Using special dog training treats for training your pets has proven to be a friendly and useful technique. While there are other ways of disciplining your dog, not all are friendly. In fact, using force and similar practices only develop fear.
Nowadays, we use treat-method for teaching our pets. This way, the bond between the pet and owner also strengthens as your pet learns something new. Training treats are ideal for people who are adopting a new pet, especially a younger puppy.
However, to get the most benefits from these dog training treats, you’ll need to find the best combination of nutrition and flavor. Ideally, the best dog food will pack daily nutrition while still maintaining the calorie requirement.
To help you eliminate the guesswork, we have made a list of 10 best dog training treats. Our researchers have spent hours consulting pet experts, different pet food types, customer reviews, and pet breeds to bring you this list.
| Image | Product Name | Key Features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Our Top Pick
| Our Top Pick |
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Runner Up
| Runner Up |
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Best Budget
| Best Budget |
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Best Natural Treat
| Best Natural Treat |
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Best Freeze-Dried
| Best Freeze-Dried |
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Best Grain Free
| Best Grain Free |
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Best Organic Treat
| Best Organic Treat |
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Best for Small Dogs
| Best for Small Dogs |
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Best Healthy Treat
| Best Healthy Treat |
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Best for Puppy
| Best for Puppy |
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Best Dog Training Treats in 2021 – Reviews
1. Our Top Pick – Zuke’s Naturals Dog Training Treat
All-in-one dog training treat, packed with full nutrients for your four-legged enthusiastic friend. Best suited for his daily training needs.
Zuke’s Natural Treat is our top pick that is an ideal dog treat for training and reinforcement purposes. It comes with a soft, chewy, and best tasting dog treat that is made from a variety of flavors and sources.
As per dealing with the flavor, we as pet owners should be more cautious with nutrients that they might get from a treat that we are giving to them and best-suited dog treats for their daily training activities. This training treat contains premium quality to sustain the optimum results.
You don’t have to be anxious about having to experience obesity or excessive gaining of weight. It has low-calorie content; this treat contains 3 % calories count per piece. This training treat is irresistible and promotes healthy and nutritious dog chew.
Right on its premium quality taste it is free from soy, corn, and wheat, making it an ideal to give as a reward to your pet as he accomplishes the given tasks. Once, he tries one piece, as expected, he’ll be asking for more and surely it will become his favorite.
These all-natural training treats come with a variety of delicious flavors. It features in a resealable packaging that allows the user to reseal or re-close the parcel to maintain the freshness of the dog treat and should be used for the next day or to prevent spillage.
This treat comes with a variety of flavors to choose from; Chicken, Duck, Peanut Butter and Oats, Rabbit, Pork, Salmon, and Peanut butter for you to pick the most appropriate for your pooch.
This is originally made from the USA, which is absolutely formulated to provide the best training treat for your dog during his training activities. With its wholesome, finest quality ingredients, a sweet reward that you could offer to your four-legged enthusiastic friend will give emotional touch and love between you and your pets.
Key Features:
- Available with a variety of delicious flavors to choose from
- Comes with soft, chewy, best tasting dog treat
- Low-calorie content, 3 calories per piece
- Ideal treat for training and reinforcement
- Originally Made from the USA
2. Runner Up – Pet Botanics Dog Training Treat
Made from the freshest range of quality meat your pet will surely enjoy. Ideal as a food reward for successful training activities.
Pet Botanics Training Treat is our runner up that is rich in nutrients and proteins made from the fresh real meat. It features soft, slightly moist that perfectly provides the best dog treat for training and reinforcement.
It consists of a small bite-sized treat that is ideal for giving as a reward to your pet as he accomplishes the given tasks. Aside from real meat, it includes real bacon that your pet will surely smell the aroma and tasting scent, making your pet wail his tail as he is wanting something to chew on.
