The healthiest dog treats have a short list of real ingredients, suit your dog's size, and make up no more than about 10% of their daily calories. For training, choose small, soft, single-ingredient treats so you can reward often without overfeeding. Everything else is detail, but the detail is where a lot of supermarket treats fall down.
- Look for recognisable, whole-food ingredients: ideally a single named protein.
- Avoid long lists of fillers, artificial colours and added sugar or salt.
- Keep treats to roughly 10% of daily calories; the rest comes from balanced meals.
- For training, smaller and softer beats bigger and richer: you can reward more often.
- Introduce any new treat gradually and always supervise long-lasting chews.
What ingredients should I look for?
Favour treats built around recognisable whole foods: a single named meat is the gold standard. The shorter and clearer the ingredient list, the better. Simple, minimally-processed treats like Meaty Treaty freeze-dried chicken hearts keep all the natural nutrition and flavour without needing fillers to hold them together. If you can read every word on the label and picture the actual food, you're on the right track.
What ingredients should I avoid?
Skip treats with a long list of unpronounceable additives, artificial colours and flavours, or a lot of added sugar and salt. Colour is purely for the human buying it: your dog doesn't care that a treat is bright pink. Cheap fillers bulk out a treat with empty calories, which matters when treats should be a small slice of the daily diet. When in doubt, fewer ingredients is almost always better.
Which treats are best for training?
The best training treats share three traits, and getting them right makes training dramatically easier:
- Small: pea-sized, so you can reward dozens of times without overfeeding.
- Soft: quick to chew and swallow so training keeps flowing between reps.
- High-value: smelly, meaty and exciting enough that your dog will genuinely work for them.
Freeze-dried meats tick all three and break easily into tiny pieces. They're ideal for puppies learning the basics: see our new puppy starter checklist for how treats fit into early training.
How many treats are too many?
Keep treats to roughly 10% of your dog's daily calories, with the other 90% coming from balanced meals. On a big training day, simply reduce dinner slightly to compensate, and always keep fresh water available. Overtreating is one of the quietest causes of weight gain in Australian dogs, and even a little extra weight puts strain on joints and shortens active years.
What are the best natural chews for downtime?
For longer-lasting enrichment, a natural chew gives your dog a satisfying job that also helps burn nervous energy. Single-ingredient options like freeze-dried beef tendon are a great step up from processed chews. Always match the chew to your dog's size and supervise the first few, removing any small end pieces before they become a swallowing risk.
Are there treats for dogs with sensitive tummies?
Yes: the trick is keeping it simple. Single-protein, limited-ingredient treats are far easier on a fussy digestive system than mixed-meat or heavily-processed options. If your dog reacts to chicken, a novel protein like freeze-dried turkey or lamb hearts can be a gentler choice. Introduce any new treat slowly over a few days, and check with your vet if your dog has known allergies.
Can treats help my dog's teeth?
Some can. Treats and chews designed to support dental health encourage the chewing that helps keep teeth cleaner between brushes. A natural option like Simply Seaweed works from the inside and can simply be sprinkled on food. Dental care is worth taking seriously: our dental care guide for dogs and cats explains how to prevent painful (and expensive) problems down the track.
Frequently asked questions
Can cats eat these treats too?
Many can. Several freeze-dried meats, including the Meaty Treaty chicken, turkey and lamb ranges, are made for both cats and dogs: the label will say so. Single-ingredient meat treats are a great high-value reward for cats during play and training.
Are freeze-dried treats actually healthy?
They're one of the better options. Freeze-drying removes moisture while keeping most of the nutrition of the raw ingredient, and the best ones contain nothing but the meat itself. Just remember they're still treats, so they count toward that 10% daily allowance.
How should I store treats?
Keep freeze-dried and natural treats in a sealed container in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight. Reseal the bag or decant into an airtight jar to keep them fresh and prevent them going stale or soft.
Which human foods should I never give as treats?
Never give chocolate, grapes or raisins, onion or garlic, macadamias, or anything containing the sweetener xylitol: all are toxic to dogs. Stick to treats made for pets, and when you're unsure about a food, leave it out.
Shop next: Food & Treats · Meaty Treaty Chicken Hearts · Beef Tendon Chew · Simply Seaweed
Related reading: How to Choose the Right Dog Toy · New Puppy Starter Checklist · Dental Care for Dogs & Cats