A (tasty) history of dog treats - by Wolfgang Shakespaw

DOG TREATS – AN ORAL HISTORY
By Wolfgang Shakespaw - Dogtor of Canine history, Kazoo University

When your hooman next gives you a dog treat, pawse for a moment (if you can, I know it’s hard) and consider the momentous fact that you are partaking in a tradition that goes back 30,000 years. Or, to put it another way, 210,000 dog years.

Of course, no one knows exactly when the first hooman decided to reward the first dog.

I like to imagine it was probably a caveman, let’s call him Og, who had a brush with a sabre-tooth tiger and was only saved from certain death by the bravery of his hunting dog, Thag. Later that night, as Og was squatting round the campfire with his Neanderthal buddies, munching on a shank of roasted Mammoth, he recounted the heroics of Thag and threw him a sliver of fresh meat or a bone to say thank you.

And, just like that, the concept of ‘treats’ was born.

Walkies like an Egyptian:

The first ‘recorded’ history of dog treats comes to us from ancient Egypt.

Dogs were held in high regard by the pharaohs (Anubis, their God of the dead, was a jackal) and were often shown in portraits, indicating their importance to the family.

And there is some evidence that Pharaohs didn’t just give their dogs scraps, but specially prepared dishes for them to keep them healthy and happy. Pretty much the same reasons hoomans give us doggie treats today.

MEDIEVAL MEALS:

By the Middle Ages, dogs were regarded as working companions for both nobles and commoners alike, used specifically for hunting and herding.

Both of these occupations require a huge expenditure of energy, so it’s no surprise that canine ‘treats’ were based largely on energy dense snacks like meat, bones and bread.

And whilst these titbits did not have the nutritional benefits of today’s healthy dog treats, they nonetheless served as a good way to reward a dog for a successful hunt. 

During this period, nobility also kept dogs for symbolic status and served them portions of fine meat from their own table or specially created recipes. An early indicator perhaps of our innate desire to want to reward and pamper our four-legged friends.

THE INVENTION OF PROPER PET FOOD:

With the industrial revolution came a whole slew of innovations that changed the way people lived and worked.

And it also impacted on the way we feed our dogs.

An American entrepreneur called James Spratt introduced the first commercially prepared pet food in England circa 1860, after noticing sailors in Bristol feeding leftover ship biscuits to dogs.

He formulated a biscuit and began marketing it with the snappy title of “Patented Meat Fibrine Dog Cake”.

Despite this unappetising name, the product was a great success and Spratt later went on to invent the first commercial cat food as well.

In 1907, building on Spratt’s success, F.H. Bennett Biscuits Co. introduced bone shaped ‘Milk-Bone’ dog biscuits. And it is in these that we first find the precursor of our modern healthy dog treats.

As well as incorporating the brilliant marketing ploy of having dog snacks shaped like bones, his biscuits also promised “whole nutrition” and were made with meats, cereals, milk, liver oil, and vitamins.

In addition, they were packaged in boxes, rather than in bulk, to meet the needs of different breed sizes.

A Milk-Bone ad from the 1950’s featuring Hollywood’s very own Rin-Tin-Tin:

As nutritional science continued developing, dog treats evolved with them.

Dog owners started to pay more attention to what they were putting into their dogs and whether it was, in fact, good for them. 

At the same time, companies took note of this upsurge in responsible pet owners and started incorporating vitamins and minerals into their dog food in an effort to make it healthier.

Modern day - SOMETHING FUR EVERYONE:

As the 20^th century rolled on and dogs cemented their place as part of the family, treats transformed from tasty rewards into complex and sophisticated products designed to help us maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle. 

Suddenly, dog owners could buy treats to boost energy levels, calm moods, clean teeth and gums, give a lustrous shine to a coat, improve eyesight and even help with joint health and weight management.

These came in all shapes and sizes including cubes, strips, training sticks, dental sticks. biscuits, rawhide, baked, kibble and soft chews.

And they offered a truly fangtastic range of flavours such as chicken, lamb, beef, duck, Kangaroo, Tuna, Salmon, Sardine and even vegetarian options.

All of which makes this a truly golden age to be a dog.

But I must confess, there is one thing that worries me.

The latest trend in dog treats is having them made with ‘human grade’ ingredients. There's also single-source dehydrated quality meats, like Kazoo Prime Cuts. These they are made with only the best bits of meat, sourced from Australia and air-dried to seal in the flavour and nutrients.

Then there's a whole range of dog patisserie cookies called Barney's Barkery. They're made with human-grade ingredients, and believe me, they taste as good as they look.

And that is the problem.

I’m worried that my hoomans are going to see ‘human grade’ on the pack and start eating my treats for themselves.

Dog forbid!