These dog treats contain natural preservatives and don’t include artificial colorings and flavorings, no soy added. Also, once they will try one piece, surely they will likely ask for more. It is a very motivating pet treat, aside from it taste like bacon, it will help them to follow simple training and assist you to shorten the learning time for training activities.
You could have a training session without getting irritated because this one has come with a resealable and able for you to carry the hand bag-you’ve got your perfect product, for them to get excited with daily undertakings.
This product is made from a fresh range of quality meat with a variety of flavors to choose from; Salmon recipe, Bacon recipe, Chicken recipe, Beef recipe, Duck and Bacon recipe, Grain-free and consists of healthy omega that is known to provide a healthy body and brain.
Super value and healthy training treat for them to feel the love that they want to experience. It is a promising, high-quality brand that your dog will love.
Key Features:
- The perfect bite-sized reward for training and reinforcement
- Made of easy to carry with resealable feature
- Made with real meat to satisfy the cravings of your pet
- Sweet tasting reward for your pets
- Originally made from the USA
3. Best Budget – Blue Buffalo Training Dog Treat
Rich in protein and DHA, we offer a wholesome range of nutritious treats for your pet’s needs. A budget-friendly treat to satisfy your dog.
Blue Buffalo Training Treat landed as our friendly budget without having to compromise its excellent quality. Packed with a fresh range of wholesome meat source chicken that is manufactured into meaty bits to perfectly provide your four-legged enthusiastic friends an ideal reward, once they accomplish the task given to them.
It is nutritious and able to give your dog a satisfying feeling, surely after trying a piece, they will ask for more. Furthermore, it contains DHA, essential for functional development and growth of your pets. Also, it is associated with nutrients to improve learning capacity. Chicken is one a healthy source of high-quality protein and is recommended to build healthy muscles for your pet to perform his energetic training for a day.
Both omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are necessary components of cells in the body to regulate blood pressure and to provide your pet’s skin healthier and his fur or coat shinier. These treats are designed to satisfy any dog breed. There are no artificial flavorings, colorings added. With its highly packed nutrients that come from salmon, chicken and sweet potato are favorably meant to provide a great treat for training and reinforcement.
It is 100% grain-free, which is a potential help to maintain the weight and not to gain too much. These treats are opposed to common belief about soft training treats. Sometimes, it is good to give your pet a crunchy feeling so that it feels like more natural sustenance. Each treat contains 4.5kcal that scientifically the only amount of energy needed to fulfill the longing of your pet.
Key Features:
- Packed with wholesome real chicken
- Made with DHA helps to promote cognitive learnings and development
- Includes with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
- Per treat contains 4.5kcal
- A great treat for training and reinforcement
4. Best Natural Dog Training Treat – Old Mother Hubbard
Old Mother Hubbard Treat is the best natural dog training treat that is made with the all-natural oven-baked dog biscuit.
This classic bone-shaped treat comes with a variety of natural flavors in home-style recipes that are carefully concocted from quality ingredients that allow your dog to enjoy his training while having to take his favorite healthy reward.
This treat features four original delicious flavors including Original, Cheddar, Chicken, and Char Tar flavors. Furthermore, these mini crunchy dog biscuits give a great training treat in addition to your pet’s diet.
With its promising features and assorted natural taste, your well will guarantee the immense flavorful and multifaceted taste of this dog training treat.
This is originally made from North America, because of its finest quality ingredients, for years and then it has been restored and continued to provide the amazing taste of these yummy recipes.
Dog biscuits, snacks, and the like are significant to your dog’s healthy diet that is why we should be more thoughtful about giving your dog a reward that is healthy and sincere.
It is best for puppies to seniors, small dog breeds to larger breeds, with crunchy feeling to a chewable one-you, ’ve got your ideal treat for your dogs’ taste and needs.
