What are the best types of dog treats?
Short answer: the best dog treats are single-ingredient and fully digestible — think bully sticks, beef trachea, freeze-dried liver, and other 100% real meat chews. Skip rawhide, artificial preservatives, and anything with an ingredient list longer than one line. Beyond that, the right treat depends on what you're using it for: training, dental health, long-lasting chewing, or just a daily reward.
I'm Preston Smith, co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. We've spent years sourcing chews, and the single most useful thing I can tell dog owners is this: read the ingredient panel first, everything else second. Here's how the main categories break down.
The main types of dog treats
1. Single-ingredient chews (bully sticks, trachea, tendons)
These are one thing and one thing only — beef pizzle, beef trachea, beef tendon. No binders, no flavoring, no fillers. They're 100% natural, fully digestible, and they last long enough to actually satisfy a dog's chewing instinct. Ours are ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms and 100% high-quality guaranteed.
This is the category we'd point most owners toward first. If you want the full breakdown of why, we wrote it up here: single-ingredient chews and bully sticks.
One thing worth knowing: chews are calorie-dense. The American Kennel Club notes a standard six-inch bully stick runs roughly 90 calories, so factor it into your dog's daily intake rather than treating it as free.
2. Crunchy biscuits
The classic dog treat. Hard, shelf-stable, easy to break into pieces, and cheap. They're fine as a quick reward, but most commercial biscuits are grain- and starch-based with a long ingredient list. If you use them, check the panel for artificial colors and preservatives you don't recognize.
3. Soft chews
Softer and more pliable, which makes them easier on senior dogs and dogs with dental issues. They're also the practical choice for hiding pills or supplements. The tradeoff is that soft chews usually need humectants and preservatives to stay soft, so ingredient quality varies a lot brand to brand.
4. Dental chews
Chewing mechanically scrapes plaque off teeth, which is real and useful. VCA Animal Hospitals points out that most dogs show signs of periodontal disease by age three, so anything that keeps teeth working is worth doing. Just know that a dental chew isn't a replacement for brushing or a vet cleaning.
Natural options work well here too — beef trachea is one of our favorites for this, since it's soft enough to be safe on teeth but coarse enough to scrub.
5. Freeze-dried and dehydrated meat
Moisture gets pulled out of raw meat or organ, leaving an intensely flavored, nutrient-dense treat. Freeze-dried liver is about as high-value as it gets for training — most dogs will do just about anything for it. Small, light, and easy to carry in a pocket.
6. Training treats
Less a material than a size category. Training treats should be tiny — pea-sized or smaller — soft enough to swallow fast, and high-value enough that your dog cares. You'll hand out dozens in a session, so calories per piece matter more than anything else. Peanut butter treats are a solid middle-ground option here.
7. Homemade treats
Total control over ingredients, which is the whole appeal if your dog has sensitivities. Oat flour, mashed sweet potato, and shredded chicken makes a decent basic biscuit. Just check anything you add against the ASPCA's list of foods to avoid — xylitol, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and onions are all off the table.
What about rawhide?
We don't sell it and we don't recommend it. Rawhide is a byproduct of the leather industry, it's chemically processed, and it doesn't break down well in a dog's stomach — which is how you end up with a blockage. Every chew we carry is no rawhide, 100% real meat, and fully digestible. The FDA has issued similar warnings about bone treats and processed chews generally.
How do I pick the right treat for my dog?
Three questions:
- What's the job? Training needs small and soft. Occupying a bored dog for 30 minutes needs a long-lasting single-ingredient chew. Dental support needs texture.
- What's your dog's age and jaw strength? Puppies and seniors need softer, more manageable options. If you have a puppy, start here: bully sticks for puppies.
- What's on the label? If you can't pronounce it or there are more than a few items, put it back.
Whatever you pick, supervise chewing, take away any piece small enough to swallow whole, and keep treats to roughly 10% of daily calories — that's the guideline most veterinarians use.
Frequently asked questions
Are single-ingredient chews better than regular dog treats?
For most dogs, yes. There's nothing in them but meat, so there's nothing to react to, and they're fully digestible. They also last far longer than a biscuit, which matters if you're using the chew to occupy your dog.
How many treats a day is too many?
Treats should stay around 10% of your dog's total daily calories. A single six-inch bully stick can hit that on its own for a small dog, so adjust meals accordingly.
Is rawhide safe for dogs?
We don't think so. It's chemically processed and doesn't digest reliably, which creates a real choking and blockage risk. Single-ingredient, fully digestible chews do the same job without it.
What treats are best for training?
Small, soft, and high-value. Freeze-dried liver or tiny pieces of a soft chew work best — you want something your dog can eat in a second so you can keep the session moving.
Preston Smith is co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. Every chew we sell is 100% natural, single-ingredient, and ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms.
This post was last updated at July 28, 2026 17:06
