Dog Training Treats (2026): Small, Soft, Counted

Training uses treats faster than anything else: dozens of rewards in a few minutes. This page is about picking a treat that can keep that pace without blowing the day's calories, and about the few ingredients never to use.

How we chose: we did not use or test these treats; we picked soft or crumbly treats sold by Amazon.com and in stock on September 28, 2026, and took calories from the maker's page or the listing.

Five training treats and their calories

Prices are Amazon's, as of the time shown, and subject to change. Details

Maker figures come from Zuke's Mini Naturals Beef page, Wellness's Soft Puppy Bites page and Stewart's single-ingredient treats page.

The 10% rule, and where it comes from

The Tufts veterinary nutritionists behind Petfoodology put the limit plainly in their article on safe and healthy treats: "Too many treats (more than 10% of your pet's daily caloric intake) can add lots of unnecessary kcals," can "nutritionally unbalance the diet," and "could be harmful if your pet has a medical condition."

The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee's guidelines say the same about any product labeled for "intermittent" or "complementary" feeding: it "should only be fed as a small portion of the diet (10% or less)."

The reason is on the label. AAFCO's label guide explains that treats "aren't usually intended to provide a complete and balanced diet," and that AAFCO's model rules "do not require that pet treats meet standard nutritional adequacy requirements" as long as the package says "snack" or "treat."

Some products instead carry the line "This product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only." Either way, the treat is not food. Stewart's liver says so directly: "To be fed as a treat, in addition to a complete and balanced diet."

What does 10% look like? Tufts uses the example of an average Labrador retriever that "only needs 1,000 kcal per day." Ten percent of that is 100 kcal: about 66 Pet Botanics treats, 50 Zuke's Mini Naturals, or 16 Wellness Puppy Bites, using the calorie figures above.

A smaller dog needs fewer calories, so its treat budget shrinks with it. Your dog's actual calorie needs are on the food bag's feeding guide or with your vet. Calories per cup differ from food to food, too; our adult dog food guide lists them for five adult foods.

What makes a treat good for training

Training means many rewards in a few minutes, so the treat has to be:

• Small. Pet Botanics sells its minis at about 500 treats per 10 oz bag, per the listing. Anything bigger than a pea can be torn or cut.
• Soft. A soft treat is gone in a second, so the next repetition can start. Zuke's describes its Mini Naturals as "easy to tear" and chewy.
• Low in calories. At 1.5 to 2 kcal per piece, a dog can earn dozens of rewards before the 10% budget is gone.
• Worth working for. Freeze-dried liver has a strong smell, which is why the Stewart listing calls it a "high value reward." Save it for the hard moments.

Tufts adds one more rule for choosing a brand: "We don't recommend feeding any treats from companies that can't (or won't) tell you the nutrition information for their products." If the calories are not on the bag or the maker's website, ask the company.

Cheaper and lower-calorie options Tufts suggests

You do not have to buy treats at all. Tufts suggests using "a portion of your pet's regular food in a special 'treat' bag," putting kibble into dispensing toys, or giving crunchy vegetables as chews. Counting part of the dog's own dinner as training rewards keeps the day's calories where they were.

When money is tight, our guide on what not to cut puts treats among the things that can shrink or wait.

For a dog on a diet or a dog with a medical condition, Tufts says to "talk to your veterinarian about appropriate treats." Ask your vet; this page is general information, not veterinary advice (more on that).

Xylitol, and other things never to use as treats

Peanut butter is a favorite training aid, and the FDA says to check the label of any nut butter you give a dog "to make sure it doesn't contain xylitol." In dogs, xylitol can cause "a rapid and profound decrease in the level of blood sugar (hypoglycemia)" within 10 to 60 minutes, which "can quickly be life-threatening."

The FDA lists vomiting, weakness, staggering, collapse and seizures as signs, and says some effects may not appear for 12 to 24 hours. Its advice: "Check the label for xylitol in the ingredients of products, especially ones that advertise as sugar-free or low sugar." Xylitol may also be listed as birch sugar or wood sugar.

If your dog may have eaten xylitol, the FDA says to "call your vet, emergency clinic, or animal poison control center right away."

Tufts' treat article adds other human foods to keep away from dogs: garlic and onions "can cause blood problems," grapes "can cause kidney disease," and chocolate "can even be fatal."

It also warns that bones and rawhides "can cause stomach upset or obstruction" and that some chew bones run over 1,000 kcal. Our guide to safe chew toys for aggressive chewers covers what to give a dog that needs to chew.

Using treats for puppies and seniors

Puppies are the heaviest treat users because everything is new. Wellness Soft Puppy Bites are made for puppies under a year, per Wellness, and our new puppy checklist and best puppy food guide cover the rest of the first months.

Tufts' puppy growth guide says treats "should make up no more than 10% of a dog's total daily calories" and suggests taking "an inventory of all your puppy's treats," because extra calories can make puppies "grow too quickly," especially large breeds.

Older dogs often need fewer calories overall, which makes the treat budget smaller. Our senior dog food guide explains why. A slow feeder bowl or a puzzle toy loaded with part of the daily kibble can replace some treats entirely.

Recalls

We checked every brand here against our pet product recall page, which tracks FDA and CPSC pet recalls from January 2024 to September 28, 2026. None of these Pet Botanics, Zuke's, Wellness, Blue Buffalo or Stewart treats appears on it.

The list does include several other dog treats in that period, mostly for possible Salmonella, among them freeze-dried treats from Foodynamics (October 2025) and chicken chip treats from two makers (November 2024).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which vegetables work as low-calorie treats?

Tufts' treat article gives a few with calories: a medium carrot is about 25 kcal, half a cucumber or half a zucchini about 20, and a celery stalk about 7. Cut them small for training, and skip garlic and onions.

Are bully sticks a good training treat?

Not for training. Tufts says bully sticks contain "many more kcal than people think" and can carry harmful bacteria, and a long chew stops a session anyway.

What can my dog work on between sessions instead of treats?

Tufts suggests freezing chicken broth or canned food inside a rubber toy. It takes a dog a while to lick out, and if you use part of the day's canned food, it adds no extra calories.

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PetProofLab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Calorie figures and claims are the makers' own, from their websites and listings. This guide is general information and is not veterinary advice.