Many commercial dog treats contain ingredients and additives that may be unhealthy for your dog. Your dog may also be allergic to some ingredients contained within commercial dog treats. For example, my Shiba Inu is allergic to wheat, and my Siberian Husky is allergic to wheat, oats, and fish.

There have also been a variety of dog food and dog treat recalls, so make sure to only get food from companies that have good quality control. Get dog treat information and dog treat reviews from a range of sources before making a choice.

Below are a list of commercial dog treats I have given to my dogs. I will list their pros and cons, and discuss how strong a motivator they are in training. I also give my dogs non-commercial dog treats.

Dog treats can be very useful in dog grooming and dog training, but always exercise moderation. Make sure to feed your dog a balanced diet.

Commercial Dog Treats

1. Innova EVO Treats.

EVO dog treats are great because just like all other EVO products, they are high in protein and grain free. My dogs also love the taste of this dog treat. Good for stuffing in Kongs and putting into the Nylabone Crazy Ball.

2. Wellness Bar Treats.

I use Wellness bar dog treats to add variety and keep my dogs motivated. These dog treats are wheat free, and the molasses in them make them smell great.

I have tried all the flavors and my dogs most prefer the vegetarian yogurt, apples, and bananas flavor. I only give my dogs a small amount of these because they have lower protein content compared to the EVO dog treats. Good for stuffing in Kongs.

3. Zukes Mini Naturals.

These dog treats are nice because they are moist and have a very different taste, and texture when compared to the dry Innova and Wellness treats. They are also wheat free.

I have tried all the flavors and my dogs like the peanut butter best, and the chicken least. I have also tried the Zukes Z-filet and I would not recommend it. It contains a high amount of salt and upsets the stomach of my Siberian Husky.

4. Dogswell jerky.

These dog treats are nice because they are mostly meat (70% protein) and do not contain spurious additives like salt, sugar, etc.

My dogs absolutely love the chicken jerky version of Dogswell’s Mellow Mutt and Happy Hips. I use Mellow Mutt because my Shiba Inu can be very reactive and overly hyper, and Happy Hips because my Siberian Husky is a three legged dog.

Note: Dogswell jerky is made in China. There was a recall for some jerky products from China in 2007. Here is another article from the FDA. According to Dogswell, their product is lab tested to be safe and their chicken is cooked at a high temperature for 10 hours to prevent salmonella. As of, November 2008, I have used Dogswell for about 8 months with no problems.

5. Baa-Baa-Q’s Lamb Lung.

This dog treat is made out of lamb lung, is 100% natural, and is not high in fat. I mostly put these into the Hol-ee Roller Ball dog toy. This provides my dogs with an interesting mental activity, and they are very motivated to get the lamb lung out.

6. Gimborn Freeze Dried Liver.

This dog treat is similar to the Baa-Baa-Q dog treats but is made out of freeze dried liver. It is high in protein and does not contain any additives. However, my dogs only have medium interest in these.

7. Premier Liver Biscotti.

I have tried the wheat and egg free versions. Sadly, my dogs quickly lost interest in these dog treats. The liver biscotti also upset my Siberian Husky’s stomach, because it contains oat flour. Otherwise, the ingredient list looks good and it has relatively high protein content.

8. Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls.

These rolls have a nice strong smell that drives dogs crazy. My Shiba Inu and Siberian Husky absolutely loves these dog treats and will do good work for them. Unfortunately, these rolls contain wheat.

If your dog does not have any wheat allergies, then these dog treats are great for obedience training. Just cut the rolls into small bite-sized pieces.

9. Charlee Bears.

At dog training class, my Shiba Inu would not stop begging from the people with Charlee Bears in their pockets. Unfortunately, Charlee Bears contain mostly wheat flour, and my poor Shiba Inu is allergic to wheat.

Otherwise, these dog treats are also good for dog training because dogs love them, the treats are low in calorie, and they do not contain bad additives. As with all other treats, however, it is important to feed in moderation.

10. Smokehouse Chicken Poppers.

A problem with Smokehouse poppers was that they were too large in size. To make sure I did not overfeed my dogs during training, I had to cut them into smaller pieces individually. This was very time intensive and a big pain in the ass, so I stopped using this dog treat. It turned out for the best because in 2007, there was a recall on Smokehouse products.

I would not recommend using Smokehouse dog treats.

Dental Dog Treats

I used to give my dogs deer antlers as dental dog treats.

However, my Shiba Inu cracked one of his pre-molars while chewing on a deer antler.

The dental specialist I went to advised us NOT to give our dog any hooves, compressed rawhide, compressed antlers, processed white bones, or even non-edible Nylabones (basically anything that you think is too hard, and has no give).

Instead, she suggested that we use Greenies for dental health. Make sure to get the proper Greenie size for your dog. In addition, supervise your dog’s initial chewing sessions to make sure that they do not swallow large pieces of the dental dog treat. So far, Greenies have worked out well for us.

Note that rawhide is not a good dental dog treat.

Many dogs can tear off fairly large chunks of the rawhide, and if swallowed, these chunks may become a choking hazard. They may also block the digestive system and cause infection. Rawhide pieces may absorb water and expand in your dog’s stomach, causing further digestive issues.

Please Let Us Know

If there are particular commercial dog treats or dog food that have caused your dog problems, please post about it below.

The more information we share, the better we can protect our dogs from poor quality dog treats and dog food. Woof Woof!!

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