Did someone say treats?
Dog Training Products We Love and Use
With the pet products industry growing by leaps and bounds and everyone who has ever owned a dog claiming to be a “master dog trainer,” it’s hard to separate the must-haves from the marketing fluff.
So: We compiled a list of our all-time favorite gear to save you all the trial and error. Our gift to you!
Everything on this list is optional. You don’t need to buy any or all of it to take classes with Level Up, nor is this an exhaustive list of everything we like. (We like a lot of dog gear). But since we’re often recommending the same things over and over again, it makes sense to compile it all into one place and just write it once. We’ve included notes on each item so you can read what it is, why we like it and which situations we recommend it for.
This list is sorted into sections for easier scanning, but in reality, there’s a lot of overlap between the sections.
Disclosure: This page includes affiliate links, which means that Level Up will receive a small commission from Amazon for any purchases. This does not affect the price you pay. The commission is how we cover the cost of trying new gear and curating this list for you.
Our Favorite Dog Treats
What are the traits that make a treat ideal for training? The more of the traits on this list, the better: meaty, strong-scented, moist, calorie-dense, rich flavored, about the size of a pea or an M&M. That means crusty old milkbones are out; penny-sized slices of hotdog are in.
When possible, we like to use a trail mix of several different types of training treats to keep things interesting for our dogs. Typically, we’ll mix one or two types of treats du jour from the list below with a heaping helping of the dog’s regular kibble and low-cost/high-value treats like hotdogs and cheese. This keeps the price more reasonable, keeps the dog’s daily calorie intake more balanced (since most of it is dog food scented like treats) and ensures that we have a nice range of values, from “hundred dollar bills” down to “quarters” so we can match the dog’s paycheck to their accomplishments.
1. Happy Howie’s Dog Food Roll (Turkey)
If you’ve ever asked me what I have chopped up in my treat pouch that’s making your dog go bananas, the answer is probably a Happy Howie’s dog food roll.
Since I work with a wide range of dogs from gigantic mastiffs to tiny yorkies and with every size appetite in between, it’s hard to find a treat that matches well to whatever dog I happen to be working with on a given day. Happy Howie’s treats are the ticket.
They come in large rolls kind of like a sausage and you cut off pieces and chop to whatever size you want. I like them to be roughly the size of an M&M or a pea for most dogs, although I’ll occasionally go bigger or smaller as needed. Since you’re doing the chopping, you can pick what works best for your dog.Each dog I work with will have slightly different treat preferences, but the Happy Howie’s rolls are my go-to for fussy dogs because it’s high value for almost everyone. They make them in turkey, beef and lamb. After testing all three for several months, the clear winner is turkey — a few dogs prefer lamb, very few prefer beef, but the turkey is by far the best bet.
There are other brands of treats that come in the roll shape. Until I tried Happy Howie’s myself, I happily recommended those alongside it. Now that I’ve chopped both types, there’s no comparison. Get this specific brand. It’s not carried locally and the difference is worth waiting for it to be shipped. Every other equivalent brand I’ve tried is either ridiculously crumbly (as in you lose about 1/4 of the roll to crumbs by the time it’s chopped, and I wish that was an exaggeration) or it turns into this really weird, kind of gross meat play-dough consistency at the bottom of your treat pouch by the end of the day. The prices are pretty similar from brand to brand, but nothing else on the market comes close to the consistency in Happy Howie’s. It’s easy to chop with almost zero crumbs and it holds its shape really well. This is what the other dog food rolls are trying to be.
A tip courtesy of our friends at Spring Forth Dog Academy: You can use a normal kitchen onion chopper to quickly cut the Happy Howie’s rounds into evenly sized pieces. It works like a charm! (Do not try this with other brands of meat roll or you’ll end up with meat-gunk smashed into your onion chopper, but it works great with HH).
The cons to this treat are that it does need to be refrigerated after opening, it’s not carried locally and you have to chop it yourself. But it’s the number one treat on my list for a reason, and I can whole-heartedly recommend it.It comes in 2-pound rolls and cases of six 2-pound rolls. I budget out a roll every week or two if I’m doing a lot of training, so I buy them in the six-roll bulk packages when I have a trainee in the house, which is what I’ve linked to here. The individual rolls are linked above where it says turkey, beef and lamb.
