Choosing the Best Dog Treats for Your Furry Friend
Key Takeaways:
- Dog treats serve a variety of purposes like offering training rewards, providing an occupying activity, cleaning teeth, and simply making your furry friend happy.
- Look for healthy, low-fat treats made with limited ingredients to keep your dog feeling their best.
- You can make your own treats using dog-friendly ingredients such as sweet potato, bananas, and carrots.
Selecting the best dog treats depends on their ingredients, your furry friend’s age and size, and what you want the treats to accomplish. If you’re training your dog, for instance, you’ll want to use small, quick snacks to get their attention and reinforce positive behavior. On the other hand, you may want to opt for long-lasting chews like bones and bully sticks if you’re looking to keep them busy.
You’ll need a few kinds of treats on hand to help your dog live their best life, from giving them wholesome nutrients to offering the enrichment they crave. Discover the different varieties of treats available and how to choose the best ones for each situation.
Best Treats for Your Dog
| Treat Type | Treat Benefit |
|---|---|
| Crunchy Treats and Biscuits | Satisfying texture, excellent for training, instant gratification. |
| Long-Lasting Chew Treats | Occupying, help fight boredom. |
| Jerky Treats | Savory flavor, chewy texture, often high in protein. |
| Dental Treats | Help clean teeth and gums, reduce plaque and tartar buildup, freshen breath. |
| Natural Animal Parts | Satisfy primal urge to chew, extremely long lasting, help prevent destructive chewing. |
| Homemade Treats | Control over ingredients, extra-special indulgence. |
Crunchy Treats and Biscuits
When you hear "dog treats," you probably think of small treats and biscuits. These baked snacks often come in a compact size and feature a satisfying crunchy texture, making them tasty rewards for your best friend.
Small bites—or even your dog’s favorite treat toy refills—are excellent training rewards because they provide instant gratification. The best dog training treats are little so you can offer your furry friend praise multiple times during a training session.
Long-Lasting Chew Treats
What are some of the best dog treats for tough chewers? Long-lasting chew treats, of course! These tasty rewards keep dogs occupied and happy, offering everything a pup and their pet parent can ask for. They are also ideal for helping dogs fight boredom; for example, when you have a busy day working from home and can't give your best friend as much attention as usual!
If you want your dog’s chew treats to be delicious and healthy, you’re not alone. According to a Nylabone® survey1, pet parents ranked natural, highly digestible, and made with real meat as the most important attributes they look for in a long-lasting treat. That’s why we recommend USA-made Natural Nubz® chew treats, which are highly digestible and free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives for guiltless enjoyment. From real chicken to a savory meaty center, these limited-ingredient treats come in a variety of delicious flavors dogs love.
Jerky Treats
We humans aren't the only ones who enjoy savory jerky snacks! Jerky treats for dogs are made of dehydrated meats, fish, fruits, or vegetables, offering the appetizing flavors our furry friends naturally crave. Through the dehydrating process, moisture is removed to preserve the food while retaining key vitamins and minerals. Because of the lower water content, jerky typically has a tough, chewy texture that dogs love!
Give your furry friend a dog jerky treat that is premium quality, low in fat, and made with real ingredients. Meat and fish jerkies are especially high in protein!
Dental Treats
In addition to benefiting your dog's teeth and gums, regular dental care also affects your best friend's overall wellness because it helps reduce the risk of periodontal disease, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Incorporating dental treats into your dog's oral care routine can help keep their smile in tip-top shape!
Our dog dental treats are designed with shapes and features specifically to help clean teeth, such as 360-degree scrubbing nubs. Along with reducing plaque and tartar buildup, these treats provide dogs a tasty, long-lasting snack.
Search for dental chew treats made with quality ingredients and ideally, varieties that are veterinarian recommended. While they are one of the best dog treats for oral health, they are still treats—so limit your dog's intake.
Natural Animal Parts
It's simply in dogs' nature to crave treats made from real animal parts such as bully sticks, beef hide, and pig ears and other long-lasting dog chews. In addition to satisfying every dog's primal urge to chew, natural animal parts help clean teeth as dogs chew. These treats are typically long lasting, which keeps dogs occupied and helps prevent destructive chewing. Some popular natural parts for dogs include:
- Bully Sticks and Piggy Sticks: Single-ingredient bully sticks and piggy sticks are available in various sizes and shapes. They are highly digestible and high in protein.
- Beef Hide: From all-natural to varieties with tasty flavors, beef hide chews satisfy tough chewers. Popular shapes include curls, retriever rolls, and chips.
- Beef Shin Bones: Beef shin bones provide an entertaining chewing challenge for extreme chewers and are often stuffed with tasty fillings dogs love.
- Cow Ears and Pig Ears: Cow ears and pig ears are often oven roasted to bring out their natural savory flavor. They're high in protein and low in fat, providing a healthy treat.
Homemade Treats
Sometimes there's nothing as satisfying to us as a homemade goodie…and the same goes for dogs! There are plenty of dog-friendly treat recipes out there for you to follow. From frozen dog treats ideal for warmer weather to festive dog treats during the holiday season, some of the best dog treats are made with love.
No matter what kind of treat you make your pup, be sure to include dog-safe foods such as sweet potatoes, bananas, and carrots while staying away from toxic foods for dogs including raisins, onions, and anything with xylitol. Also be mindful of the ingredients, size, and calories to meet your furry friend's specific needs.
Treating Tips
Be sure to follow best practices when giving your furry friend any treat. This means always feeding treats as a supplemental reward and not as a meal replacement. Reward your dog in moderation and ensure you find what the best dog treats are for your pup's size and weight. Of course, you should always supervise your dog while they are enjoying a treat, too!
Discover our wide variety of chew treats for more healthy ways to reward your four-legged friend.
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