Bonito Cubes for Dogs - Freeze-Dried, 5 oz
One ingredient. Wild-caught. Made in the USA.
No grains, no glycerin, no preservatives, no colours, no flavourings.
What is bonito fish?
Bonito is a small, fast-swimming fish in the Scombridae family, related to tuna and mackerel. In Japan it is dried and shaved into katsuobushi, the base of dashi stock. Bonito is short-lived and small, which is why its mercury levels sit at the low end alongside skipjack tuna.
Mercury accumulates with a fish's size and lifespan, and bonito is short on both counts. The same reasoning applies to skipjack tuna, which Sea Bites Treats also uses.
What is the difference between bonito cubes and bonito flakes?
Bonito flakes are thin shavings best used as a food topper, and suit cats, small breeds and senior dogs with sensitive teeth. Bonito cubes are solid pieces of roughly 1 g that hold their shape, which makes them practical for training pouches and outdoor use. Both are the same fish.
This product is the cube format. Choose cubes if you want a treat you can deliver quickly from a pouch or break down for training repetitions. Choose flakes if you are adding aroma to a bowl of food for a reluctant eater.
Why is bonito the best treat for training volume?
At approximately 3 calories per cube, bonito allows a full training session inside a normal daily calorie allowance. A 10 kg dog can have nineteen cubes within the 10% treat guideline, or close to forty if the cubes are halved.
A training session typically runs 30 to 50 repetitions. At conventional biscuit size that would consume most of a small dog's daily calories, which is why trainers either reduce reward size or cut sessions short. Full guidance is at dog training treats.
Does bonito work for picky dogs?
Bonito has an unusually strong aroma, which makes it effective with dogs that ignore conventional treats. A dog raised on chicken-based food has usually never encountered it, so novelty and aroma work together. Test a novel high-aroma protein before concluding a dog is not food-motivated.
Bonito also works crumbled over a meal for a dog picking at food. A small amount changes the aroma of the whole bowl, which is usually what starts a reluctant dog eating.
How many bonito cubes can my dog have?
| Dog weight | Daily treat budget | Bonito cubes per day |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kg / 11 lb | 35 kcal | 11 cubes |
| 20 kg / 44 lb | 100 kcal | 33 cubes |
| 30 kg / 66 lb | 135 kcal | 45 cubes |
| 40 kg / 88 lb | 167 kcal | 55 cubes |