2. Zuke’s Mini Naturals
If I’m training out in town and need to grab treats quickly, Zuke’s Minis are what I look for on the shelf.
These are pea-sized pre-sliced training treats in just the right size for training tidbits, and they can be broken into two or three pieces if you need to stretch them a bit further. They come in about a dozen flavors and two different bag sizes. My defaults are the peanut butter, the chicken or the salmon in the large sized bags, and I haven’t noticed a strong overall preference for the dogs I’ve worked with. I will say that the peanut butter seems to be more polarizing than most: either they really love it or they really don’t. The link here is a sampler pack for six different flavors if you want to taste-test to see which your dog prefers.If you’re able to find the Zuke’s Tinies locally, I like those even better for toy-sized dogs under about 20 pounds. The Tinies are REALLY tiny, though, so only go for those if you have a dog with an itty bitty belly.
Once upon a time, Zuke’s was a beloved mid-sized independent brand, but it was bought out by Purina in roughly 2012. Trainers worried that the ingredients might change (because Purina), but as of 2018, it’s still the same list we’ve known and loved. The major benefits to Zuke’s are that they’re available just about everywhere, the ingredients list is decent, they don’t need to be refrigerated and you can get a lot of pre-cut treats for a fair price. Pound for pound, Happy Howie’s rolls are cheaper, but sometimes you just want something pre-chopped.Similar brands to price-check per pound: Merrick Power Bites and Pet Botanics Mini Rewards.
3. Beef Lung
Dehydrated meat treats in general are going to be a hit for most dogs.I like these beef lung treats in particular because they’re super high value compared to the price and I can break them into small pieces easily with my hands (versus the liver treats below, which I have a harder time breaking apart). Most dogs are really into these treats, so I generally use them as a jackpot rather than the primary treat for a training session — something a little higher value than their day-to-day fare. They’re also really easy to deliver for people with limited dexterity since the pieces are usually bigger than my other go-to dog treats and easier to hold onto because of the uneven shape.
I like these a lot for counter-conditioning fear, reactivity or aggression-based behaviors because they tend to make a big impression on the dogs without being super expensive or needing to be prepared ahead of time or refrigerated.
I will say that these tend to be pretty rich, so if your dog’s stomach is sensitive, this is a slow introduction treat. My own sensitive-stomach kids handle them fine, but I’ve worked with a few dogs who couldn’t handle how rich they were.
4. Freeze Dried Liver Treats
Back in the day, freeze dried liver was the go-to training treat — it was what EVERYONE used.There’s a reason for that: Most dogs are nuts for liver, like most other stinky, meaty treats. Now that we have a much wider range of dog treats on the market, liver treats aren’t quite as common, but they’re still very high value for most dogs. They have fallen out of favor a bit due to the price compared to the size, but if you need something high value and shelf-stable (non-refrigerated), these are usually a good option to have on the list. And because they have a stronger smell than many treats, they work well in “trail mixes” of multiple treats, so you can use them to raise the value of less-stinky mid-value treats.
These tubs are pre-cut, although I’ve usually found the pieces too big for my liking and I tend to break them apart even further to get them down to the sizes that I like. They don’t need to be refrigerated after opening and they’re easy to handle.
The downfalls are that these tend to be pretty crumbly and it’s normal to have a couple tablespoons of liver-dust at the bottom of the container when you’re done. (Fortunately, dogs love liver-dust every bit as much as they love liver itself, so sprinkle it over their food when you reach the end of the tub and call it a treat).
5. Freeze Dried Chicken Treats
Dehydrated chicken is another staple go-to dehydrated meat.It’s a little easier on the stomach that the liver or beef lung options above and tends to be on the cheaper side as well, pound for pound. I also like it because I can shred off itty bitty tiny pieces for very small puppies. It’s a little less prone to becoming meat-dust than liver and a little less likely to upset stomachs than beef lung, but also usually lower value than both. I don’t have strong feelings about dehydrated chicken in either direction, but it’s a good option for a non-refrigerated high-value treat for most dogs.
