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(Last Updated On: 15th February 2023)Rewarding your dog with training treats when they have been good is one of the best ways to teach them something. To ensure the dog doesn’t become bored, it’s worthwhile buying a selection so that they continue their good behavior.
The best dog treats for training are the Cloud Star Chewy Tricky Trainers that are low in fat and are just 3 calories, which is great for repetitive feeding.
Treats come in a range of shapes, types, and textures with some situated for certain situations. It’s important that they are healthy treats. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, you do not upset it with a treat with multiple ingredients.
Table of Contents
Best Dog Treats For Training
Dog Treats | Nutrition | Calories |
---|---|---|
Cloud Star Tricky Trainers | Wheat & Corn Free | 3 kcal |
Pedigree Dentastix | Dental Health | 21 kcal |
Wellness Natural WellBites | Grain Free | 14 kcal |
Zuke's Mini Naturals | Wheat, Corn & Soy Free | 3 kcal |
Pet Botanics Training Reward | Grain Free | 3 kcal |
Many dogs love their food so much that you could even use their dry kibble food as training treats. However, variation is key and once they realize that you are feeding them their regular dog food all the time, it may not be as effective. For puppies, you may get away with feeding them puppy food for a while but the older dogs will sense they are being fooled much earlier.
Human food is can be fine in small portions but sticking to dog training treats that have been designed for dogs only is the best and healthiest option.
Without giving your dog treats they do not understand when they have been good, which makes training them much harder. Below is a list of the best dog training treats that provide your dog with a tasty, healthy snack for good behavior.
Cloud Star Chewy Tricky Trainers
Training treats for dogs with sensitive stomachs that taste great and provide healthy nutrients can be an impossible task to find. However, these dog treats are wheat, corn, and soy-free with a soft texture that makes them great for both small and older dogs.
On top of all this, they are also low in fat and are low-calorie dog treats. There are 3 flavors of the Cloud Star Tricky Trainers, which include liver, cheddar, and salmon.
With just 3 calories per treat, they are great for repetitive treat feeding that is often required for certain types of training. Overall, they are the best dog training treats you can buy and although they are fairly expensive, they are worth paying the extra for sensitive treat formula.
Pedigree Dentastix Dog Treats
Pedigree is a global dog brand and needs no introduction and these Dentastix are not only a tasty treat but they also provide excellent dental hygiene. These help clean teeth, freshen bad breath and reduce plaque and tartar build-up.
These are ideal for small breed dogs and leave them with a fresh mint breath. In terms of using them as a dog training treat, we recommend that you break each Pedigree Dentastix into smaller pieces. Without breaking them, the dog will spend too long eating the treat. If you playing fetch or teaching them to sit, you will want to give them multiple small treats in quick succession.
These are excellent dog treats for healthy teeth but maybe fairly small for large dogs to enjoy. However, you can still give large breeds these but with bigger pieces in order to get the dental hygiene boost
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Wellness Natural WellBites Soft Dog Treats
Wellness Core produces a range of high-quality dog food for the majority of dog breeds and these treats are just as good. These Soft WellBites are completely grain-free and are made from a mixture of fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables.
These treats use all-natural ingredients with no corn, soy, artificial colors, or flavors, which makes it a healthy dog training treat. The small size and excellent taste make them an excellent treat to use for dog training.
Wellness is a brand that you can trust and these are the best dog treats for training puppies due to their small size and healthy nutrients.
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Zuke’s Mini Natural Dog Treats
Zuke’s mini treats for dog treats come in a range of flavors that include chicken, duck, pork, rabbit, salmon, and peanut butter. This is a tasty selection of flavors that will keep your dog working their hardest to impress you.
Per small dog treats, there are less than 3 calories, which is great for repetitive treat feeding. Regardless of the flavor you choose, each Zuke mini dog treat includes protein-rich meat or peanut butter, wholefood berries, and savory herbs and they are made without corn, wheat, or soy.
Overall, the Zuke’s Mini Natural Dog Treats are great all-rounders with the best selection of flavors so that you can find your dog’s favorite flavor.
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Pet Botanics Dog Training Reward
Dogs can get through treats easily and purchasing the top of the range treats each time can become expensive. This is where the Pet Botanic training rewards become desirable as they provide excellent value for money.
In terms of the selections available, there is a range of bulk sizes to choose from with the larger packets offering more value for money. You can also opt for a grain-free, small or regular sized treats. The flavors of the Pet Botanics dog training treats include bacon, chicken, beef, salmon, and duck.
Overall, they are the best cheap dog treats that provide healthy nutrients and come in a range of tasty flavors to ensure they do not become bored.
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Dog Training Treats Buying Guide
Training a new dog can be challenging, so it’s helpful to have tools that will aid you in getting the job done. Treats are a great behavioral incentive for dogs when used correctly. They encourage dogs to learn new behaviors quickly and repeat old ones when necessary. Shopping for the right training treats can be overwhelming, especially with so many different kinds on the market. Here’s what to be aware of when shopping for training treats for your dog.
