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We like to reward our dogs at all stages of life, but giving treats to a puppy is one of the most useful tools you can have for training them, socializing, and earning trust.
Puppies learn fast, and one of the best incentives for them to do what we’re trying to teach them is a tasty treat. From eight weeks old, you can start to introduce your puppy to soft treats, but they should only be puppy-sized to help with digestion, easy-chewing for puppy teeth, and avoiding any choking hazards. Most puppy treats on the market are labeled as such to help you identify them.
Try to choose single-ingredient, low-calorie treats to avoid giving your puppy unhealthy additives or too many calories, because trust us, you’ll be dishing out treats a lot to try and teach them how to sit, crate-train, and not wee on the carpet!
You could also try doggy (unsweetened) peanut butter, a small piece of soft fruit, such as pumpkin or apple, or small pieces of plain, lean chicken.
If you’d rather buy them something from the store, here are our recommendations:
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Raised Right - Meat Bites Lamb Liver
These single ingredient treats contain no preservatives or filer ingredients.
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Freshpet - Dog Joy Turkey & Bacon Treats
Treats made with natural, farm raised turkey, no by-products or artificial flavors.
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Jinx - Beef & Bone Broth Biscuits
All-natural, oven baked treats, made with real beef, bone broth and superfoods.
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The Honest Kitchen - Ocean Chews Crispy Cod Fish Skin Beams
These single ingredient, high protein chews are packed with omegas to promote healthy skin and a shiny coat.
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Dr. Marty - Tilly's Treasures, Freeze-Dried Raw Beef Liver Treats
These single ingredient treats are freeze-dried to protect the nutrients and keep puppies trim, active and healthy.
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Pawstruck - Natural Jerky Treats
These single ingredient treats contain a natural source of chondroitin to support joint health and contain no artificial flavors or preservatives.
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Orijen - High Protein Dog Biscuits/Puppy
Animal protein in the first 3 ingredients and packed with DHA from pollock oil to support a puppies cognitive development.
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The Best Treats for Puppies
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Frequently Asked Questions
When can I start giving my puppy treats?
You can start giving your puppy treats from around eight weeks (which should be when you took them home, if everything was done by the book), but they should be soft and puppy-sized. You can progress this to biscuits and larger, soft chews at around three to four months.
When can I start giving my puppy bigger treats?
From around eight months to 12 months you can safely give your puppy larger treats, even adult-sized treats, as long as they are suitable and do not contain any controversial ingredients. You can see our regular treat recommendations here.
How do you introduce new treats to a puppy?
The short answer is – gradually. To avoid giving your puppy an upset stomach, you should introduce new treats or flavors to them slowly over a period of around five days.