Key Features:
- Great training treat to your dog’s diet
- Comes from a wholesome all-natural taste for your pets
- Originally made from the USA
- Uses the finest quality sources; fruits, veggies, and proteins
- Available in 3 sizes (Mini, Small, Large)
5. Best Freeze-Dried Dog Training Treat – Stewart Treat
Stewart Treat is the best freeze-dried dog training treat that is made from the finest quality ingredients. These all-natural treats are packed with essential nutrients and proteins that are needed to carry out multi-functions to the growth and development of your pets. Absolutely the good quality product for any dog breed. A 100% pure dried freeze raw liver, ideal for any dog breed.
This treat contains a variety of minerals (organic substance) and vitamins (inorganic materials) including Vitamin A, B12, Iron, magnesium, folic acid, and taurine that are necessary for the functioning of your pet’s body. These treats are ideal for training and reinforcement, making it motivating for your pet that once he accomplishes a task, he’ll be rewarded. Surely your dog will love this product.
It all started with a fresh liver, then this so-called innovative freeze is used to specify the proportion of the goods remaining acceptable under expected conditions and process the preservation technique to contain the nutritional quality while having to anticipate the shelf life, recommending the maximum time for which this fresh liver can be stored.
With its resealable packaging tub, it maintains the freshness of the product and avoids spillage, making it easily reclosed or resealed. It is a human-grade beef liver that is no preservative, flavoring and coloring added. Made with all-natural ingredients, no soy, free from grain, gluten, and corn.
Key Features:
- Made with all-natural healthy options for your dogs
- Contains a variety of high-quality vitamins and minerals
- Ideal for training and reinforcement
- Preserve in a special technique called innovative freezing
- Includes resealable tubs to prevent spillage
6. Best Grain Free Dog Training Treat – Wellness Natural Food
Wellness Dog Treats is the best grain-free dog treat that is made from quality standard ingredients to provide delicious food, your dog will love. These wholesome, all-natural bite-sized training treats are originally made from the USA.
They are the ideal size for training and reinforcement. These family-owned recipes give your pooch everything they need for developing their attentiveness and strong memorization as you train them.
This training treat is a soft, tasty perfectly-sized bit to give your pet full wellness that they deserve and as great dog food for a healthy diet. It comes with the indispensable amino acids and the essential proteins that are sourced from premium quality lamb and salmon meat.
These delicious training treats are totally grain-free which is great from the hypo-allergenic reaction that causes sensitive skin to become susceptible
Moreover, it contains healthy carbohydrates that fuel your dog’s daily energy to accomplish his everyday training. On that said, these functional carbohydrates are selected from nutritious and healthy fruit options such as blueberries and apples.
In addition to that, it can be sourced from chickpeas, carrots, and potatoes. Also, it includes fatty acids such as omega 3 and 6 that are essential for your dog’s diet. DHA is a major structural component of the brain of your pet, this high-quality product has it.
Key Features:
- Perfectly sized treats, ideal for any dog breed
- Wholesome all-natural ingredients for healthy options
- No corn, soy and Free from artificial colorings and flavorings
- Comes with the essential amino acids and proteins
- Originally made from the USA
7. Best Organic Dog Training Treat – Full Moon
Full Moon Training Treat is the best organic dog training treat that is made from a free-range and real organic chicken and satisfactorily contains 100% human-grade quality ingredients, that meet the necessary food guidelines for your pet.
This treat is soft and chewy and basically approved for small dog breeds as well as for any dogs in training. Each tasty bite explodes with delicious tasting flavors that surely your dog will love.
This impressive treat contains a minimum protein content of 22% that is intended for your pets to acquire strength for their daily training. As stated on the package it contains over 175 treats that are a great reward for your dog as he accomplishes a task.
If you are particular with a calorie that can be taken per treat, don’t worry it only has 3% calories per treat, so you’ll make sure this training treat will provide the optimum satisfaction for you and your pet.
This training treat is naturally concocted from organic and all-natural ingredients that you smell and you surely like to lick your own fingers. With its wonderful ingredients, you can find a thrilling fulfillment for your dog to enjoy his everyday meal.
