Best Natural Dog Training Treats for Motivation
The Healthy Companion Company Dog Treat Review
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review and also has affiliate links. However, I will always try to offer my readers great product selections. Your trust is very appreciated, and never taken for granted. ~Tonya, Dexter and Nutter
As a positive dog trainer, I’m always recommending that my dog-training students use high-value and motivating dog treats during training. Dog training takes a lot of time, patience, and repetition, which can lead to a lot of dog-training treats. However, this does not mean that those dog training treats can’t be healthy, and even included in the dog’s daily calorie intake! As a matter of fact, I’m an advocate for using a dog’s daily food or food calories as their dog-training rewards. Here’s the rundown.
By now, you probably already know I’m a firm believer in a species-appropriate diet, which means a home-cooked or raw diet for dogs. In this diet, a dog receives a lot of real meat. After all, dogs are carnivores; you just need to take a peek at those razor-sharp teeth to realize they were made to eat meat.
When a dog is learning new behaviors or unlearning behaviors, it’s important to reward that dog often in order to make the new behavior a habit. Meat is an excellent motivator and healthy dog-training treat. And the best part is if you are incorporating meat without any other ingredients such as flour, sugars, grains, etc., you can count that meat as part of his daily food portion. Voilà, no extra calories for dog training and no fat dogs for positive-reinforcement training! Just happy, well-fed, and well-trained dogs.
When I’m looking for the best dog-training treats, I look for natural dog treats that are ideally just meat. I was beyond thrilled when I found The Healthy Companion Company and their line of wholesome meat treats. The Healthy Companion Company not only manufactures their treats in the US, but they also source all of their ingredients from local US farmers. The best part is that their meat treats are made without chemicals, preservatives, additives, and the meats are antibiotic and hormone free!
Blend of Turkey-Beef Heart-Chicken Bites Ingredients: 1/3 turkey with bone, 1/3 beef heart, and 1/3 chicken with bone.
Rabbit Formula Ingredients: Whole ground rabbit
I’m obviously over the moon with the quality of The Healthy Companion Company’s treats, and both Dexter and Nutter were going crazy when I opened the shipping box. Dexter was extremely eager to dive in, but he waited patiently as I took the photos for our natural dog treat review.
When Dexter finally had his first bite of the all-natural rabbit dog-treat formula, his eyes bulged out, and he looked at me for more. I obliged and gave him a few more rabbit treats. Then, we moved on to the Blend of Turkey-Beef Heart-Chicken Bites. Dexter was just as impressed and happy. I couldn’t leave Nutter The Cat out. He also gobbled them up.
These all-natural dog treats are a great size, light, and easily break apart for the perfect bite for a dog training treat. I love the fact they are thin and don’t take up much room in a pocket, which is especially important when training a dog on the go.
These natural meat dog treats are dehydrated, which means they retain most of their nutrients, making these treats very nutritional. The Healthy Companion Company does not use any form of preservative, so it’s best to store the treats in the refrigerator to ensure freshness.
Because The Healthy Companion Company uses bone and organ in their antibiotic-and-hormone-free dog treats, I can easily recommend that these treats are used in replacement of a portion of a dog’s daily calories for training.
If you are looking for natural, healthy dog treats, especially for dog-training treats, I highly recommend checking out The Healthy Companion Company’s line of meat treats. They also provide all-natural dehydrated duck and chicken feet if you are looking for a healthy dog chew! Don’t forget to tell them that Dexter the Dog sent you.
Visit The Healthy Companion Company’s website and Use Promo Code Dexter10 for 10% Off Your First Order. Or visit them on Amazon (no discount).
Does your dog like to train? Tell me in the comments.
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I’m pretty sure my German Shepherd (with those razor-sharp teeth!) would flip over these doggie treats! I will definitely check them out. I try to always find the best quality food and treats!
Thanks, Patricia. These treats are super healthy and motivating. Don’t forget the 10% discount. 🙂
I’m always on the lookout for good quality natural treats, and these look like they fit the bill. They look amazing, I’m sure Jack would go crazy over them. Luckily he’s so food motivated, makes training easier.
So glad to hear! Yes, super tasty, motivating and healthy. Win-win.
OhMyDog! That first photo is total CUTENESS! I was surprised to see rabbit treats! You rarely if ever see that! I could also see this being that VERY special treat needed for training to truly motivate! I do not like using my dogs normal treats for training as I just feel like they know they will get that anyway if they just wait it out lol.
