Best training treats for dogs 2024: Encourage best behaviour at a budget price

Training a dog isn’t just about knowing all the tricks or understanding dog behaviour like a pro. Your dog’s success hinges on two things: consistency, and really great dog treats. Finding the right treats for training is important as you want them to be healthy, but also high-value – the more excited your dog is about the treats you offer them, the more quickly they will learn and respond to your training.

Best dog training treats: At a glance

How to choose the best dog training treats for you

Why do I need dog training treats? 

Simply put, food is often the best bribery for getting dogs to do what you want them to do, so dog training treats are a great way to engage them. You might need training treats to help your dog learn new tricks, or to reinforce good behaviour on walks such as loose-lead walking, or you might use training treats to help anxious dogs overcome fears around children, people, cars or other stressful triggers. Dog training treats that your dog absolutely loves can be a powerful tool in helping your dog become a well-behaved pet.

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What should I look out for in dog training treats? 

The most important thing for dog training treats is that they are safe and healthy for dogs. This means relatively low in fat, ideally including no grains or cereals, and providing a good, healthy source of protein. They also need to be the right size, as treats that are too large will take too long to chew and could hamper any progress, while treats that are too small might be a choking hazard, particularly for larger dogs that might swallow them whole. 

You also need to think about texture. Hard, crunchy training treats might be less messy for you, but softer, more malleable or semi-moist treats can be broken into pieces during training sessions, making them last longer. Softer training treats may be better for dogs with dental issues too.

How many training treats can my dog have? 

When training your dog, it’s tempting to give them as many treats as possible to help them learn new behaviours quicker, but in feeding our dogs too many training treats we can run the risk of making them overweight. As a general rule, it’s best not to give your dog more than 10% of its calorie intake in training treats, so you might have to do a little maths when you’ve read the nutritional value on the back of the packet. Choosing low-fat dog training treats might be best if you feel you need to use more than that, and sometimes it might be best to cut down their normal food intake to make up for the fact they’ve had plenty of treats during training sessions. 

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How we test dog training treats

Our expert author has canvassed her colleagues in the dog training and walking world to discover which are the best training treats for dogs. She has personally used countless different types of treats with her dog, Arty, a Manchester Terrier who is very much always in training. All of the training treats in our roundup have been used at home and out on walks, as well as on trips abroad to evaluate how easy-to-use and effective they are for training in different environments.

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The best training treats you can buy in 2024

1. JR Pet Products Pâté: Best high value dog training treats

Price when reviewed: £3.99 (per 200g) | Check price at JR Pet Products

Available in a wide variety of flavours, from chicken and beef to venison and wild boar, this pâté is technically a dog food, but it’s also a favourite of trainers and behaviourists in need of high value treats for dogs who struggle to maintain focus on their rewards. It comes as a large sausage-shaped block of semi-solid pâté, but is easy to chop up into small pieces. It can be messy if you’re transporting it for longer periods, so it’s best kept in a plastic bag when out walking, but it is a highly effective training treat when used in high distraction environments. The best thing about this product is that it can be frozen, so you can freeze the pâté, chop it and take just what you need on a day-to-day basis. However, the salmon can certainly leave a smell on your hands, so wash thoroughly after using.

Key features – Texture: Moist; Pre-portioned: No; Grain-free: Yes

2. Natures Menu: Best semi-moist training treats 

Price when reviewed: £2.39 (per 60g) | Check price at Pets at Home

These semi-moist treats are an excellent alternative to the JR Pet Products pâté, as they’re packaged already chopped into smaller pieces. These can easily be broken in half during training, and the meaty nature of the treats make them a hit with easily distracted dogs. The Natures Menu treats come in three different flavours: lamb and chicken, chicken, and beef. They won’t leave a smell on your hands after light use and, as long as they’re kept dry, they’re a relatively mess-free option. The packaging is resealable but the packets are small, so the value for money is less impressive than with the JR Pet Products pâté; however, you’re paying for convenience and quality with these treats and that alone could be well worth your money.

Key features – Texture: Semi-moist; Pre-portioned: Yes; Grain-free: Yes

3. Bounce & Bella: Best hard training treats 

Price when reviewed: £19 (per 1kg) | Check price at Amazon

A favourite among Amazon shoppers, Bounce & Bella offers some of the best grain-free, additive-free dog training treats that can be bought online. Often sold as double packs of both the poultry and fish flavours for a combined weight of 1kg, it’s exceptional value. 

The treats are crunchy, so they won’t be suitable for older dogs with sensitive teeth, but dogs with a robust bite will love them. They are also handy for scattering in grass so your dog can enjoy scent work and, as they’re relatively mess-free, they’re a convenient alternative to semi-moist or moist treats – though you might find your fingers still smell a little after use.

Key features – Texture: Crunchy; Pre-portioned: Yes; Grain-free: Yes

4. Grub Club Sit Roll Treat Repeat: Best sustainable training treats 

Price when reviewed: £3.79 (per 100g) | Check price at  My Grub Club

Whereas most training treats are made from meat – which is a less sustainable source of protein for our animals – these Grub Club training treats are packed with insect protein. This means the environmental impact is significantly lower and there’s a lot more bang for your buck here as, by weight, insects have twice as much protein than beef. 

The treats are hexagonal and can be broken into two or three for smaller mouths to feed. They’re baked in the UK with a mix of banana, spirulina and berries, and are suitable for dogs with allergies. 

Key features – Texture: Soft; Pre-portioned: Yes; Grain-free: Yes

5. Fish4Dogs Super Star Training Treats: Best fish-based training treats

Price when reviewed: £16 (per 450g) | Check price at Amazon

Fish, especially fish rich in omega-3, is known for helping to keep a dog’s coat healthy and shiny, but it can also assist with joint mobility, digestion and brain development, so using it in training treats can be a brilliant way to boost your dog’s overall health. 

Rather than using whole fish – such as sprats – for training, the Fish4Dogs range offers a few processed options, the best of which are the Training Super Stars Sardine flavour and the Training Salmon Bites. These treats are crunchy so, if your dog suffers from sensitive teeth, you might want to consider the Squid Bites, which are softer and can be broken up into smaller pieces.

Key features – Texture: Crunchy; Pre-portioned: Yes; Grain free: Yes

6. Lily’s Kitchen Training Treats: Best puppy training treats

Price when reviewed: £22 (per 560g) | Check price at Amazon

Specifically formulated for puppy training from eight weeks old, these soft, meaty treats will have most puppies doing their sit-and-waits in no time. The treats in each packet might vary in size, but they’re soft enough to be broken up during training if necessary. 

The chicken and turkey treats don’t leave much of a smell on your hands, but you might expect a little scent leftover if you’re using the chicken and salmon ones. The treats are grain-free and have over 80% meat content. 

Key features – Texture: Soft; Pre-portioned: Yes; Grain-free: Yes

7. Wagg: Best low-fat training treats

Price when reviewed: £1.25 (per 125g) | Check price at Amazon

Wagg training treats are a pet store staple across the UK as they’re a reasonably priced brand with lots of options. Their training treats come in various shapes and sizes – with the sausage-shaped treats being particularly great for breaking up to create smaller treats – and there’s a huge variety of flavours, from steak pie to sausage and mash. Although, if your dog struggles with weight gain, their turkey and rice low fat treats are a good option. They’re suitable for dogs eight weeks and older, and have just 4% fat content; however they do contain a large number of additives and grains such as wheat and rice.

Key features – Texture: Soft; Pre-portioned: Yes; Grain-free: No