This organic treat has no artificial preservatives, flavorings, and colorings added. Also, It is free from glycerin, grain-no soy, wheat, or soy content.
Key Features:
- 100% Human grade quality dog treat
- Made with a free-range and real organic chicken
- Contains 3% calories per treat
- No artificial colorings, preservatives, and flavoring added
- Free from glycerin, grain – no corn, soy, and wheat
8. Best Small Dog Training Treat – Bil-Jac
Bil-Jac Treat is the best small dog training treat that is perfect for your small-sized dogs. The determined average of protein is 25%, a balanced fat is 10%, and more than 2% is the fiber content.
There is no added rendered fat or gluten substance. This great-all round treat comes in a handy size for carrying around with you when you’re training new behaviors and skills.
With its uniform size and the right consistency, this treat is the way that you’re able to satisfy your pet’s craving. Made with the fresh range of chicken liver, organ meat which is incredibly nutritious that is rich in protein, iron, potassium, and phosphorus.
It offers your dog a delicious meal every day. This dog training treat is free from the most common food allergens. It provides no soy products and gluten-free meals.
This training treat has a resealable packaging with a zip feature that provides airtight to the container. It is designed with an ergonomic zipper clip function to the flange interlocking clip that creates a reliable seal when clutch together.
As a training treat, your dog will relish its soft, chewy bits that are perfectly packed for small and toy breeds. Your pooch will enjoy his training while having to take his favorite reward.
Key Features:
- Perfectly shaped for small dog breeds
- Made with the freshest range of real chicken liver
- Free from most common food allergens; no soy products and gluten-free
- Consists of a resealable zipper pouch
- Comes with handy size for carrying around with you
9. Best Healthy Dog Training Treat – Rocco & Roxie
Rocco and Roxie is the best healthy dog training treat that is made with healthy and natural options to give a satisfying soft chewy texture that surely your dog will love.
This dog training treat can easily be broken into small pieces, allowing a single stick to last quite a time. This new favorite treat with great quality ingredients is perfect for your four-leg enthusiastic friend.
This new improved recipe is free from artificial enhancers and flavoring. Also, it doesn’t contain any fillers such as gluten, corn, and soy. This dog treat is mainly made with healthy, wholesome ingredients that surely your dog would yearn oftentimes.
This was originated with all-American beef of premium quality, for years and then this secret family recipe dog has been restored and continued to provide the best tasting and healthy treat for your pooches.
Moreover, time is the second ingredient because It will take 10 hours of smoking just to create soft chewable dog bits and nuggets that would be a suited everyday meal for your pets. These amazing quality jerky sticks give a satisfying feeling to your pet.
It comes with a cool design zipper to securely lock the package. This dog treat is motivating, your pet can get a treat once he accomplishes a task, surely, he will love this.
Key Features:
- A legacy from a secret family dog recipe
- Made with healthy, wholesome and natural options
- Ideal training treat for your pooches
- Free from artificial enhancer and flavoring
- Comes with a soft chewy dog bit and nugget
10. Best Puppy Training Treat – Blue Buffalo Treat
Blue Buffalo Dog Treat is the best puppy training treat that is made from a variety of delicious tastes in protein-rich and carb-filled, ideal for your pets’ everyday meals.
It comes with moist and soft bits that are nutritious and healthy to provide excellent food that your dog will love. A tasty reward for training man’s best friend.
This great-tasting treat is heart-shaped, bite-sized, and tender nuggets that are perfect for training. It contains DHA, an essential requirement for the growth and development of the brain of your dog that is associated with cognitive learning.
This puppy training treat comes with various recipes, Beef recipe, turkey recipe, salmon recipe, and chicken recipe without having to chew on too long, making this ideal for your puppies.
This wholesome yummy training treat has no artificial preservatives added like propylene glycol and coloring like red dye 40, nor doesn’t contain any poultry by-product meals and free from wheat, soy, and corn.
