Food is a powerful reinforcer and a love language! Here are some kinds I have found many dogs enjoy.
These opinions are my own and I do not receive any compensation for these recommendations. Click on an image to be brought to a link to purchase the food.
A few notes about using food while training:
Content warning:
discussion of food & calories
Treats can be tiny! To effectively teach our dogs, we are going to use a lot of food. The smaller the morsels are, the more we can use! Most of the time my treats are pea-sized.
According to board-certified veterinary nutritionists, treats should only make up 10% of a dog’s overall daily caloric value.
To calculate your dog’s daily caloric needs, try the Dog Calorie Calculator. This calculator follows these parameters from the OSU Veterinary Medical Center.
To avoid too many calories coming from treats, I like to use complete & balanced dog foods as the bulk of my food reinforcement. If you are using a nutritionally balanced (AAFCO approved) food as a “treat,” you can relatively safely decrease the size of your dog’s meals to compensate for the calories used during training, without compromising their nutrition.
Anything that is not nutritionally complete & balanced (AAFCO approved) is considered a “treat” and should try to be kept to less than 10% of your dog’s daily calories.
For example, if my dog needs 1000 kcal per day, 90% of that should come from balanced food (900 kcals) and 10% (100 kcals) could come from treats.
If you have more questions about canine nutrition or your dog has a medical condition, talk with your vet! I also recommend checking out The Canine Health Nut. Nikki has a myriad of topics covered on her blog and offers Pet Nutrition Consultations.
Low value treats.
These should be used for easy tasks in low distraction environments.
Usually for this tier, we are looking at dry & crunchy treats. Every dog’s exact preferences are unique, but here are some treats that are low value for most dogs.
Your dog's regular kibble! Try setting aside a portion of your dog's daily meals to use for training. Calories vary - check the bag!
The Honest Kitchen's Food Clusters: Small Breed Blend - This food comes in fairly small pieces, is complete & balanced, and doesn't have a super greasy feel like most kibble does. About 116 kcal/ quarter cup.
Jiminy's Dog Food - This food is complete & balanced, doesn't have a greasy feel, and it made from sustainable insect protein! Good Grub: about 102 kcal/ quarter cup. Cravin' Cricket: about 95 kcal/ quarter cup.
Medium value treats.
These can be used for slightly more difficult tasks in mildly distracting environments.
The tier is usually made of softer treats & meatier ingredients. These are some treats that are medium value for most dogs.
Your dog's regular kibble soaked in a low-sodium broth - this can be safely kept in the fridge for 3-5 days. Calories vary.
Squeasy Snacker - Fill these with wet dog food, peanut butter, whipped cream cheese, or even baby food. Depending on what you fill them with, these can be higher value for dogs, hold their attention for longer & are great for winter walks while wearing mittens! Calories vary.
Freeze Dried Chicken Liver - This single ingredient treat is easy to break into smaller pieces. Because this is high in Vitamin A, keep this treat to 5% or less of your dog's daily calories. About 4 kcal/ gram.
Happy Howie's Meat Rolls - Cut these rolls into tiny pieces for low calorie treats! Calories per 1/4 inch cube: Beef-0.8 kcal. Lamb-0.9 kcal. Turkey-1 kcal.
Pupford Training Treats - All of these treats are less than 1 kcal each & with lots of flavors to choose from, your dog is sure to find something they like!
Beef lung - This single ingredient treat has a puffy texture & can sometimes be broken into smaller pieces. 5 kcal/treat.
Fig & Tyler treats - offering freeze dried single ingredient treats , slow baked goodies and more, use code LF7570 to save 10% on your order. Calories vary!
High value treats.
These are your top tier treats to use when you really need something good!
For high value treats, the smellier & grosser to you, the better to your dog! Here are some treats that most dogs find high value.
Blocks of cheese are an easy & affordable high-value treat that can be cut into tiny pieces. Calories vary, but this one is 110 cal/ ounce.
String cheese - this is a great option for when you want to just grab something & go! String cheese is easy to tear up into tiny pieces quickly. Calories vary, but on average they're about 80 cal/ stick.
Hot dogs can be an easy & affordable high value treat for many dogs! Be sure to cut them up into tiny pieces. Calories vary, but this particular package has 130 cal/ hot dog.
Deli turkey is easy to tear into tiny pieces & very desirable to many dogs. Calories vary, but on average it has about 25 cal/ ounce.
Beef liver is usually a big hit with dogs! I love these specific ones because they are pre cut to be tiny! Each treat is only 0.17 kcals, which makes these a super low calorie treat! Beef liver is high in Vitamin A and copper, though, so be sure to use these in moderation to keep your dog's diet balanced.
Ava's Pet Palace Salmon Treats - these single ingredient treats have a strong salmon smell that most dogs love. These are a bit bigger, so keep that in mind. 18 kcal/ treat.
Redbarn Rolled Dog Food - These meat rolls are a complete & balanced food, unlike Happy Howie's, and they are more smelly & crumbly. kcal/ one inch of roll: Beef-329 kcal. Chicken-312 kcal. Lamb-351 kcal.
Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Meals - The unique texture of these morsels is similar to puffcorn, easy to break apart, and popular among many dogs. This food is complete & balanced. Calories vary between recipes, but the chicken is 68 kcal/ quarter cup.
Beef tripe - these single ingredient treats are a nice small size, can be broken apart even smaller & smell so strong your dog is sure to love them. I have found these to be very high value for nearly every dog I've met. 155 cal/ ounce.
Ziwi Peak Steamed & Dried Food - This food is complete & balanced! Calories vary between recipes- this kind is 305 kcal/ cup.
Ziwi Peak Air Dried Food - This food is complete & balanced, has a jerky like texture and comes in small pieces that are easy to break up. I find most dog LOVE the tripe & lamb, but be warned: it is smelly! Calories vary between recipes- this kind is 465 kcal/ cup.
Spot & Tango Unkibble - This complete & balanced food also features an interesting, puffy texture. Unkibble comes in four recipes: chicken + brown rice, cod + salmon, turkey + sweet potato, & beef + barley. Calories vary between recipes, but the cod + salmon is 215 kcal/ cup.
Bark Pouch Lickable Dog Treats - With recipes like sardines & cream cheese, salmon & ricotta, and beef & liverwurst, your dog is sure to love these! Calories vary. Salmon & ricotta is the lowest calorie option, at 60 kcal per 50 gram pouch.