When you start training your puppy, treats become your best friend. Puppies are incredibly food-motivated, and the right training treats can make the difference between a quick learning session and a frustrating one. We’ve trained several litters of Goldendoodles now, and here are the treats we keep coming back to again and again.
What Makes a Good Training Treat?
Not all treats are created equal when it comes to training. You’ll be going through a LOT of treats during the first few weeks and months—we’re talking hundreds. Here’s what matters:
- Soft and easily breakable—Hard biscuits are out. You need treats that soften quickly in a puppy’s mouth so they can swallow and get back to the next repetition. Crunchy treats slow down your training rhythm.
- Small size—A pea-sized treat is plenty. You’re not trying to feed your puppy; you’re rewarding behavior. Smaller treats also mean you can do more repetitions without overfeeding your puppy’s daily calorie budget.
- Smelly and irresistible—Your puppy should be excited to work for these treats. Bland biscuits won’t cut it. Meat-based treats with strong aroma work best.
- Low calorie—Since you’re using so many, they need to be light on calories or you’ll overfeed without realizing it. High-protein, low-filler is the way to go.
- Good for their digestion—Some cheap treats cause upset stomachs. Look for single-ingredient or simple recipes with no mystery meat by-products.
Our Top Training Treat Picks
Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Beef
This is one of our favorite high-value training treats. Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Beef Cubes are 100% beef with nothing else—no fillers, no weird ingredients. Puppies absolutely lose their minds for these. Break them into tiny pieces (smaller than your pinky nail) and you’ve got the perfect high-value reward for tough training moments like recalls or “leave it” exercises. One bag lasts through multiple training sessions if you’re breaking the pieces up. We like these because they’re made from New Zealand grass-fed beef and there’s absolutely nothing questionable in the ingredient list.
Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Beef
Another single-ingredient option we trust. Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Beef Bites are pure beef, freeze-dried to lock in nutrition and flavor. They’re a bit crumbly (which is perfect for breaking into training-sized pieces), and puppies find them irresistible. These work especially well during the early weeks when you’re doing frequent short training sessions. The bite-sized format means less prep work on your end. We love that they’re USDA sourced and have that strong meaty smell that puppies love.
Purina Pro Plan Training Treats
If you want a more budget-friendly option without sacrificing quality, Purina Pro Plan Chicken and Rice Training Treats are soft, small, and affordable. They’re not single-ingredient like the freeze-dried options, but they’re formulated specifically for training and won’t upset sensitive puppy stomachs. Great for high-frequency training sessions when you don’t want to spend a fortune. Each bag gives you weeks of training treats when you’re breaking them into small pieces.
Treats to Skip
Hard biscuits, dental chews, and rawhides don’t belong in training sessions. They take too long for your puppy to process, and they’re way too high-calorie for the quantity you’ll need. Save those for later in the day as a special reward or enrichment toy, not for training. Also skip anything with lots of artificial ingredients or mystery meat by-products. Your puppy’s stomach will thank you, and their learning will be sharper when they’re not dealing with digestive upset.
Pro Training Treat Tips
- Break them smaller than you think—A pea-sized reward is plenty. Your puppy doesn’t need a huge bite to get excited about the next repetition.
- Have multiple options—Switch between high-value (freeze-dried meat) and medium-value (softer kibble) treats depending on the difficulty of what you’re asking. Easy behavior = medium treat. Hard behavior or distraction = high-value treat.
- Train before meals—A puppy is more motivated when they’re a little hungry, not right after eating. Pick times when they’re alert and food-driven.
- Keep training sessions short—5-10 minutes max with a young puppy. Multiple short sessions beat one long one. Your puppy’s attention span is shorter than you think.
- Account for treat calories—If your puppy eats 500 calories per day, and you use 100 calories of training treats, reduce their regular meals accordingly. Treat calories count.
The Real Secret
Here’s the thing: the specific brand of treat matters less than your consistency and energy during training. A puppy with an excited trainer using plain chicken pieces will learn faster than a bored trainer with fancy treats. That said, having treats that your puppy genuinely loves removes one variable from the equation and keeps training fun for both of you.
We keep our training treats simple and high-quality—usually freeze-dried or single-ingredient options—because they work, they’re easy to portion, and our puppies go wild for them. Start with one of these recommendations, watch how your puppy responds, and adjust from there. You’ll figure out what works best for your fur baby pretty quickly. And remember: you’re not rewarding the treat, you’re rewarding the behavior. Make it worth your puppy’s while to listen.
Happy training!
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