Every treat contains 3.5kcal which is quite definite if you’re giving out plenty every day. The goodness of this soft healthy dog treat, it is fortified with omega 6 and omega 3 for that are important for regulating blood pressure and inflammatory responses and enhance healthier skin and shinier fur or coat.
Key Features:
- Comes with wholesome ingredients
- Made of tender nugget bit in heart-shaped sized for your puppies
- Contains DHA to support cognitive learning
- With Omega 3 and Omega 6 for healthier skin and shinier fur/coat
- Available in Beef, salmon, chicken, and turkey recipe
Why Should You Buy Dog Training Treats?
Just like the name suggests, these are dog training treats. Therefore, almost anyone who owns a canine should buy these. However, if you are a pet owner, you already spend on your pet’s food, bed, health, and other daily usage items.
So why would you buy training treats? Let’s get into the reasons and details.
The first reason can be that you are welcoming a new young pet friend. We are talking about puppies. These adorable little pooches sometimes have a hard time settling in the new environment and have much to learn about their new home.
Delicious treats are a great way to train them for their walks and other important habits. Food is also a great way to bond with your pet, and it’ll help them adjust to the new place better.
That said, this still does not rule out older pets. If you have grown up pets, you know that they can sometimes be moody about learning new stuff. However, the right use of dog treats can help you avoid other strict disciplining methods.
Dogs also need proper attention and appreciation. There are times when simply praising is enough, and there are times when you need to reward them with a treat.
That, however, does not mean that you solely rely on dog treats for everything. If you do so, your pet will only do something for a treat, resulting in either a moody pet or too much eating. The trick is to use these training treats at the right times.
How to Choose the Best Training Treat That Your Dog Will Like Most?
Depending on your canine’s age, breed, and size, you’ll find that there are tons of kibble to explore. However, you need a specific type of food that will motivate your pet.
Therefore, to find your pet’s favorite treat, you’ll need to go through the following steps.
- The first and most important step is to see if your pet responds to food as a reward. While it may seem strange, there are pets who do not find treats rewarding. If your canine is one of them, then the treats will not be of any use. In that case, you’ll need to find another way of motivation. That may be using toys and praise.
- If you pass the first step and your dog seems to like treats, then great. The second step is to find an ideal training treat. Since it is for training, you’ll most probably be using it a lot. This means you should think small. Use smaller treats with low calories to avoid overeating.
- In the third step, you want to have treats on you all the time so you can best monitor your pet’s behavior. This means that the food should be something easily portable and one that can withstand room temperature. Treats like jerky and small kibbles are great for such usage.
- Lastly, the used treats should be tasty, low in calories, and sturdy enough to remain in a pouch with you at all times. That way, your pet can enjoy his favorite food without gaining extra weight and at the right time.
How to Offer Treats When Training Your Dogs?
Knowing exactly how to use treats is really important. It is not as simple as just giving one treat each time your pet completes a certain task. While that is the main point, this method will make your canine depend on the treats for everything.
To avoid that, you need to use dog training treats smartly.
- Give the treat accompanied with praise INSTANTLY after your dog does the required task. Here the timing is important. By giving a treat at the right time, you are telling your pet that this is what you wanted to be done. By getting the love and attention, even younger pets learn quickly.
- In the second step, add praise. Pets respond to love with love as well. Food time is also a time when you can bond with your canine and motivate him better. Doing so also keeps the pup from relying solely on treats. The next time, your pet might try to do something for impressing you instead of getting the treats.
- After your pet has started to respond to the commands, reduce and change the treat-timings. Once the canine has got the hang of it, only praise your dog at the first try. Then after the second or third time, give a treat.
- Keep treats different and separate from regular food. Eating too many treats can cause weight gain and loss of interest in real mealtime. To avoid that, it is best to not confuse meals with the training treats.
Types of Dog Training Treats
Dog training treats vary in their size, flavors, type, and also according to your pet’s age. Before buying a specific type, you’ll need to know about each of these types to decide which one is best for your pooch.
