Quick answer: For a puppy under 3 months old, keep treats small, soft, and simple. Softened puppy kibble, tiny bits of plain cooked meat, and small single-ingredient treats are the safest picks. Their baby teeth and developing stomachs aren't ready for hard chews like bully sticks yet, so save those for a few months down the road. Always check with your vet before introducing anything new.
I'm Preston Smith, co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. We spend all day around dog chews, so the question we get most from new puppy owners is a fair one: what can I actually give a puppy this young? Here's how I think about it.
Why do puppies under 3 months need special treats?
At this age puppies are still nursing or just weaning, and their digestive systems and teeth are a work in progress. According to the American Kennel Club, most of a young puppy's calories should come from a complete, age-appropriate puppy food—treats are extras and shouldn't make up more than about 10% of daily calories. Anything you hand them needs to be gentle on the stomach and easy to chew.
What should you look for in a treat?
Four things matter most at this age:
- Soft texture. Baby teeth are delicate. Soft or softened treats are easier to manage and lower the choking risk.
- Small size. Pieces should be pea-sized or smaller so a puppy can swallow them safely.
- Simple, real ingredients. Skip artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A short ingredient list is your friend—this is exactly why we're such believers in single-ingredient chews and treats.
- Digestibility. A young pup's gut is easily upset, so you want treats that are fully digestible and made from 100% real meat rather than fillers.
What treats are safe for a puppy under 3 months?
Here are the options I'd stick to at this stage:
- Softened puppy kibble. Moisten a few pieces of your puppy's own food with warm water or puppy formula. It's gentle, consistent with their diet, and perfect for early training rewards.
- Tiny bits of plain cooked meat. A pea-sized piece of plain cooked chicken (no salt, oil, or seasoning) is a high-value reward most pups love.
- Small single-ingredient treats. Look for treats that are 100% natural, single-ingredient, and 100% real meat—broken into puppy-sized pieces.
- A lick of pumpkin or sweet potato. Plain cooked pumpkin or sweet potato, offered in a small lickable amount, is a gentle treat that's easy on the tummy.
What should you avoid at this age?
Hard chews—including bully sticks, antlers, and dense bones—are too much for a puppy this young. The VCA Animal Hospitals guidance on puppy feeding is a good reminder that young pups do best on soft, complete nutrition while their teeth and gut mature. Also skip rawhide entirely—it isn't fully digestible and can cause blockages. Everything we make is no rawhide for exactly that reason.
When can my puppy start bully sticks?
Most puppies are ready for a soft, thin bully stick once their adult teeth are coming in and they're chewing confidently—usually around 4 to 6 months, under supervision. We wrote a fuller guide on this in bully sticks for puppies. If you want the gentlest first chew, a soft, fully digestible option like a beef trachea is often easier on a young mouth than a firm bully stick.
A note on our treats
At Bully Sticks Central everything is 100% natural, single-ingredient, fully digestible, no rawhide, and ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms. It's all 100% high-quality guaranteed. That said, for a puppy under 3 months, softened kibble and tiny bits of real meat are usually the right starting point—our chews come into play a little later as your pup grows.
Every puppy is different, so run any new treat past your veterinarian first, especially before three months of age.
This post was last updated at July 16, 2026 02:40
