Over 75% of dog owners, dog trainers, vets and pet professionals feed their dogs’ dog treats or dog snacks on a regular basis, meaning weekly or even more often. This means that most dogs that are pets or are cared for get at least a portion of their dietary needs from dog snacks. Safe dog treats, ones that are good for dogs and puppies, aside from nutritional value, can provide other benefits for dogs as well. From breath and dental aids to mild arthritis and joint pain relief (dog snacks with added glucosamine for example) to training benefits and chewing benefits (which helps keep dogs from destructive chewing habits), dog snacks can have many positive benefits for your dog.
This study was undertaken to find the best dog treats on the market, based on a number of criteria used to identify the best dog treat, the second best dog treat and 3 runners-up. The determinants used included nutritional value, training benefits, added benefits (like dental of joint pain relief), as well as popularity amongst pet owners, dog trainers and vets.
#1 Best Dog Treat: Doggie Chicken Chips. All Natural Chicken Chips – Dog Treats MADE in the U.S.A.
• Nutrition: Doggie Chicken Chips: All Natural Chicken Chips are one of the best dog treats on the market because dogs love the flavor and because they are made completely of chicken tenderloin. These dog snacks have no fillers, no additives, no chemicals or preservatives. They are just human grade chicken breast tender meat, all white meat; therefore it is lean and packed with protein, as well as low in calories. Each 2 calorie treat is less than 5% fat and 80% protein.
• Cost: These popular, healthy dog snacks cost $36.99 for a 16 Oz Bag, which is the largest bag on the market. A 16 oz. Bag contains approximately 120 Doggie Chicken Chips, so each individual treat costs about thirty-one cents apiece.
• Why Dogs Love Them: The fact that these dog snacks are made of 100% chicken sums up the flavor profile. Also these treats are light and easy to digest, all while giving dogs the essential meat nutrition that their bodies crave.
• Why Pet Owners Love Them: The online reviews for these safe dog treats are overwhelmingly positive. Owners love them because they are healthy and easy to store. Even though they are made of 100% chicken meat they are dehydrated. One of the reasons they were often mentioned as the best dog treat in reviews was because they lasted so long and stay fresh even though they are made only of real meat.
#2 Runner up: Best Dog Treat: Bil-jac Little-jacs Small Dog Treats 16oz
• Nutrition: These healthy and safe dog treats are great morsels for dogs to enjoy, even for dogs that have problems with soy as they are completely soy free. There is also no gluten meal used in these dog snacks as well. The protein content of these chicken liver and chicken flavored snacks is a healthy 25% compared to a lean 10% fat content. These are small softer chew dog treats, so dogs of all sizes can enjoy them.
• Cost: The 16 Oz. – 3 Pack of these popular dog snacks sell for $25.87. This means that you get 3.2 pounds of these snacks at a cost of only about fifty-four cents per ounce. On top of the inexpensive cost of these treats, they come in a pouch that can easily be resealed, so they stay fresh and last.
• Why Dogs Love Them: Dogs enjoy the chicken liver flavor, and the fact that they are small and easy to chew and digest. In fact one of the big reasons that this qualified as the second best dog treat is that in a vast majority of reviews, many owners claimed that these snacks are their dog’s favorite snack.
• Why Pet Owners Love Them: Owners love these snacks because their dogs tend to love them and they are healthy dog snacks as well. The most common positive review of note often came from dog trainers and owners who train their pets, as these are considered great dog treats for training purposes, as they are small, inexpensive and dogs love them. Also, these dog snacks are listed as an Amazon’s Choice, which means that Amazon endorses them.
#3 Belly Bone Yogurt Dog Bone – 21 mini treats
These dog snacks have excellent nutritional value, especially as digestive aids, as they are loaded with antioxidants to help the immune system, Omega Fatty Acids to help with a healthy coat (and for the skin), and prebiotics and probiotics that help with digestion as well as other stomach related issues such as gas.
To top it off, these safe dog treats have a unique design that provides some dental benefits as the treats massage teeth and gums. Made of things like potato flour, rice flour, flax oil and non-fat dry milk, their biggest benefits come as digestive aids, but they are useful as training rewards.
Also, Belly Bone Yogurt Dog Bone come in for sizes, from mini-breed to large breed so there is an ideal size dog treat made for any breed or size of dog. The small breed 13ct (Pack of 3) for $22.99 is extremely cost effective, and the costs for breeds range from there to about $27 for the 3 packs, meaning each dog treat ranges approximately from $1.60 to $1.75 apiece.
#4 Nudges Grillers Dog Treats, Chicken
Dogs love the natural chicken flavor of Nudges Grillers Dog Treats, made with real chicken. The meats that are used in Nudges Grillers Dog Treats are sourced only from the United States.
There is also a beef flavor that fits the same parameters, but the chicken flavor dog snacks are Nudges most popular flavor based on sales volume. These dog snacks are packed with protein at 17%, but they are not too high on essential fats (17%).
