Top-rated dog treats and biscuits, ranked by ingredient quality and absence of controversial additives.
Treats are not complete diets — they're explicit "intermittent or supplemental feeding only" by AAFCO definition, so we don't apply the AAFCO gate to treat scoring. The ingredient rules still apply: cheap treats pad with sugar, artificial colors, by-products, and grain fillers, all of which drag down our score. The treat aisle has bigger quality range than the food aisle, partly because regulatory oversight is lighter and partly because palatability often wins over nutrition. This guide ranks 250+ dog treats by ingredient quality. The top picks are freeze-dried single-ingredient and named-meat-only training treats. Cap treats at 10% of daily calories regardless of quality.
Freeze-dried liver, sweet potato chips, plain dehydrated fish — single-ingredient treats let you know exactly what your dog is eating. They're typically the cleanest option and easiest to use during training (small, quick to chew, no crumbs).
Same rule as food: "chicken" or "salmon" beats "meat" or "animal digest." Treats marketed for training should be small enough to give 50+ per session without overfeeding.
Many shelf-stable treats use Red 40, Yellow 5, and added corn syrup or molasses to look appealing to humans. Your dog doesn't care about color. These additives are concerns for the same reasons as in human food.
Treat manufacturing standards vary wildly by country. Most major treat recalls in the US over the last 15 years have involved jerky imported from China — Salmonella, kidney issues, and propylene glycol contamination. Country of origin matters more for treats than for food.
Treats should make up no more than 10% of daily calories. For a 30-lb adult dog eating ~700 kcal/day, that's about 70 kcal in treats. Read the calorie content on the bag — many "small" training treats are 3–5 kcal each, but a single dental chew can be 80–120 kcal.
Most are, but jerky treats — especially chicken jerky imported from China — have been the source of multiple FDA recall waves over the past decade. Stick to US-, Canada-, or EU-made jerky from brands that name their supplier. Single-ingredient jerky is safer than multi-ingredient formulations.
Freeze-drying preserves more nutrients than baking or extrusion and typically uses higher-quality ingredients. Single-ingredient freeze-dried treats (liver, salmon, beef heart) are excellent for training. The trade-off is cost — they're 5–10x more expensive per pound than biscuits.
Yes for many — small pieces of cooked chicken, blueberries, apple (no seeds), carrots, plain pumpkin, plain cooked sweet potato. Avoid grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, macadamia nuts, chocolate, anything containing xylitol, and avocado pit. When in doubt, look it up — many common foods are toxic to dogs.
Dental chews provide a modest tartar-control benefit — less than brushing, more than nothing. The VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Council) maintains a list of products with proven plaque/tartar reduction. Dental chews aren't a replacement for professional cleanings.
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