10 Best Training Treats for Puppies

• Choose treats that are soft, tiny, and quick for your puppy to eat.

• Aim for approximately 1–3 calories per reward whenever possible.

• Break larger treats into several pieces rather than feeding them whole.

• Use some of your puppy’s regular kibble for easy exercises at home.

• Reserve smellier, higher-value treats for recall, new environments, and difficult distractions.

• Treats and other extras should generally stay below 10% of your puppy’s daily calorie intake.

• Introduce new treats gradually to avoid upsetting a sensitive puppy stomach.

• Rewards do not always need to be food; play, praise, access to sniffing, and toys can also reinforce good behavior.

The best puppy training treats are small, soft, aromatic, and easy to divide. Your puppy should be able to swallow the reward within a second or two and immediately return their attention to you.

Soft treats generally work better than large biscuits during active training because chewing interrupts the flow of the lesson. Crumbly treats can be equally distracting, particularly when a puppy spends the next minute vacuuming fragments from the floor instead of listening to you. Professional training guidance commonly recommends using rewards that are small, soft, and appealing enough to hold the dog’s attention.

Pupford Freeze-Dried Training Treats earn the top position because they combine strong flavor with very small portions. The chicken variety contains fewer than two calories per treat, is suitable for all life stages, and contains no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Some Pupford training varieties are listed at one calorie or less per piece.

These treats are particularly useful when you need a more exciting reward than kibble but still want to deliver many repetitions. Freeze-dried meat has a concentrated smell that can help regain a puppy’s attention outdoors or around distractions.

The slightly dry texture means they may crumble in pockets or treat pouches, and any new rich protein can cause loose stool in a sensitive puppy. Begin with a few pieces and increase gradually. For very small puppies, check each piece and break up any larger chunks before training.

Cloud Star Tricky Trainers Puppy Mini Soft & Chewy Treats are made specifically with puppies in mind. Each lamb treat contains approximately 1.5 calories, making them one of the most practical choices for toy breeds and young puppies that need frequent rewards.

Their soft texture is ideal for rapid training because your puppy can eat them without pausing to crunch. They also contain salmon oil and pumpkin, although these ingredients are present in treat-sized quantities and should not be viewed as replacements for a complete puppy diet.

The recipe contains several protein and carbohydrate ingredients, including lamb, egg, chicken fat, grains, and peas. That variety may be perfectly acceptable for most puppies, but it is not my first choice when trying to identify a possible food intolerance.

Your puppy’s own food is one of the most overlooked training rewards. It is already nutritionally balanced for growth, familiar to the digestive system, and included within your puppy’s daily calorie allowance.

Measure out the day’s food in the morning, then place part of it in a training pouch. You can use kibble for simple behaviors such as responding to their name, sitting before the food bowl, entering the crate, and checking in with you during walks.

Kibble may not be exciting enough in busy environments, especially when squirrels, dogs, visitors, or mysterious pieces of pavement are competing for attention. I generally use lower-value rewards for easy behaviors and save meatier treats for more demanding tasks. This reward ladder helps prevent every basic “sit” from costing you the canine equivalent of a luxury dinner.

Zuke’s Mini Naturals are small, chewy treats containing approximately two calories per piece. They are easy to tear into smaller portions, and different recipes use ingredients such as chicken, beef, peanut butter, and oats.

Although the manufacturer currently markets Mini Naturals primarily toward adult dogs, the ingredients and texture make them a commonly used option for older puppies that can tolerate the chosen recipe. Check the packaging available in your region and discuss their suitability with your veterinarian when feeding a very young puppy or one with medical dietary needs.

The pliable texture makes them convenient for training classes and walks. However, they can dry out if the bag is left open, so reseal the package promptly and avoid filling a treat pouch with more than you need for that session.

BLUE Bits are soft, moist training treats made with chicken as the first ingredient. They contain approximately four calories per treat and include DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid used in puppy diets to support normal brain and eye development.

Four calories is still reasonable for an occasional reward, but I would divide each piece into two or four smaller portions during repetitive training. Puppies do not assess the dimensions of the reward with a ruler. To them, receiving a tiny morsel immediately after the right behavior is usually more meaningful than receiving a larger chunk several seconds later.

These treats contain multiple ingredients, so they are not ideal for puppies on a carefully controlled elimination diet. The chicken recipe should also be avoided when your veterinarian has advised excluding poultry.

The standard Cloud Star Tricky Trainers range is a good choice for puppies attending training classes or practicing in moderately distracting environments. The treats contain approximately three calories each and are soft enough to divide with your fingers.

The salmon variety has a noticeable smell, which can be valuable when your puppy is more interested in another dog than in your carefully rehearsed “watch me” cue. Their texture is also relatively tidy compared with oily meat or crumbly biscuits.

Some recipes contain pork, chicken flavor, dairy, grains, sugar, or molasses, so read the complete ingredient list rather than relying on the flavor printed on the front. A treat labeled “cheddar,” for example, may contain several other animal proteins.

Fruitables Skinny Minis are small, chewy rewards containing around three calories per treat. Depending on the variety, ingredients may include pumpkin, apple, blueberries, mango, chicken, or bacon flavor. The miniature size and soft texture make them convenient for training.

These can be useful for puppies that enjoy sweeter, fruit-based flavors or for owners who prefer not to handle strong-smelling liver during every training session. They are also less messy than fresh meat.