Taste
The taste of the treat is the most important factor in whether or not it will be effective for training your dog. The flavor should be enticing and interesting for your pup to keep them coming back for more. Dogs enjoy meat -flavored treats more than other flavor profiles.
Taste is a very personal thing. Your dog may have to try multiple types of treats to find one they really love. Don’t be discouraged if your dog doesn’t love the first treat you try – they may just prefer a different flavor profile.
It’s actually most effective to have a few different types and sizes of treats on hand. You can use unique flavors or new types of treats to entice your dog to try new things or motivate them to do something they typically avoid. Your big reward treats should contain rich flavors or textures that your dog doesn’t typically get to experience, and you should save them for special occasions. This excitement will really motivate them to stay focused and obedient during the training process.
Ingredients
Although your dog’s treats should definitely taste good, they also need to be healthy and safe for your dog to eat. Before purchasing dog treats, it’s important to read the ingredients list on the back of the package. Ideally, the treats should be made with natural, healthy materials and shouldn’t be too processed.
Many treats contain added wheat or soy, which isn’t great for your dog’s overall diet because they add calories and are more difficult for your dog’s digestive system to process. If you don’t recognize an ingredient on the list, chances are the treat isn’t the healthiest choice for your dog. Treats that contain only a few ingredients are typically the healthiest for your pet.
Treats that contain extra nutrients that your dog needs in their diet are an even better choice, and you’ll be able to feel good about giving your dog something they’ll love and that will help them keep a well-rounded diet.
You should always check the calories in your treats as well as in your dog’s regular food, and keep an eye on how much they’re eating. If you need to use treats regularly during the training process, it’s important to feed your dog slightly less to ensure that they don’t gain too much weight, particularly as they’re growing.
Size
The size of the treats you use is another important thing to consider. If you’re training a puppy who’s still teething and learning how to chew, it’s important that they’re appropriately sized to their development. It’s also important that the size of the treat reflects their progress in training. For the most part, the treats you use should be very small and shouldn’t be confused with your dog’s regular food.
Your dog should get small treats for common daily activities and reinforcing behaviors they’ve already learned. Bigger treats should be saved for major developments and difficult situations where you need to offer your pup a big reward. Cut or tear them up to make sure your treats have appropriate size if your regular dog’s treats are too big.
Texture
Pups aren’t just picky about the taste of their treats, but they’re often choosy with the texture as well. Treats come in a variety of different textures, but ideally, they should be slightly soft and moist without being wet.
If they’re too dry or crumbly, they won’t be enticing for your dog, but if they’re too soft, things can get messy very quickly. Since each dog has unique preferences, it’s helpful to try multiple types of treats and cycle between a few different options to keep your dog happy and engaged.
Easy to Carry
While you’re training your dog, it’s important to always have treats with you on the go to reinforce good behavior or entice your pup to behave appropriately in public. Your treats should be something you can easily carry in your bag without making a mess or getting lost.
The treats shouldn’t be too crumbly or messy. Not only does this make them difficult to carry, but it also means you might need to do some cleanup after you’ve rewarded your dog, which is never too fun. It’s also very helpful if the treat comes in convenient packaging. You can take with you while you’re out and about, so you don’t have to pack the treats separately.
Long-lasting
It’s important that the treats you choose are easy to store in the fridge or in your cupboard for a long time without them expiring. You should always have treats on hand, even once your dog is fully trained, just in case you need to reward appropriate behavior. If your treats expire quickly, you won’t get full value from the purchase. They should also come in durable packaging that’s easy to store away when your treats are not in use.
There are so many different types of treats on the market. It’s always helpful to do a little bit of experimenting when choosing the best treats for your dog. Keeping multiple treats in the house and cycling between a few different options will help you determine which ones work best for your dog’s preferences. When training your dog, it’s important to check in with your vet regularly. This is to make sure you’re serving your dog healthy treats and that you’re appropriately enforcing behaviors. Your vet can give you great tips and advice to help your dog learn even faster.
Conclusion
Dog treats should only really make up around 10% of your dog’s diet and its an added benefit if they are healthy treats as some can be fairly bad for them. Just like a chocolate bar is for us humans and you wouldn’t eat a lot of it every day.
Training dog treats are essential. All of our recommendations in this article are ideal to train your dog to do something quickly. Small, healthy, packaged appropriately and of course, offer excellent value for money are good signs of a good treats
Many people will confuse dog training treats with general treats such as tough dog bones or dog dental chews. Training treats for dogs are much smaller and designed for repetitive feeding for good behavior and performing tricks.
Ian is an avid outdoorsman and dog lover. He lives in Central Florida with his wife Heather, and their 2 dogs – Panda (Purebread Rough Collie X English Golden Retriever) & Kuma (Blue Merl Purebread Rough Collie)