When prepping up to teach tricks to your canine, there are a few things that owners need to be ready with. One of such things includes delicious and munchy training treats. These lip-smacking treats offer a happy experience to the pooch, encouraging them to follow through the desired behavior and hence choosing the right training treats for your dog is of ultimate importance.
So, as per our 2022 findings, here are the top 5 best dog training treats you can choose from: Stewart Freeze Dried Dog Treats, EcoKind Pet Treats Gold Yak Dog Chews, Blue Buffalo Blue Bits Natural Soft-Moist Training Dog Treats, Raised Right Meat Bites, and the Merrick Power Bites Natural Dog Treats. Each of these products arrive in delectable taste variants and are also considerably safe on the canine’s digestive system.
Below we will be covering the individual specifications of these products in more detail. So stay tuned.
Table of Contents
Top 5 Best Dog Training Treats
Stewart Freeze Dried Dog Treats
A must-have treat for training purposes, the Stewart Freeze Dried Dog Treats are certified safe for canine consumption. These home roof-dried treats are made up of the best quality human-grade beef liver and are free of gluten, soy, grains, corn, etc. Even more, the manufacturers also claim the non-GMO product to consist of no preservatives, artificial colors, and flavors, making them completely safe for all life stages.
Similarly, another beneficial feature of this product is its small size. Unlike other larger treats that owners need to break before offering, these small sized treats are quite easier to use. Just offer one or two pieces every time the canine responds to the command and watch them happily chow down the delicacy. Each of the pieces are carefully formulated with a specific amount of beef liver and hence pawrents are needed to be extremely mindful of how much dog training treats they are feeding their dogs. Extreme protein digestion can be risky and cause stomach issues.
Pros:
- USDA Certified ingredients
- Free of gluten, corn, soy, grains, artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors
- Non-GMO Product
- Human-grade beef liver composition
- Freeze-dried for long shelf life
- Suitable for all breeds and life stages
- Single protein treat type
Cons:
- Available in a single beef flavor
EcoKind Pet Treats Gold Yak Dog Chews
Coming second in our list, the EcoKind Pet Treats Gold Yak Dog Chews is another one of the small homemade-company products. This self proclaimed all-natural pet treats are made up of thick, unprocessed and unflavored yak milk and consist of no artificial ingredients, chemicals or preservatives. To make them safe for sensitive pooches, the sticks are further manufactured to be gluten and lactose free.
The treats arrive in a long, chewy texture, providing fur babies with ample time to satisfy their chewing needs. They are best suitable when you are slowly transitioning to a treat-free training period. So, rather than having to break them into smaller pieces, pet parents can let the dog have one of the thick sticks after training. This will definitely keep the canine super busy and invested in the delectable piece of treat, while you can do other tasks.
Pros:
- Long, chewy, sturdy sticks
- All-natural yak-milk based dog training treats
- Contains no artificial flavoring, preservatives, and chemicals
- Doesn’t turn slimy or mushy
- Suitable for sensitive canines
- Also aids maintain overall oral hygiene
Cons:
- Sticks are quite brittle and break down into large chunks
- Not for toy or small breeds
Blue Buffalo Blue Bits Natural Soft-Moist Training Dog Treats
Manufactured by the popular company, the Blue Buffalo Blue Bits Natural Soft-Moist Training Dog Treats are available in several flavors. This includes a chicken only, chicken & beef, and finally a unique blend of beef, salmon, turkey, and chicken flavors. So, no matter whatever your pooch’s taste preferences might be, using this particular product won’t disappoint you or your pup.
Suitable for all breed sizes, these treats are shaped as small kibble hearts with a tender, chewy texture that dogs absolutely love. Thanks to their size, they are best used during training sessions. Moreover, when it comes to their nutritional efficiency, each of these pieces consist of a proper blend of proteins, fats, fibers and Omega 3,6 fatty acids. So, with regular and proper administration pet parents can witness a visible healthy appearance in their woofers.
Pros:
- No chicken by-products included
- Consists of DHA to support cognitive development
- Free from wheat, soy, corn, propylene glycol and red dye 40
- Suitable for all life stages
- Includes wholesome ingredients and Omega 3,6 fatty acids
Cons:
- Some dogs may not like the smell
- Not ideal for pups with a sensitive digestive system
Raised Right Meat Bites
Just like the Stewart Freeze Dried Dog Treats, the Raised Right Meat Bites is made up of a single ingredient only, that is USA sourced pork liver. Designed into bite-sized treats, they are easy to digest and bear no funny smell, given their single ingredient composition.
Moreover, every batch of this product comes carefully scrutinized under various lab conditions, ensuring their safety for canines’ consumption. The company also claims the dog training treats to be free of any preservatives and fillers. This includes grain, rice, potato, corn, soy, and even wheat. So, with every bite the fur baby gets access to pure pork deliciousness only.
To make it even more transparent, each of the bags are individually traced and mapped on the site’s traceability map. This allows pet parents to stay fully updated on the sourcing of the pork liver and therefore make a much wiser and informed choice.