However, “fruit-based” does not automatically mean calorie-free or suitable for every sensitive stomach. Some recipes contain added sweeteners and multiple ingredients. Break the pieces down further for small puppies and introduce them gradually.

Wellness Soft Puppy Bites are formulated for puppies under one year old. The lamb and salmon recipe includes omega-3 fatty acids and DHA and has a soft texture that is easy to tear.

The main disadvantage is size and calorie density. Depending on the current product and market, calorie listings have varied, and individual pieces may be considerably larger than dedicated mini training treats. For that reason, I would not feed these whole during a busy session. Tear each bite into several pea-sized pieces before you begin.

I often remind owners that manufacturers define a “treat” according to the shape produced in the factory, not according to the amount your puppy needs as a reward. One packaged treat can become four, six, or even eight successful repetitions.

Stewart Freeze-Dried Beef Liver contains a single ingredient: beef liver. Its intense smell and flavor make it a useful high-value reward for recall, handling exercises, grooming, veterinary visits, and training around distractions.

The cubes vary in size, so they should be broken into tiny fragments before use. At approximately six calories per gram, feeding whole chunks can add calories quickly. Liver is also rich in vitamin A and other nutrients, meaning it should remain a treat rather than becoming a major part of the diet.

I prefer to think of liver as a bonus-level reward rather than everyday pocket currency. Use it for the behaviors that matter most, such as turning away from another dog or racing back to you when called.

Small pieces of plain cooked chicken can be an excellent puppy training reward. Use unseasoned, skinless meat with all bones removed, then cut it into pieces smaller than your fingernail.

Cooked chicken is soft, aromatic, inexpensive, and particularly useful during puppy classes or recall training. It is also easy to prepare in batches and refrigerate or freeze in small portions.

Because fresh chicken is moist, it spoils faster than commercial treats. Keep it chilled until needed, discard anything left sitting in a warm treat pouch, and wash your hands after handling it. Avoid chicken cooked with onion, garlic, sauces, excessive fat, or seasoning. Puppies with suspected chicken sensitivity need a different protein selected with veterinary guidance.

When choosing puppy training treats, start with calorie content rather than marketing language. Terms such as “natural,” “premium,” and “healthy” do not tell you how many rewards can reasonably fit into your puppy’s day.

AAFCO labeling guidance states that calorie information should be expressed as kilocalories per kilogram and per familiar unit, such as one treat or biscuit. Look for the “Calorie Content” statement on the package.

For repeated training, I generally favor treats containing approximately one to three calories each, although larger treats can work when divided. A four-calorie treat broken into four pieces becomes four one-calorie rewards.

Texture is equally important. Choose soft or semi-soft treats that your puppy can swallow quickly. Hard biscuits are better suited to occasional snacks than fast-paced training.

Consider your puppy’s digestive history as well. A puppy with a sensitive stomach may do best with their usual kibble or a simple single-protein treat. Introducing five exciting new flavors during the first training class may produce enthusiasm at one end and digestive consequences at the other.

Finally, match the reward to the difficulty of the behavior. Kibble may be sufficient in the kitchen. A soft commercial treat might work in the garden. Cooked chicken or liver may be needed beside a busy road or during recall practice. Your puppy decides what is high value, so watch their response rather than assuming the most expensive packet will win.

There is no universal number because puppies differ enormously in size, age, activity level, diet, and daily energy requirements. Calories are more useful than counting individual pieces.

As a general rule, treats and other foods outside the complete puppy diet should provide no more than approximately 10% of total daily calories. Some veterinary nutrition guidance suggests aiming closer to 5% to create an additional safety margin.

For example, if a puppy eats 500 calories each day, the maximum treat allowance would usually be around 50 calories. Forty one-calorie rewards fit comfortably within that budget. Ten large treats containing six calories each would exceed it.

Growing puppies need carefully balanced levels of protein, energy, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins, and other nutrients. Replacing too much puppy food with incomplete treats can dilute that balance, even when the treats appear wholesome.

Prepare treats before the lesson starts. Cutting them while your puppy waits gives the behavior-reward connection time to evaporate. Rewards work best when delivered immediately after the desired behavior.

Keep sessions short, often just three to five minutes for a young puppy. Several brief sessions scattered throughout the day are generally more productive than one long session that ends with both puppy and owner mentally wandering into the shrubbery.

Use a mixture of rewards. Food is efficient, but it should not be your only option. Praise, a quick game, permission to greet someone, opening the door, or allowing your puppy to sniff an interesting patch of ground can all reinforce behavior.

I also recommend carrying two levels of food reward. Keep kibble or a mild treat for routine behaviors and a stronger-smelling option for important moments. This prevents high-value rewards from becoming ordinary while giving you better negotiating power when the environment becomes exciting.

The best training treat is not necessarily the most elaborate one. It is the reward your puppy enjoys, digests comfortably, and can receive in tiny portions without displacing their balanced puppy food.

Pupford Freeze-Dried Training Treats are my best overall commercial choice because they offer strong flavor in very small, low-calorie pieces. Cloud Star Tricky Trainers Puppy Mini Treats are another excellent option, especially for small puppies. For ordinary practice at home, however, your puppy’s own kibble may be all you need.

Keep rewards small, deliver them quickly, and save the most exciting treats for the hardest tasks. Consistency teaches the behavior; the treat simply helps your puppy understand that making the right choice is worth doing again.