6. Kong Stuff’n
Kong Stuff’n is basically doggy cheese whiz.
It comes in a spray can in two different sizes and six or seven different flavors. You can find it at any PetSmart near the Kongs (not near the treats). The Puppy flavor and the Peanut Butter flavor have been the winners for me, but your mileage may vary on flavors. I haven’t tested a few of the flavor options, so my experience on that is limited.
I like using spray-type treats for several things in particular.
First, the intended purpose: It’s great for spraying into a Kong to make a sticky liner. I like to lightly coat the inside of the Kong with the Stuff’n, then pack a dry food on top of it so it sticks to the stuff’n and clings to the inside of the Kong. Trying to get to the last little bit of cheese whiz at the bottom of a Kong can keep a dog occupied for a surprisingly long time. For dogs who are just learning how to operate their Kongs, I also like to cap the larger end of the Kong with a dollop of Stuff’n to get them interested in the toy in the first place and to give them a quick success when they first start experimenting with getting the treats out.
Second, I like this for teaching the beginning steps of heeling. Back in the day, we used to teach with the “peanut butter spoon method.” You’d dip a big wooden spoon in the peanut butter jar and walk around with it in your left hand. When the dog was in heel position, you’d lower your arm so the dog could lick the peanut butter off the spoon. When the dog left heel position, you’d raise the peanut butter spoon out of their reach. The dog learned to stay glued to your left leg in hopes that the peanut butter spoon would drop down from the sky, and that would get us started on teaching a heel position before we faded the peanut butter spoon out of the picture. It was silly, but it worked. Kong Stuff’n fills a similar purpose in that it’s easy to turn on the “faucet” and then turn it off, so it works great for any continuous dispensing tasks.
Third, I like this a lot for counter-conditioning. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated and I can easily store it on top of a bookshelf, etc, so it’s within reach. When the trigger happens, it only takes a second to grab the Stuff’n and insert it into the dog’s mouth — no fumbling for treats in a pocket, no clue ahead of time that the trigger is about to happen because mom is wearing her treat pouch today, etc. In my house, I have a storm-phobic dog and this is the Thunder Cheese. (Don’t laugh, it works great.)
Fourth, I occasionally use this as a pacifier in situations where I’m asking the dog to temporarily exceed their actual abilities, such as if I have to take a very scared or reactive dog to the vet and I need them to be more docile in the waiting room than their current level of training. I can dispense a teeny tiny amount of Stuff’n at a slow steady rate to keep the dog focused on me instead of worrying about what is going on in the world around them.
7. Wellness Well-Bites
These squares are soft and flexible, similar to a chewy brownie consistency.They’re easy to cut into very small pieces and most dogs are willing to work for a tiny amount of these. I typically cut/break each square into nine or sixteen pieces depending on the size of the dog I’m working with. The lamb/salmon has been the biggest hit with my dogs, but any of the flavors I’ve tried have been well-received. I like rotating between the various flavors to keep my dogs from getting bored with the same old, same old. Unlike a lot of the softer chewy treat brands, these don’t seem particularly prone to drying out, although they’re easiest to cut when they’re fresh out of the bag.
These do tend to crumble or flake, which is both a benefit and a drawback — it makes it easy to break off small pieces, but also likely that you’ll have some crumbs in the bottom of your treat pouch after a training session.
8. Bil-Jac Little Jacs
Bil-Jac is an affordable treat that is easy to break into small pieces.
Remember when I mentioned “meat play-dough” above in the food roll section? Bil-Jac has a similar consistency, although it holds its shape a bit better than some of the non-Happy-Howies food rolls. The nice thing about it is that you can pinch off whatever size treat you need and easily make treats larger or smaller depending on what you’re working on. The downside is that it can be crumbly or glom together.
It’s a very smooth, malleable treat, so it works well as a cheaper alternative to a Pill Pocket if you have a dog who needs daily medication. It’s also easy to swallow for some dogs who swallow treats without chewing and gag.
Personally, I tend to go with either the Little Jacs or the YappleNana flavors in most cases. These are a mid-value treat for most of the dogs I work with — good, but not worth doing backflips over. However, for the price per pound, they’re worth a spot on your list of treat options.
