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These Soft Dog Treats Are Easy To Chew

by Sharon Brandwein
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Dog waiting to get delicious treat outdoors.
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Treats can be great motivators to encourage good behavior and learning, but pet parents should be mindful of the treats they choose to lavish their pets with. The best soft dog treats are made with quality ingredients and are low in calories so you can reward them while still supporting their health. And because of the chewy texture, soft treats are an especially popular choice for puppies, tiny breeds, seniors, or any dogs with teeth issues.

When searching for the best soft dog treats, first and foremost, pet parents should be mindful of any allergies or sensitivities their pet may have. Brett Reynolds, CDPT-KA certified dog trainer and Director of Dog Care at The Dog Stop, gives this advice: “Choose a treat with the same protein source as your dog’s food to avoid digestive upset,” and also, “select a treat with as few ingredients as possible.”

To determine how many treats your dog can have in a day, experts suggest that treats should only account for about 10% of your pup’s daily calories. So if you're giving out a lot, consider breaking treats into smaller pieces to keep the total amount you give in check — a soft texture treat can make that easy to do.

In fact, your dog may find soft and chewy treats to be much more satisfying anyway. “Remember that a treat should be something of greater value (to the dog) than regular food if it is to function as motivation,” says Reynolds. Therefore taste, texture, and smell certainly matter. Reynolds adds that soft and chewy treats have higher moisture content and also tend to have more odor, which is appealing to most dogs. Soft treats are also much easier for a dog to bite into and swallow in a single bite.

Whether you want a gluten-free training treat or a treat designed with puppies in mind, keep scrolling for high-quality soft dog treats.

The Expert

Brett Reynolds is a CDPT-KA certified dog trainer and the Director of Dog Care at The Dog Stop — an award-winning, all-inclusive dog care franchise.

1A Cult-Favorite Training Treat

— Also available on Chewy, $8

Pet parents would be hard-pressed to find a more popular dog treat than Zuke’s training treats. With thousands of five-star ratings, this one is a clear favorite. These are made with quality all-natural ingredients, and pet parents can choose from six flavors: chicken, duck, peanut butter, pork, rabbit, and salmon. Proteins are listed as the first ingredient for all the varieties, and they are free of corn, wheat, and soy. It comes in three bag sizes.

Helpful review: “Big bag lasts a month for my 3 little ones (about 16 lbs each). Good ingredients and they continue to love it after 2 years. Monthly delivery option works perfectly for us. They each get plenty every day and a super training aid.”

  • Calories per treat: 2
  • Flavors: Beef, Chicken, Duck, Turkey & Cranberry, Salmon, Peanut Butter & Oats, Chicken / Peanut Butter & Oats

2A Training Treat Recommended By Experts

As the official training treat of the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, Cloud Star’s Tricky Trainers are recommended by professionals like Reynolds mentioned above. And with over 8,000 reviews and a 4.7 rating on Amazon, these liver-flavored treats are also a favorite for thousands of other pet parents too. Tricky Trainers are free of any wheat, corn, dairy, or soy and don’t contain any artificial colors or flavors, so they’re ideal for pets with food allergies or sensitives. Made with real chicken liver, these treats are a highly palatable delicacy for your pup.

Helpful review: “These training treats are our go-to. I buy a couple of bags at a time when the price is good. These are some of the more affordable treats when you go through them like we do. I like that the treats are small and a quick bite for the dog so we aren't breaking a lot of focus when training with the dogs chewing and can move to the next task.”

  • Calories per treat: 3
  • Flavors: Salmon, Liver, Cheddar

3An Organic Option

With real organic chicken listed as the main ingredient, Full Moon offers up delicious treats made with human-grade ingredients for your precious pup. These treats are USDA-certified organic and free of corn, wheat, and soy. Plus, since they are small and low-calorie, they're perfect for use as a training treat or a just-because treat. With hundreds of five-star reviews on Amazon, pet parents give these treats top marks for being high-quality treats that dogs love.

Helpful review: “I love that these are organic and glycerin free. Amazing quality and of course my dogs love them. My go-to TRUSTED treats. One of my dogs has had reoccurring mast cell tumors so I'm very conscious of what I feed him. With these, I don't have to worry.”

  • Calories per treat: 3
  • Flavors: Duck, Chicken

4A Soft Treat Specially Designed For Puppies

It’s hard to balk at a yummy treat that lists lamb, salmon, and chickpeas as the first three ingredients, so I won’t. These soft puppy bites were formulated with puppies under one year in mind and are made with all-natural ingredients like blueberries and sweet potatoes. Plus, there's no corn, wheat, or soy. Though they're low in calories as it is, many pet parents also decided to break them into smaller pieces and found it a breeze to do.

Helpful review: “I’m a dog trainer and I use these for training puppies. They are soft and easy to break up into smaller pieces which is ideal for training. I would definitely buy these again.”

  • Calories per treat: 4
  • Flavors: Lamb & Salmon, Chicken & Carrots

5A Bigger Chewy Dog Treat

For larger dogs who pack a bigger bite, the savory roaster treats from Rachel Ray Nutrish are a must-try. The grain-free recipe lists chicken, chickpeas, and dried potatoes as the first three ingredients with no meat by-products included. Even though these chewy treats are bigger in size, they can still be easily broken into smaller pieces because of how soft they are. Dog owners attest that even their pickiest eaters love these treats.

Helpful review: “My greyhound has had a lot of teeth removed and is recovering from a recent extraction. She loves the flavor of these treats, they are soft enough for her teeth, but big enough for a big, cute dog.”

  • Calories per treat: 16
  • Flavors: Turkey Bites, Meatball Morsels, Burger Bites, Savory Roasters, Variety

6A Training Treat That Tastes Like Bacon

Fruitables' dog treats are made with all-natural ingredients (like apples and sweet potatoes) that are actually good for your pup. What’s more, they are gluten-free and free of soy and wheat. With hundreds of five-star reviews, pet parents love these treats because they are low in calories, and they’re also soft enough to break up. And according to reviewers, dogs love the taste because, well, it's bacon.

Helpful review: “I always look for soft treats for my pup. He’s 8 and had many, many teeth pulled like year. He seemed to really enjoy these and always got excited when I take out the bag. I call that a win!”

  • Calories per treat: 2
  • Flavors: Apple Bacon, Grilled Bison, Pumpkin and Berry, Pumpkin and Mangoan

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