- Tripe Sticks: These sticks have a strong scent, and dogs tend to love them. These are easy to break into smaller pieces, allowing you to carry them around. Ideally, you should go with one that is most natural and soft as it makes it easy to tear.
- Cooked Chicken Meat: Chicken meat is a great motivation for dog training sessions. You can cook these lightly and then chop into smaller pieces. An ideal meat version would be one without additives like grains and onions as they are not good for canines.
- Dried Dog Treats: Dry treats are very easy to carry around and come in a variety of flavors and sizes. However, make sure that these treats are different from the usual kibble your pet eats for meals.
- Cheese: Cut in small cubes to keep the portions in check, cheese is nutritious and proves to be a natural treat. Out of the many types of cheese, you might want to choose the strongest one, but it also depends on what your dog likes.
- Sardines: Little sardines are readily available in markets and are very easy to break in half. Canines love these as well, so if your dog is one of them, you can choose sardines as the special treat for training.
Difference Between Dog Training Treats and Other Dog Treats
When it comes to training treats, there are some factors that make them different from regular dog treats. This uniqueness is what makes these treats suitable for training your pets.
- The first and main difference between regular and training treats is that the latter is smaller in size. Since these are supposed to be for training and don’t serve as food, you can find tons of varieties of bite-sized training treats.
- While teaching your pet something new, you need to give the treats repeatedly. To avoid excessive weight gain, training treats are kept low in calories.
- Training pets is a continuous process and is not limited to a certain age. To suit all development stages, training treats are made in a way that they are easy to swallow even for little puppies. Mostly, these treats have a moisture content ranging from 10% to 30%.
- While making training treats, brands focus on the taste and add enticing flavors to motivate your pet. This is because the goal is not to serve as a meal but to be rewarding. However, important nutrients are sometimes added to help in physical training sessions.
- These treats are more durable and sturdy as compared to regular dog treats. This allows you to carry them around in a pouch.
Things to Consider Before Choosing a Dog Training Treat
Now that you know what are training treats and their various types, you might want to buy some for your own pets. However, since this industry is growing, there are many brands preparing training treats. To find the best training treat, look for the following characteristics:
- The Right Flavor: Yummy flavor and savory taste is of vital importance when choosing a training treat. This is what makes a treat truly rewarding. Therefore, it is important that you invest in dog treats that your pet loves. Luckily, training treats are prepared in various flavors, ranging from chicken, beef, cheese, and many other lovable flavors.
- Ingredients: The right ingredients are also very important. When purchasing training treats, avoid the ones with artificial flavors and fillers like grains and by-products. Even if these foods pack good taste, they are not healthy and can have a harmful effect on your pooch’s health.
- Small Size And Portability: Training treats are something you keep with yourself all the time so you can give your pet one each time he completes a task. Ideally, the treats would be smaller in size or easy to break into pieces for easier carrying.
- Should be Sturdy: It’s hard to be a training treat as it has to be stuffed in a pouch and then carried around all the time. To make the most of these snacks, a good choice is ones that are sturdy and hold shape.
- Easy To Swallow: While training pets, you may be dealing with a younger puppy or a grown one. While crunchy treats are also great, these aren’t the best for training when you can’t let chewing slow down the lesson. Choose softer treats with more moisture content.
- Nutrition and Calories: It is true that training treats serve as a reward and do not replace the regular meals. However, that does not mean that you cannot look for proper nutrition. All-natural ingredients and low-calorie foods provide a fun and nutrition combo.
- Choose the Stinky Ones over No-Odor: Smell plays an important role in grabbing your pet’s attention. Dogs tend to love the rather smelly treats, even if these aren’t your favorite. Therefore, in short, the stinkier the treat, the better the taste.
- Beware of Recalls: Whenever it comes to your pet’s food and stomach health, never compromise on the quality. There are many brands recommended by pet experts and provide healthy treats. However, you should do your research and never purchase from a food brand that has had recalls in the past.