9. Instinct Freeze Dried Raw Bites
If my dogs wrote the recommendations list, this would be number one or possibly tied with Happy Howies.
These freeze-dried meat bites are a huge hit for almost every dog I work with. There are very few things that are predictably high value for everybody, but this is one of them — almost every dog I work with will happily sell me their soul for a few pieces of freeze dried lamb. The size is great for training and the shape is just right.
The downfalls are that like almost all freeze-dried treats, the Instinct raw bites tend to be crumbly in a treat pouch and they’re on the higher end of the price range. I tend to use them in “trail mixes” of treats so I can stretch them a bit further.
Similar brand for price comparisons: Orijin freeze dried dog treats
10. ZiwiPeak Dog Food
Ziwi Peak treats are actually a super high value dog food.
These tiny flat squares about the size of a thumbnail have a kind of leathery jerky consistency and they are absolutely packed with meat. I like them because the per-pound price for Ziwi Peak is comparable to most of the treats above, but since this is formulated as a food, I’m less concerned about throwing off a dog’s dietary needs if I use a higher proportion of these “treats” in training than the recommended maximum 10% treats daily that AAFCO recommends. This is a premium dog food brand, so I feel good about using it as a training treat.
The Tripe and Lamb formula in particular is usually a huge hit. It’s not quite as strong smelling as many tripe products (thankfully), but the dogs still go nuts for it. It’s also easy to break into smaller pieces, similar to the Wellness Well Bites above.
11. The Honest Kitchen
The Honest Kitchen is a just-add-water dehydrated dog food.
It arrives in a powder form and can be reconstituted with warm water. If you make it as directed, it makes a soupy consistency, so I tend to use a little less water than the box calls for in most cases.
I like to use this as a Kong stuffing or a binder to hold dry food into a Kong (basically turning a cheap dry kibble into an imitation “wet food”). It also works well in the Coghlan’s squeeze tubes recommended earlier on the page, minus the occasional clot. Getting the consistency right for the squeeze tubes can have a bit of a learning curve but once you’ve got it, it’s a very convenient option for on-the-go since it’s shelf-stable until you add the water.
I like that this is made from entirely human-grade ingredients, and it’s a regular staple in the Kong recipes at my house — a nice balance between high value for my dogs, affordable and quick to prepare without needing to get out the blender. We usually do the turkey or the chicken flavors because those have been the preferred flavors in the past.
12. Baby Food
Wait, human baby food?
Yep, your standard Gerber (etc) baby food can make a surprisingly good dog treat, especially if you’re using a softer silicone squeeze tube like a GoToob. It works best if you thicken it slightly with corn starch, flour or tapioca flour before putting it into the squeeze tubes, but if you’re using it as a Kong stuffing ingredient, you can use baby food as-is. Baby foods that already come in a squeeze tube can be even more convenient for on-the-go dog training.
Remember to check that there are no ingredients in the baby food which are harmful to dogs. In particular, be on the lookout for onions, garlic, grapes, raisins and anything with the sweetener xylitol.
13. Canned Pumpkin
This one is a bit of an oddity on the list, because I rarely use it as a treat alone.
Canned pumpkin is a home remedy for an upset stomach. Since pumpkin is very high in fiber, most types of digestive upset in dogs can benefit from a tablespoon or two of canned pumpkin to help get things moving regularly again. I keep a can or two on hand in the pantry year round as a just-in-case, and if anyone’s stomach is acting funny, they get a scoop of pumpkin with the next two or three meals. Usually it’s cleared up within a day.
When I worked at a dog daycare and boarding facility, we froze ice cube trays full of canned pumpkin so we had pumpkin-cubes. This works great if you rarely use the pumpkin but want to make sure you have some on hand without wasting a whole can each time your dog’s stomach is upset — give them a scoop the day you open the can, then freeze the rest into pumpkin-cubes and keep them in the freezer for a while.
This also works well as a binder for Kong recipes, so I do give it to my dogs when their stomachs aren’t upset too, and it pairs pretty well with cream cheese for a squeeze tube recipe with the right consistency for Coghlan’s tubes. But mostly, we use it when someone’s belly is off.