Chicken Jerky for Dogs, Dante Approves! #NudgesMoments

Our very spoiled puppy dog only gets the best!  We've got the all-natural grain-free food, we've got the fancy dog toys that he loves to chew, we've even got a memory foam bed with plushy slipcovers.  And now, we've got healthy dog treats that are made in the USA too!

We found Nudges dog treats at Walmart in smaller and larger bags.

Dante is our rescue baby, found abandoned on the side of the road in rural Oklahoma at two days old with his 3 siblings and no mom.  Lucky for him, and us, a great rescue found them and he was hand-raised and bottle fed by them.  When he was almost 9 weeks old, he and his three siblings all came to Colorado to the rescue's Denver partner, and we brought him home from there!

Baby Dante, right after we brought him home.

After such a rough start, Dante gets the best of everything at our house, and he is loving the new Nudges dog treats!  They are a great chicken jerky for dogs, and most importantly, they are made in the USA.  We prefer to buy USA sourced food for our furbaby after the latest scares with foreign sources.  As well, and very important for us, Nudges has no artificial flavors, no fillers, and no corn.  Dante has issues with any food with corn, so I would much rather find a treat that is just chicken.

"Leave it, Dante!"

While each piece of chicken jerky is a fairly good size, they tear very easily, so I can give Dante little bits at a time as a reward.  I also stuff a few into his Kong toy at the very bottom, then add his kibble and a dollop of peanut butter for a treat in the crate.  We always leave him a special treat when we need to crate him, so he associates the crate with a snack and a nap, nothing bad.

Dante is thinking "Mom, this is embarrassing, but I'll do it for a treat!"

With the 4th of July coming up this week, safety for your dog is of the utmost importance.  July 4th is the largest day for runaway dogs, and the Humane Society reports that July 5th is their largest intake day.  Make sure to protect your pup with a few easy summertime tips:

• If you're going to see fireworks, consider leaving your dog at home. A dog's hearing is much more sensitive than a human's and the fireworks sound much louder to him which can be very overwhelming.
• Make sure your dog is always wearing a collar or harness with tags on it.  Ours have Dante's name, both of our cell phone numbers and my primary email, for multiple contact options.  A microchip is an even better idea, Dante's rescue made sure he had one before we adopted him.
• As pictured by Dante above, teach your dog the "Leave it" or "Wait" command.  Many people foods are not safe for dogs, so teaching them to wait or leave it may help save their lives and bellies if some drops a not-safe-for-dogs food. Nudges are a great way to teach the command too.  They smell awesome, just like people jerky, so if you can teach your pup to resist eating it until you say "Take it!", you'll be able to help protect him from not-safe foods too.

More "Leave it!" Even with the whole bag open!

Nudges dog treats are also featured in the Live So Fab digital magazine summer edition, check it out!

For more fun, check out the Nudges dog treats on their Facebook page or the Nudges website, where they also have a downloadable coupon. Nudges has a “Share the Love” promotion going on where you can share your dog’s nudge moments by uploading a photo in their giveaway for weekly prizes, including Nudges dog treats and a Samsung Galaxy S4!

If you're a Twitter fan, follow Nudges at @NudgesDogTreats. There is also a #NudgesMoments Twitter Party regarding Summer and 4th of July Pet Safety on July 3rd from 1-2 PM ET. Nudges will be giving away FIVE 5 $100 VISA Gift Cards! You can learn more about it and RSVP here.