Whether you’re teaching a new puppy some manners or trying to curb bad habits in an older dog, here are some of the best dog treats to make your walkies even more enjoyable for both you and your furry friend
May marks National Walking Month across the UK, focusing on the wellbeing benefits of enjoying the fresh outdoors. And who better to accompany you in adventuring the great outdoors than your canine companion?
Dogs are one of the best motivations for keeping fit, getting outside and exploring your local beauty spots, but they might need a little motivation themselves. That’s where the right treats come in handy.
As the owner of two food-driven rescue dogs, we’ve tried dozens of different brands and have found a handful that we love for our outdoor adventures, from bite-sized training treats to nifty liver pastes. What’s more is that many of them come in under a fiver, so you don’t have to spend a fortune, either.
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Whether you’re looking to reward loose leash walking or help with reactivity training, these are some of the best dog treats to make your walkies even more enjoyable for both you and your furry friend.
Forthglade Chicken & Duck Dog Treats
Our top pick for dog walking treats are these chicken and duck soft bites from Forthglade, which are £2.50 per pack or £17.50 for a box of eight. The ‘gourmet’ treats are hand-baked and grain free, with Forthglade saying they’re ‘perfect for even the most sensitive tummies’.
This particular pack is part of a collaboration with The National Trust, where each purchase goes towards supporting the charity’s amazing work in caring for many of the beautiful places we and our four-legged friends love to explore.
My two dogs love the high meat content in these treats, but what I love is that the heart-shaped treats are scored down the centre so that they can be easily broken into smaller bite-sized pieces, allowing for better portion control to make the pack last longer, too.
The treats have a 4.8 star rating on TrustPilot, with one owner writing: “A big hit with my young dog – happy to come running back when out on walks when he knows I’ve got these treats in my pocket .”
Another added: “These are exactly as described, soft & chewy. My dog is not food orientated and is really fussy. I have tried dozens of different treat types and these are the only ones he will consistently return for during training.”
But some have said they can be a bit crumbly, commenting: “Training a Cocker Spaniel is not the easiest but these help bring him back to me. 1 point off because they do crumble in your pocket.”
If you don’t like the feeling of treat dust in your coat pocket, though, I definitely recommend investing in a treat pouch – I particularly like the Coachi Dog Train & Treat Bag from Pets at Home. You can buy the Forthglade treats to go inside it here.
Pooch and Mutt
If you have a dog that gets a little overwhelmed or over excited on their walks, then you might enjoy trying them with the Calming Probiotic Meaty Treats from Pooch and Mutt. Coming in at £3.99 per pack, they’re a grain-free recipe made with turkey and hemp, which naturally reduces stress to help ease anxiety in dogs.
The clover-shaped treats are a good size but could be cut up for smaller breeds if you so wish. And they double up as the perfect pre-bedtime snack to help settle them down for a good night of sleep.
Coming in a resealable pouch, they’re suitable for dogs over the age of 12 weeks , which is around the time they can start going out for daily walks. Plus, other dog owners love them, with one adding: “Good treats in a convenient size pouch. Good for treats when out, or putting in a puzzle game.”
Another said: “Our dog loves the taste of these, not sure the calming effect has worked but she loves them. We cut up and use as training bites.”
Arden Grange
Perfect for training a reactive dog, we love the Arden Grange liver paste, and you can now get three tubes for £12.46 on Amazon.
The pate is a complementary food that does not contain any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, made with 35 per cent pork liver , with rapeseed oil, pork fat, dried mixed vegetables, gelatine and parsley.
One of my dogs was previously quite reactive on walks, but we used this as a distraction and let her lick the nozzle each time she saw another dog. Now, instead of barking at them, she checks in with us for a treat.
This is also a game-changer for any experiences your dog doesn’t particularly enjoy to make it a more positive experience, and works really well for bath times or nail clipping too.
Lily’s Kitchen
If you’re someone who enjoys a longer hike with your pup, the L ily’s Kitchen On The Go Bars are the perfect treat to fuel your dog’s adventures during National Walking Month. Packed with premium ingredients like chicken, pumpkin seeds, and oats, this bar is nutritionally complete, each one being equivalent to 40g of Lily’s Kitchen kibble.
The bars come in two meaty flavours – beef and chicken – and are conveniently sized to take along on your outings in your pocket or a backpack.
Each bar is £2.50 each , or you can get a multipack of three here for £7 . They’ve got glowing reviews from shoppers, with one writing: “Our Oscar loves the on the go bars. Sometimes we have to go out somewhere where we’re unable to feed him his regular soft food from Lily’s Kitchen. So I pop one of these in my bag and Oscar eats every morsel! They smell so good.”
Another said: “Never had a problem, handy to keep in my pocket when we are out and about.perfect emergency snack.” But others have said they’re ‘expensive for the size’.
Marleybones
Marleybones have some very high-value air-dried treats that shoppers can get for free with a subscription to that brand’s dog dining service. Owners who sign up to receive monthly deliveries of Marleybones’ posh wet food will benefit from ‘free treats for life’.
Getting started is simple: just complete their questionnaire to receive a personalised meal plan tailored to your dog’s unique needs and preferences. You can also exclude certain recipes from your box, for example, if your pet isn’t a fan of fish dishes, you can swap out the salmon recipe for something else.
As for the treats, there are two types and you can choose between lamb, hemp seeds, apple and thyme treats, or Chicken, hawthorn, carrot and sage, both of which are really rather luxe. As a special introductory offer, they offer an eight meal taster box complete with free treats for just £20 . Plus, they’re currently extending a 20% discount on your first two boxes.
However, the only downside is that you can’t currently just order the treats on their own, and would require you to switch up your dog’s diet in order to get your hands on them.