- Meat vs. Cookie Treats: By ancestry, dogs are carnivorous, and meat is an essential part of their diet. If your pet is a meat lover, then you should go with small meat treats like meatballs and beef jerky. However, if your canine prefers cookies and kibble, choose that. Remember to buy small sized food.
- Packaging: Proper packaging is really important as it keeps the food from spoiling. If you are buying salmon or meat, make sure that the treats come in a resealable package for secure storage.
- Storage: When it comes to training treats, long-term freshness is a must, and the food should be able to stay good even at room temperature. Choose treats that can stay in shape and maintain freshness even without refrigeration.
Benefits of Using Dog Training Treats
Training treats help make pet training sessions more fun for both the owner and the pet. This friendly way of teaching has turned out to be more effective and useful when disciplining dogs. Let’s look into some of the many benefits of using these dog treats:
- Faster and Motivated Training: What’s a greater motivation for doing something than food? Dogs love treats and are the happiest when they have their fave meals. If you want your pet to learn new skills, you can get faster results by using jerky, small biscuits, and other treats that our canine loves.
- Fun Way Of Teaching Discipline: Strictness is a way of disciplining pets; however, it is not the most pet friendly. In fact, it can develop fear and create a strain in your relationship. Using food helps you bond with your pet as you playfully teach them useful skills.
- Helps Younger Pets Adjust More Easily: Young puppies and smaller dogs need a lot of attention in order to adjust to a new place. If you are welcoming a new member to your house, using training treats can be useful to help the new pet get comfortable in the environment. Puppies also tend to have a shorter attention span. To get their attention, stinky treats work great.
- Stress-Free: Knowing that you are using healthy, small treats, you can be rest assured that the training goes stress-free. Moreover, this training is more about teaching good behavior instead of correcting unwanted behavior. In this training method, even little pups begin to pick on the basic commands rather quickly. The trick is to use the treats at the right times, combined with tons of praise.
- Strengthens the Bond between You and Your Pet: While food is an excellent motivation for doing something, pets also like to get attention. Using treats makes this time feel less like a training session and more like a pet-owner bonding time. Your pets will also view you as a provider instead of someone who’s trying to strictly discipline them.
- Improves IQ: Learning new skills and techniques increases your pet’s IQ and helps adjust to their ever-changing surroundings. Many interactive dog toys use such training treats by providing them as a reward for solving a puzzle. The result is useful mental exercise and improved pet behavior.
How Should I Store Dog Training Treats to Keep Fresh Longer?
Ideally, dog training treats are made to be sturdy and keep their freshness for a long time, even without proper storage. However, some precautions and care should be taken when it comes to your canine’s food.
- Use Zip-Lock or Resealable Pouches to Prevent Spoilage: While dog training treats do keep their long-term flavor and goodness, too much exposure to air may cause early spoilage. To prevent that, many brands offer treat packaging in resealable bags for easy storage.
- Avoid Crushing Treats: For training purposes, the treat selected should be smaller in size. If you buy bigger-sized training treats, you can crush or break them into smaller sizes, but that reduces the lifespan. However, for meat-related foods like salmon, you can break it into half before giving it to your pet.
- Do Not Use an Already Used Bag for Holding Treats: Many dog treats have 20% to 30% moisture, and some are sticky. This stickiness can be left in the bag even after being used. Therefore, do not use the same bag for each refill and instead get a washable pouch. That way, you’ll be able to maintain both hygiene and freshness of the training treats.
Some Important Tips
The following tips should be followed to make sure your pet gets the best treats, and you are able to get the required results from the training.
- Always go with the trial and error method for choosing the right treats. All pets have their preferences, and your canine may not like the treats most brands deem as best. Experiment with different flavors and types.
- The recommended amount of daily pet treats is approximately 10% of their meal. This should be measured based on your canine’s age, breed, and a regular dog meal.
