means fewer pieces at other times that day.
What if my puppy needs to skip a protein?
Write it in the note at checkout, in the field for proteins to skip, and the lineup is chosen with that in mind. If the list changes later, tell us. Read each bag's label before anything reaches the puppy, since the label is the final check and the one in your hands.
Does the box change as my puppy grows?
No. The dog box changes by month, not by the dog. A new theme and a new lineup arrive each month, favorites come back now and then, and the dog box does not change with the dog's age. What changes over time is your side of it: bigger pieces as the dog gets bigger.
Can I send a treat box to a friend with a new puppy?
Yes. The delivery address can be your friend's rather than your own, so the box goes to them directly. Ask them first which proteins the puppy should skip, and tell them what is coming, so the box is expected rather than a mystery on the porch.