Puppy training treats: small, soft, single ingredient

A puppy can be trained with the same treats as an adult dog, but the portions change. Our freeze-dried single-ingredient treats crumble to any size your puppy needs, making them ideal for small mouths and fast-paced sessions.

How to size treats for puppies

Freeze-dried beef liver at $20.00 or $25.00 crumbles into pieces smaller than a pea. Pinch a piece between thumb and finger and it collapses into dust-sized bits. This is the size you want: your puppy swallows and is ready for the next behavior before you finish bringing your hand down. A 3-ounce bag stretches far because one bag broken into pea-sized pieces is enough reward for dozens of training repetitions.

Break liver against the edge of a bowl or use a mortar and pestle. Store the crushed pieces in a small container and grab a pinch per repetition.

Which flavors work for puppies

Freeze-dried beef tripe at $20.00 or $25.00 breaks into puppy-sized pieces the same way liver does. Freeze-dried sardines at $20.00 or $25.00 flake into small pieces and work for puppies that prefer fish.

Sardine heads at $15.00 are pre-crumbled and need less prep. Freeze-dried raw shrimp at $20.00 hold firm but crush easily under pressure.

The pouch that travels with puppies

The One-Hand Treat Training Pouch at $13.99 is made from food-grade silicone with a zipless, squeeze-to-open design. Wear it around your wrist or loop it through a puppy's collar leash, and access treats without stopping, looking down, or fighting a zipper. It is 3.9 inches by 3.3 inches by 1.7 inches, big enough to hold a handful of small treats, a waste bag roll, and keys.

Loading the pouch for a puppy session

Fill the pouch with pre-broken treats: beef liver crumbles, sardine head pieces, or any frozen sardine you have crumbled at home. Because the pouch is silicone, the treats stay dry and do not smear it like wet food would. Your puppy works for tiny pieces, so one session's worth of treats takes less space than you might think.

In the Treats aisle

Freeze-Dried Beef Liver Dog Treats: Single Ingredient, 3 ounces for $20.00. Crumbles into pea-sized pieces.

Freeze-Dried Tripe Dog Treats: Raw, Single Ingredient, 2 ounces for $20.00. Breaks into training sizes.

Freeze-Dried Whole Sardines: Fish Treats for Dogs & Cats, 3 ounces for $20.00. Flakes into small pieces.

Freeze-Dried Sardine Heads: Crunchy Fish Treats for Dogs & Cats, one size at $15.00. Pre-sized for puppy mouths.

Freeze-Dried Shrimp Treats for Dogs & Cats: Single Ingredient, one size at $20.00. Crushes to size.

The pouch

The One-Hand Treat Training Pouch at $13.99 is made by Up Dog Shop, available in purple, gray, green, light blue, or mauve. It holds a handful of small treats and has a squeeze-to-access design so you access rewards without stopping to unzip.

How it ships

Sold through Shopify Collective and shipped to you directly by Up Dog Shop in Portland, Oregon, with its own tracking. Not made or shipped by Sniff and Shift. Our freeze-dried treats are made in Malvern, Pennsylvania and ship separately from us.

Questions

How much treat does a puppy need per session?

A thirty-minute puppy session uses about a teaspoon of treats if you crumble them pea-sized or smaller. One 3-ounce bag of beef liver at $20.00 lasts weeks if you break each piece small enough.

Do puppies choke on freeze-dried treats?

Freeze-dried treats are shelf-stable and do not soften or get stuck. A pea-sized piece swallows easily. If your puppy is very small or a fast swallower, break pieces smaller or soak them in water to soften before training.

Can I train with different flavors each week?

Yes. Puppies notice flavor change and sometimes work harder for novelty. Rotate liver, tripe, sardines, and shrimp to keep training interesting. Single-ingredient treats make rotation simple because they are equally easy on a puppy's stomach.

How do I clean the pouch?

Rinse it under warm water and let it air-dry. The silicone does not hold grease, so one rinse cleans it completely. You can toss it in the dishwasher, but hand-washing is faster.

What if my puppy is very small?

Break treats into even smaller pieces. Crush sardine heads to dust or soak them in water for five minutes to soften. Very small puppies need pieces the size of a lentil or smaller.

Explore more treats by protein and life stage at /pages/explore.

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