These safe dog treats have no artificial preservatives, nor any corn, wheat or soy, so they taste fresh and are gentle on digestion as well. These treats are tender, so they are easy to chew. They also have an excellent shelf life and, as they are relatively small strips, are excellent to use as safe dog treats for training dogs. The best value pack is the 4×18 Oz pack, (4.5 lbs.) which goes for $78.99 apiece. But if you break the cost down to a per ounce cost, these dog snacks cost just over a dollar an ounce at $1.09 per ounce.
#5 Variety Pack of Bully Sticks, Cow Ears, XL Beef Tendons, and Beef Cheeks by What A Dog Wants, 100% All Natural Assorted Beef Dog Chews, Grass Fed, Free Range, USDA Approved, Assorted Dog Treats
Dogs have an instinctive need to chew, and these dog snacks, aside from satisfying a dog’s appetite, are great for chewing, especially the bully sticks and cow’s ears. This also means they are good for your dog’s teeth, as they help keep teeth strong and sharp, and for your dog’s breath. They also help to exercise the jaw muscles, which is best to be done on a treat and not the furniture!
These safe dog treats are among the best dog treats for value, too, as they are long lasting, and have a nice assortment. Each package contains 6″ bully sticks, 2 uncut cow ears, 2 beef cheeks, and 3 large beef tendons made from 100% real beef, with no additives or preservatives. The beef is even free range, grass fed beef, and is USDA certified from a sustainable source.
At $27.77 for 10 assorted treats, the cost for each healthy dog treat is just about $2.78 apiece. That is a fantastic cost when you consider that it is only made from free range, grass fed beef.
Data and Factors Determining this Study for Best Dog Treats
Dog snacks are not meant as a dietary staple, nor do they provide the comprehensive, balanced nutritional content that dogs require.
That must be satisfied with a complete, healthy, nutritional diet, along with exercise and in some cases veterinarian prescribed supplements. As always, consult a veterinarian when it comes to the nutritional needs of your pet.
However, dog snacks, aside from making your dog happy, satisfying hunger needs, and improving your dog’s quality of life, can provide supplementary nutritional value for your dog. They can also help with bad dog breath, dental needs, and are often great to be used for training purposes. This study was undertaken to find the best dog treats on the market, based on nutritional value, added benefits (such as satisfying chewing urges, training purposes and dental benefits), popularity, dog training and veterinarian recommendations, customer reviews and cost factors.
The research gathered based on this criteria was collected from the Internet, from published nutritional content, from vet, dog trainer and customer recommendations, sales in volume data, and from customer reviews. Hundreds of sites, blogs and articles were reviewed and compared in this research in an effort for find not only the absolute best dog treats available, but nutritious, healthy and safe dog treats as well.
The 4 Basic Criteria Considered
- Nutrition: Nutritional content of ingredients were examined and compared, but again, dog snacks are not dietary staples. Some dog snacks have specific purposes, or a few purposes, such as aiding with dental needs, boosting immunity or helping with digestion. These factors were considered when comparing nutritional value. Common nutritional needs, like a manageable fat content (less than 20%), protein content and fresh, healthy ingredients were also examined and taken into consideration. Only safe dog treats were considered for this study. For example, certain rawhides are noted for chipping teeth or causing blockage. Any dog snack with potentially harmful effects was immediately eliminated from consideration.
- Cost: The cost of each brand was also compared in this study, at least as best as cost could possibly be compared when it comes to dog snacks. Dog treats are often broken down by cost in various ways. Some cost factors are broken down by units (number of treats you get per dollar) while others were broken down by weight (broken down to cost per ounce in this review). The dog snacks themselves are all made and sold differently, some are small and dogs eat more than one at a time, while some are made to last for multiple uses. Therefore, breaking cost down by units or weight was the fairest way to measure and compare the cost factor.
- Why Dogs Love Them: This mainly took flavor, freshness of ingredients, sales volume and reviews of dog snacks into consideration. As there is no way to ask dogs directly what they like to eat, customer opinions of what their pets like was the closest to first hand reviews that could be found. These criteria, along with popularity and certain obvious flavor profiles (chicken, beef, fish, etc.) were then reviewed together.
- Why Pet Owners Love Them: This portion of the study was reserved for recommendations by professionals as well as countless online reviews and popularity (based on sales). Furthermore, added benefits for owners, such as how costly they were for training purposes, how long they last and stay fresh, and how easy they are to store were taken into consideration and noted.
While you’re giving your dog healthy dog treats – also keep in mind that some treats can be toxic and potentially fatal for your dog!
At all costs, avoid feeding your dog: • Alcohol • Avocado • Chocolate and Caffeine • Cooked bones (unless you really know what you’re doing) • Too much Dairy • Fruit pits and seeds • Grapes and raisins • Human Vitamins and Medication • Onions & too much garlic • Raw meat & eggs (again, unless you really know what you’re doing and what your dog likes because it can cause vomiting and Diarrhea) • Spoiled food • Sweets • Walnuts & macadamias • Xylitol • Yeast dough • Corn on the cob • Whole fish