Pros:
- No preservatives or fillers included
- Single-ingredient composition
- USA sourced pork liver
- Ingredients can be traced through the official website
- Affordably priced and available in many flavors
Cons:
- The treats are not strong and break down into sharp pieces
- Very short shelf life
- Some dogs may not like the smell or taste
Merrick Power Bites Natural Dog Treats
Last but not the least, the Merrick Power Bites Natural Dog Treats are another decent quality dog training treat that you could invest in. Filled with the goodness of deboned real beef, these treats are manufactured in tiny sizes and hence make it one of the best dog training treats out there.
Just like most of the treats mentioned here, this one’s ingredients are also sourced from the USA and are further passed through numerous lab testings. This is to ensure they are perfectly safe for canines of all breeds and life stages, although for sensitive canines a prescription will still be required. Apart from that the soft chewy treats also aid build and maintain optimal muscle mass and energy levels. So, not only the dog is able to have something good as training rewards but the same is also beneficial for their health.
The company also has several other flavors, including real chicken, rabbit, salmon, and turducken. And all of these come bearing grain and gluten free ingredients.
Pros:
- Available in multiple flavors
- Affordably priced
- Consists of human-grade real beef
- Maintains health muscle tissue and optimal energy levels
- Soft dog training treats
Cons:
- Certain ingredients can cause allergies if administered without vet consultation
- Contains artificial preservatives and flavoring
- Not ideal for sensitive dogs
Now that we have covered the top 5 best dog training treats that you could invest in, let’s now proceed towards the right tips to purchasing them.
Buyer’s Guide to Choosing the Best Dog Training Treats
Dog training treats arrive in many sizes, colors, flavors, and more. And while all of them may seem the same, there are a huge number of factors that determine their quality as compared to others. Below, we will be looking at all these essential details in brief. Let’s start.
Size Matters
Unlike other treat types, the first most essential feature of a dog training treat should be small size. This is because during the initial phase of the training, you will need to repeatedly feed them treats once the clicker is tapped. And if the treats are larger or stick shaped, breaking and feeding can take a lot of time, while simultaneously making them full quite fast.
Moreover, larger treats also means relatively more nutritional intake. This in turn could lead to an undesired spike in the total nutrition level their body demands, slowly leading to the onset of many health issues, including high blood pressure, obesity, lethargy, heart, liver and kidney diseases.
Texture
The next thing to consider when choosing dog training treats is their texture. Such treats need to be soft and moist rather than brittle and hard, so as to let the dogs chomp down the feed fast without choking. The dog should be able to gulp down the pieces without much effort.
Stay away from chewy, chunky ones as they slow down the dog’s chewing time, eventually slowing down the whole training session.
Ingredient Sensitivity
To make the whole training period comfortable and healthy for the dog, checking the complete ingredients list before starting with the treats is another must-do. Not all dogs have stronger digestive systems and therefore may react to certain ingredients within the packet.
Usually, a vet consultation is what’s best advised in such cases. Once at the clinic, the professional will help line out all food items that your canine can have. This is generally done through various lab tests, including blood, urine, stool, and skin sample tests. Performing this action ensures that the canine stays safe during the whole procedure and thus is a must.
Nutritional Composition
Apart from allowing pet parents to train new tricks to their fur babies, the treats should also suffice all nutritional requirements. Usually, dog training treats consisting of DHA, Omega fatty acids, and a balanced amount of proteins are mostly preferable.
This way when continuing training, the dog is not only having something delectable to eat, but the feed is also supporting their overall health. However, in such cases, pet parents will be needed to carefully scrutinize their pup’s diet plans. Given the high amounts of nutritional intake, you may need to make alterations to their feeding type and schedule, so as not to fatten them up.
Ease of Portability
Lastly, when choosing dog training treats make sure the product is portability-friendly. Not all treats have the same texture type and hence may leave your pockets or clothes dirty and stained.
Therefore, when looking for treat bags, make sure the treats are portable friendly and can be stacked within any material without leaving smelly stains behind. Believe me dealing with the stains can be a pretty meddlesome and arduous task, and in most cases the stain doesn’t even go away unless professionally treated.
With that being said, here are a few additional things you need to be extremely careful of when purchasing dog training treats.
- No Crunchy, Chewy, Cookie Treats- Such treats are immensely time taking and will slow down the whole training session. Furthermore, they also pose choking hazards as the treats could break into larger pieces, when the canine tries to chew fast.
- Treats with gluten and other fillers- Time and again various studies have proven corn, soy, wheat, gluten and other artificial preservatives and fillers to be the leading causes behind canine allergies. So, it is definitely better to choose treats that come without these ingredients and are either single ingredient only or are vet recommended.
- Too cheap to be true- With so many dog training treat manufacturers available in online and offline platforms, there will be a definite gap between prices. Therefore, if you find a product seeming to be relatively affordable, it is better to thoroughly compare its specifications and scroll through the reviews. Many times, cheapsters try duping their customers by pricing their products too low, but with much worse content quality.
- Treats with no expiration date- Just like all food items, dog training treats too have their expiration date. So, if the product you chose doesn’t exhibit the ‘date of expiry’ or claims to be ‘forever-good’, then skip the item blindly. Feeding your pooch expired treats can lead to devastating situations, so why risk it???
Conclusion
Choosing the right dog training treats takes time and patience. Therefore, rather than hurrying out the whole process and ending up with the wrong bag, it’s better to perform extensive research and comparison before landing on the final choice. You may also initially get trial packs of the same, as you never know if your pooch will practically like the smell and taste of the bag of treats.
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