Treats & chews / best of
Best low-calorie training treats.
Small soft and freeze-dried reward treats at 5 kcal or less per piece, ranked on our rubric, so you can reward often without overfeeding.
A training session can run dozens of rewards, so a treat's calorie count is the field that matters most. A common veterinary guideline is to keep treats to roughly 10 percent of a pet's daily calories; at 5 kcal or less per piece, you can reward generously and still stay under that line. Our Caloric Load sub-score rewards a treat that discloses calories and keeps a single piece small, and caps the score when calories are not stated at all.
The list below is every soft or freeze-dried treat in our catalog that states 5 kcal or less per piece, ranked by composite. Freeze-dried single-ingredient pieces tend to top it: they are tiny, clean, and high-value as a reward. Soft training treats follow, with the cleanest and most honest lists ranked highest. A low calorie count is necessary but not sufficient; a 4-kcal treat with added sugar or an unbacked health claim still loses points elsewhere.
These are reward treats, not meals, and the calorie math is yours to manage against your pet's daily total. Scores are our opinion under a published rubric, not veterinary advice.
6 treats
Ranked by PetScored composite.
- Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Crunch Chicken
A limited-ingredient freeze-dried chicken treat with named organs, naturally preserved, no marketing claims, and a clean five-year record; about as transparent as a treat gets.
Dogs9.6Strong - PureBites Freeze-Dried Chicken Breast Cat Treats
A single-ingredient, USA-sourced freeze-dried chicken breast cat treat with named sourcing and no health claims; about as transparent as a cat treat gets.
Cats9.4Strong - Zuke's Mini Naturals Chicken Recipe
A named-meat training treat with no health claims and a tiny 2 kcal per piece, though it contains cane sugar and saw a 2021 mold withdrawal; transparent and inexpensive.
Dogs8.3Good - Greenies Feline SmartBites Hairball Control Chicken
A clean, named-base cat treat with portion guidance, but its hairball-control claim is a structure-function benefit a treat cannot substantiate (this is the SmartBites line, not the VOHC-accepted Feline Greenies Dental Treats).
Cats8.1Good - Stella & Chewy's Meowfulls Chicken & Chicken Liver
A named-meat freeze-dried cat treat with added botanicals and a probiotic, but it markets skin, coat, and digestive benefits a treat cannot substantiate; transparent and recall-clean.
Cats7.8Good - Blue Buffalo BLUE Bits Tasty Chicken Training Treats
A named-meat soft training treat, but it adds cane sugar and makes a 'DHA for cognitive development' claim a 4-kcal bit cannot meaningfully support; transparent on calories, light on portion guidance.
Dogs7.1Mixed
FAQ
Frequently asked
How many treats can I use in a training session?
A common guideline is to keep all treats to about 10 percent of your pet's daily calories. At 5 kcal or less per piece, a 10 kg dog eating roughly 500 kcal a day could have around 10 treats within that budget, but the exact number depends on your pet's size and the rest of the diet. When you train heavily, reduce the day's meals to compensate.
Are freeze-dried treats good for training?
Yes. Freeze-dried single-ingredient meat and organ pieces are small, clean, high-value as a reward, and usually only a few calories each, which is why they rank near the top here. They crumble easily, which is convenient for fast repetitions but can be messy in a pocket.
Why does the per-piece calorie count matter so much?
Because training multiplies it. A treat that is fine once becomes a meal's worth of calories across a long session. A treat that does not disclose calories at all is capped on our Caloric Load score precisely because you cannot do the 10-percent math without the number.
This ranking is our opinion under a published rubric, not veterinary advice. Affiliate links on individual scorecards never affect the score. See the affiliate disclosure and medical disclaimer.