- Do not stick to buying only one kind of dog treat. Having a variety of treats for different stages of training is more effective and gives you a choice.
- Pick the size of the treats according to your pet. For smaller breeds, look for something that is easy to swallow.
- If your dog is not motivated to even after using the treats, you might want to consult a vet.
- While many dog treats do have moisture in them, it is recommended to carry water with yourself.
- Check the ingredients before buying to make sure your dog is not allergic to any of the components.
- These treats are specifically for training. It is recommended not to use them as regular food as it can affect your pet’s motivation.
- Use a washable bag for storing the treats.
Conclusion
As pet owners, we all want our pets to be able to learn new skills and be well-behaved. However, strictness is not always the best method to get the required results.
Training pets using dog treats is a rather new, trending way of teaching your pet new skills and rules of the house. It is a friendlier, less strict way of bonding with your pet.
However, before choosing one for your canine, consider your pet’s age, breed, behavior, likes, and dislikes. By doing so, you can get maximum results from this fun training.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What do dog trainers use for treats?
Answer: Dog trainers usually use small, easily portable treats like soft and hard kibble, beef jerky, natural treats, Oat, and Peanut butter treats, and more. It all depends on what your pet loves to eat and what you can find in a smaller size.
Question: What is the best training treat for pets?
Answer: The “Zuke’s Naturals Chicken Recipe Treats” packs flavor with low calories and is our pick for the best dog training treat. Available in various flavors and sizes, these treats are suitable for dogs of all ages. With all-natural ingredients, including cherry and turmeric, your pet gets the best taste and nutrition.
Question: How many dog training treats should provide per day maximum?
Answer: A rule of thumb is to limit the treats to 10% of your pet’s daily food intake. Since it’s a rough estimate, if you want to get specific, you’ll need to count the calories. This calorie intake is mentioned on your canine’s regular food package. From there, you can calculate the approximate 10%.
Question: How to use puppy training treats at a young age?
Answer: Younger pets around 7 to 8 weeks old tend to have a shorter attention span. However, by using training treats, you can expect them to understand simple commands like sit and stay. Usually, formal training is done after your pet is at least 6 months old.
Question: What is the best puppy training treat?
Answer: Puppies require lots of love and attention, even when training. The “Blue Buffalo Tender Soft Moist Training” is best for the young pets and provides nutrition with fun. Prepared with real, wholesome ingredients, the blue buffalo features healthy treats that your pet will love.
Question: Do dogs like homemade treats?
Answer: It’ll depend on your dog’s preference and the actual goodness of your handmade treats. However, mostly the answer is yes. Prepared with the right ingredients, homemade treats can prove to be a tasty, economical, low-calorie solution for all your pet’s training needs.
Question: What is the best natural dog training treats?
Answer: Many times, pet owners want a natural treat for their pets. If you are one of them, then the “Old Mother Hubbard Original Assortment” is the one. Offering tons of flavors and sizes, you can choose the most suitable one according to your pet’s age and breed.
Question: Are dog treats for clicker training any different?
Answer: No. You can use any training treat for clicker training. However, it is recommended to buy more than one kind of treat so your pet can get something different each time. However, for clicker training, you’ll need to first introduce your pet to the clicker.
Question: Can I offer training treats every day to my dog?
Answer: Yes. Training with treats is something you give your dog some each time a task is completed. However, since overeating can have a bad effect on your pet’s health, it is recommended to gradually reduce the daily amount after your pet starts to learn.
Question: What is the best healthy dog training treat?
Answer: If you are looking for a health and taste combo, the “Rocco Roxie Gourmet Jerky Treat” is the treat. This healthy treat is loved by pets and smells like a real piece of beef jerky.
Question: Can I provide dog training treats as regular treats?
Answer: No. While the training treats are also like regular treats to some extent, they need to be special to motivate your pet. If it is something your canine gets regularly, he may not feel the motivation to do a specific task.
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