7 Amazing High Value Training Treats Almost All Dogs Love
As a modern dog trainer, you know the importance of figuring out each individual dog’s likes/dislikes when it comes to training treats. However, there are some foods/treats that are almost always considered high value in the minds (or mouths?) of dogs. Just be mindful that as so many of these high value food items are not specifically for dogs, they may be extremely high in fat or sodium, or just have questionable ingredients (see #1!), so save them for training complex behaviors or locations that will require super high value rewards.
Please note – this is not an inclusive list nor is it necessarily an endorsement; these are some treats I personally use and have heard from other trainers they use and like. Additionally, some of the links here are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase through them, helping us continue offering great advice for your dog training business; we only recommend products we believe in, and we value your trust.
Kraft Easy Cheese, AKA “Squeeze Cheese”
Perhaps the ultimate high-value treat – Kraft Easy Cheese!
Was there ever a human food more perfectly designed for dog training than squeeze cheese? That lovely metal can with a nozzle at the end is perfect for relatively mess-free treating. And you cannot get a more ideal treating method for muzzle training because the nozzle fits so well through the muzzle. It comes in several flavors, though anything other than American or Cheddar can be difficult to find. There is an elusive bacon flavor that is rumored to be THE ONE.
Peanut Butter
Baby Food
Baby food is soft and stinky, pretty much ideal for dog training. Also, seeing as how it is designed to keep human infants alive and healthy, it often contains less questionable ingredients than something like Easy Cheese or hot dogs. Baby food also now comes in squeezable pouches for easy mess-free treating.
Hot Dogs
Kind of like peanut butter, hot dogs are a classic super high value training treat. Whenever possible, get the nitrate/nitrite-free ones so they are at least slightly less unhealthy. And remember, one hot dog can garner over a hundred treats if cut well.
Freeze-Dried Bison or Chicken
Freeze-dried or dehydrated meat/organs is considered “doggy crack” by those in the know. Though it’s not overly stinky, it still can get the attention of most any dog in your vicinity. One drawback is that the pieces are often kind of large, requiring a little work to break them into more appropriate treat-sized pieces. The effort is worth it for such a mess-free, healthy, high value treat.
French Fries
Fresh, warm, salty, greasy french fries. Nectar of the gods (dogs?). Incredibly unhealthy, so definitely only use these in extreme moderation. However, the lovely thing is they are soft so they are very easily torn into very small pieces so you can get a lot of training mileage out of just a handful of fries.
Fruitables Skinny Minis
These are relatively newer on the market but dogs seem to go nuts for them. They smell really good, they’re small, they’re soft, not messy, and very inexpensive. Almost the ideal high value training treat.
What are some other treats your clients’ dogs consider high value?
