How To’s, Tips and Tricks
If you are choosing a CBD product for your dog, one of the first things you are going to need to decide is what type of product to purchase.
CBD comes in a few different forms for dogs:
- Liquid tinctures (CBD Oil)
- Capsules
- Treats (dog biscuits or jerkeys)
- Peanut Butters or other infusions
- Creams for skin pain relief
Which one of these forms is best? That depends largely on your pet. You will need to figure out what delivery system is going to be easiest and most tolerable for your dog, as well as deciding which of your dogs health issues you can use CBD for.
This guide will help you to figure that out. In the sections below, I will provide you with basic instructions for giving your dog CBD through each of these delivery systems. If you want to see our favorites from each of these categories, check out my recommended CBD for dogs best of list.
I can’t know which of these will work best for your pup since every dog is different. But I will provide you with some tips and tricks if you have a finicky dog which gives you grief when you try to give him the CBD.
How to Give Your Dog CBD Capsules
A CBD capsule for a dog is very much like a CBD capsule for a human. Each capsule contains the product in a powdered form.
The advantage of this delivery system is that it is flexible. You can try a few different approaches to getting your dog to take the CBD in this form. Below are some ideas:
- If your dog eats wet food, you might be able to hide the capsule inside the food. Your dog will eat it without even realizing it.
- If the above does not work, you can try concealing the capsule inside a treat. There are pill pockets designed specifically for this purpose, or cover it in peanut butter or rolled up in some meat.
- Still having no luck? Break the capsule open and mix the contents into your dog’s food. Again, this works best with wet food. If you try to do this with dry food, your dog may not eat all of the contents (some of it might just stick to the dish).
Troubleshooting for Finicky Dogs
If you are still having a difficult time giving your dog CBD in a capsule form, here are a few suggestions:
1. Use a favorite food or treat.
If your dog will not eat the CBD capsules if you mix them in with regular foods, try instead mixing them in with special foods or concealing them in favorite treats.
2. Play a game.
Another option is to put some time and effort into making your dog excited about eating treats, and then hide the CBD inside.
Let’s say for example that you are trying to get your dog to eat a CBD capsule inside a pill pocket. The dog has figured out that the capsule is inside the treat, and has lost interest in eating it.
Instead of simply waiting for the dog to change her mind, play a game where you offer a couple of treats which contain no CBD capsules first.
Once your dog is excited about the treats and is signaling with her body language that she wants another, hide the CBD capsule inside.
Hold the treat close enough that your dog can get a whiff of it and get excited about eating it, and then withdraw it just slightly out of reach to build frustration and anticipation.
Once your dog seems thoroughly enthusiastic about the treat, you can feed it to her.
It is a really good idea to feed your dog one more treat after she swallows the one with the CBD capsule.
If she becomes aware of the capsule, at least she will then start to associate swallowing it with receiving one more treat as a reward.
3. Simply learn how to feed your dog a capsule by hand—and pair it up with giving treats.
You can learn how to actually physically open your dog’s mouth enough to insert a capsule for him to swallow.
This method may sound intimidating, but in the long run, it can make your life a lot easier.
Success, of course, relies upon careful training with adequate rewards.
Instead of jumping straight to trying to feed your dog CBD capsules in this manner, first train your dog to accept treats in this way.
This will create a positive association around the process.
You can then do the same thing where you turn it into a kind of game.
Each time you need to give your dog a CBD capsule, you can first feed him a couple of treats, and then the capsule, followed by another treat.
If you need guidance on the specific technique to use to feed your dog a capsule by hand, this post is informative and contains pictures.
You also have the option of watching videos or talking to your veterinarian.
4. Simply try a different delivery system.
Still can’t get capsules to work out for your dog? While CBD capsules are ideal for a lot of dogs, with some pets, other delivery systems may simply be preferred. You can try tinctures or treats.
How to Give Your Dog CBD Tinctures (CBD OIL)
With a tincture, you have a liquid CBD product to give your dog. Tinctures are highly concentrated, so in most cases, you just need to give your dog a couple of drops.
To administer liquid CBD, you can use an eye dropper. If possible, try to get the drops underneath your pet’s tongue.
Troubleshooting for Finicky Dogs
If you are having a difficult time using an eye dropper to give your dog a CBD tincture directly, you will probably have an easier time applying it to food or treats instead.
With wet food, it is particularly easy to blend in a couple of drops. Because this is such a small amount distributed through the food, your dog is unlikely to even notice it.
Some pet owners also will add a couple of drops to a treat, and then feed the treat directly to the dog.
The same pill pockets which you can use to feed capsules to your pet work equally well for feeding your dog CBD tinctures.
Simply use an eye dropper to deposit a couple of drops into the hole where you would typically insert a pill or capsule.
Then just feed the treat to your dog as usual.
You can use the same tips and tricks which I described previously to make this process more enjoyable both for you and your dog.
Once again, grab about four treats. While your dog is not paying attention, add the tincture to one of them.
Feed your dog the first couple of treats as usual, and then put a little extra effort into building anticipation around the third treat, which contains the CBD.
Once your dog eats that treat, you can offer the fourth one, which contains no CBD.
How to Give Your Dog CBD Treats
Finally, the most straightforward delivery system for CBD oil for your dog is CBD treats or biscuits.
You can make these yourself at home, or you can purchase them ready-made.
The big advantage of CBD treats and biscuits is that they are formulated to be tasty and enjoyable for your pet.
This removes a lot of the hassle around giving your dog CBD. Instead of having to coax or trick your dog into taking the CBD, you will instead probably have your dog begging you for extra CBD treats.
So why choose capsules or a tincture over CBD biscuits? The answer is that these products tend to be more highly concentrated in terms of CBD content than CBD biscuits and treats.
But especially for small dogs that are taking CBD for health maintenance reasons rather than for therapeutic reasons, CBD biscuits or treats may be all you need.
Experiment and Figure Out What CBD Product and Delivery Method Work For You and Your Dog
Every dog is different, and every dog owner is as well.
A great way to figure out the best option for giving your dog CBD oil is simply to purchase a few different products and give them a try.
You may need to experiment with some changes in routine, and you might even need to do some additional training with your pet.
But eventually, you will figure out the easiest and most enjoyable way for your dog to take advantage of the benefits of CBD oil.
Once you do, it will become a regular part of your dog’s everyday routine. And you may be surprised by just how much it pays off in terms of supporting your dog’s physical and psychological well-being.
Wondering which CBD products we recommend? Here is our best of CBD for dogs list, where you can find the best CBD oil for dogs, best treats by variety and best companies to do business with.