Thanks! Dexter can be a hoot. Yes, rabbit is a great protein to have in training treat (or food). Most dogs tolerate rabbit, even if they have allergies. Agree, extra motivating for that difficult behavior. 🙂
Yes. We’re always training something! Usually several somethings. Mr. N is particular about having super meaty treats. He would approve of these. He likes rabbit.
🙂 Yes, love rabbit treats! I bet these would definitely be meaty enough for Mr. N. They smell fresh too.
My wife’s cockapoo can sometimes be picky when it comes to treat. I bet he would love these! My dog, and golden retriever mix, on the other hand, will eat about anything.
Yes, pretty motivating, even for picky eaters. Love the dogs that are easy to motivate! 🙂
There really lovely and healthy. How much do they cost, though? I find that such fancy treats are way too expensive for use to use.
Thanks, Jana. As with most things, you get what you pay for. 100% meat and meat raised without antibiotics or hormones is a pretty big deal when I’m feeding Dexter. About $15
I bet my dachshund Bonnie would go crazy over these treats. I will definitely be checking them out! Dexter is absolutely adorable too! I love Cavaliers and I love how he holds the bag in his mouth!
Thanks! I love dachshunds! Their long bodies and floppy ears are the best. I hope Bonnie enjoys them as much as Dexter.
Our two would definitely love these treats, especially the Rabbit ones! Here in the UK, we always try to give our dogs natural, healthy treats made in the UK. These treats look great and so good to read that they are all natural.
Thanks, Michelle. Yes, the all natural rabbit treats are really something special and that you don’t see very often.
I don’t have a dog however these treats are so much better than the standard commercial treats many are used to. The quality is definitely there and better for the pets. Will have to pin this post and share with my dog loving friends.
Thanks, Kamira. And thanks for sharing!
I’m happy that The Healthy Company’s treats are Made in the USA and sourced from US farmers. It helpful to see the close-up photo of the treat! And all your photos of Dexter are adorable! Thanks for sharing so much information about this product. We hadn’t heard of it, but it’s on our radar now!
Thanks! I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. I love the quality and the size and breakability for training is perfect!
I am always looking for healthy treats and they are difficult to find. These sound PAWsitively amazing and good for them too.
Thanks, Denise. Yes, so perfect for treats and training.
Wow these treats look amazing. Kilo would love them I am sure. We go through so many treats as he is very food motivated and he needs mental and physical stimulation and loves “training” or trick and treating. I actually often do not use very high value unless we are doing something very challenging like conditioning his reactivity as he gets so obsessed about getting high value treats he can not focus. Great photos.
Thanks. Yes, sometimes dogs can get so focused on meaty treats they can’t focus on the task at hand. However, I like to use that as a stand-alone training session, and just teach patience and being slow with the treats. 🙂
Natural and healthy treats are definitely a way to go. I tend to give my cat some ordinary treats too, but when it comes to training, it is important to keep those calories at a healthy level with high quality treats.
I love that you train with your cat. It’s so much fun and not a lot of people do it!
Those sound like treats that any dog would love! It is great when you find something that you feel good about giving to your dog.
Thanks, Beth. Yes, I totally love and feel great providing these wholesome treats to Dex. 🙂
These treats look perfect sized for Babu, our 20 lb tibetan spaniel mix. He’s never had rabbit before, so I might get them to change things up.
Thanks, Paroma. The size is great and so easy to break into smaller pieces for training. Rabbit is such a nice, lean, protein too!
We’re always looking for new treats. These look very healthy. I have to make sure Sophie’s treats aren’t too high in calories.
Thanks, Amy. The great thing about The Healthy Companion Company treats is you can use them as food and eliminate a bit of dog food if needed. She would still get her nutrition vs eating a “candy bar” which is just extra calories. 🙂
I am always looking for healthy, limited ingredient treats for Junior and Sulley who are raw fed. These treats look amazing! I will have to try some! I am also going to share this with a friend who has been looking for chicken and duck feet. I buy mine from my co-op, but these look like a fantastic source for those that don’t live near a natural pet store or a raw food co-op.
Thanks, Stephanie! One of my ongoing dilemmas with raw feeding and training was a healthy treat. I love that I can just incorporate these right into Dexter’s diet. We love their feet too! Thanks for sharing.
My boy is such a treat snob … these MIGHT just make it! 🙂 It’s funny… there was absolutely no way Monte was going to eat raw. Absolute total utter and complete refusal. And he prefers none meat foods. His favourite treat? spinach leaves. Yeah … hey – it’s all good.
Thanks, Sonja. Raw can be quite a weird texture for pets at first. I started home cooking for my carnivores, then slowly transitioned to less cooking. 🙂