20 Best Dog Treats on Amazon

Most people searching for dog treats on Amazon are dealing with one of several specific situations: a dog that’s overweight, a dog being trained, a dog with bad breath, a dog with joint issues, a senior dog with fewer teeth, or a dog with allergies. The answers below are organized around those real situations, not around which products have the best ad budgets.

• 1
  What are the healthiest dog treats on Amazon? Single-ingredient freeze-dried meat treats are the cleanest option — real protein, no fillers, no mystery additives. For multi-ingredient treats: Zuke’s Mini Naturals at 2 calories each and Pupford Freeze-Dried Beef Liver at 1–3 calories per bite are top vet-mentioned picks for everyday use

  The cleanest treats are also the simplest ones. A bag of freeze-dried chicken breast or beef liver with exactly one ingredient on the label is genuinely hard to beat — your dog gets real protein, you get complete transparency, and there are no artificial preservatives, colors, or mystery “natural flavors.” PureBites Chicken Breast and Pupford Freeze-Dried Beef Liver are the most consistent vet-mentioned picks in this category. For training treats where you need volume without calorie overload, Zuke’s Mini Naturals are industry-standard — 2 calories each means you can repeat them 30–40 times in a training session before making a meaningful dent in your dog’s daily budget. The key word “healthy” in dog treats really means three things: identifiable ingredients, a low enough calorie load that you can use them without disrupting your dog’s diet, and a format safe for your dog’s age and size.
• 2
  How many dog treats is too many per day? The 10% rule: treats cannot exceed 10% of daily calorie intake — that’s about 70 calories for a 25-pound dog, 130 for a 50-pound dog. For senior or overweight dogs, vets recommend dropping that to 5–7% to create meaningful calorie reduction

  Most people treat by feel — a few here, a few there — and genuinely don’t realize how fast those calories accumulate. Research published in Veterinary Sciences (March 2025, PMC) confirmed that even within the 10% rule, the calorie displacement can affect nutritional balance if the treats themselves are nutritionally poor. The math matters most for small dogs: a 10-pound Chihuahua has a daily budget of only about 275–300 calories, making the treat limit roughly 27–30 calories — sometimes less than a single premium training treat. Use low-calorie options (1–5 calories each) for training sessions where repetition is necessary, and save higher-calorie chews or biscuits for once-daily situations. For senior dogs, who burn fewer calories as activity drops, vets consistently suggest tightening the target to 5–7% of daily calories to account for their slower metabolisms and lower activity levels. The most practical approach: measure treats in the morning, set them aside, and stop when they’re gone — regardless of how many pleading looks you receive.
• 3
  What are the best dog treats for training on Amazon? Zuke’s Mini Naturals (2 cal each), Pupford Freeze-Dried Beef Liver (1–3 cal each), and Wellness Soft Puppy Bites (for puppies) — all small enough to repeat dozens of times in one session without blowing the calorie budget

  Training treats live or die by two criteria: small enough to deliver quickly and low enough in calories that repetition is possible. A treat that takes 30 seconds to chew breaks training momentum. A treat that’s 30 calories means you can only give two or three before hitting the limit for a small dog. Zuke’s Mini Naturals have been the professional dog trainer default for years for exactly these reasons — the pea-sized soft treats can be swallowed in under a second and at 2 calories each, a 20-treat session for a 30-pound dog barely registers in the daily budget. Pupford Freeze-Dried Beef Liver bites are a close second and have a shelf-stable format that’s easier to keep in a coat pocket or training pouch. For puppies specifically, the Wellness Soft Puppy Bites are grain-free with lamb and salmon — small, soft, and easy on developing digestive systems. Important note: if you’re training a puppy and working through high repetitions, small pieces of their regular kibble are a perfectly valid option that adds zero caloric disruption because it’s already part of their daily food.
• 4
  What actually works for dog dental health — are dental chews worth it? Yes — but only products carrying the VOHC Seal (Veterinary Oral Health Council) have scientific evidence behind them. Greenies Original hold the VOHC Seal and are the most vet-mentioned dental treat on Amazon. Whimzees Brushzees also carry the VOHC Seal and are a strong alternative, especially for dogs who do better with vegetable-based chews

  The VOHC Seal is the dental treat equivalent of a clinical trial — it means the product was independently tested and proven to reduce plaque and/or tartar by a statistically significant margin. Without that seal, a product can call itself a “dental chew” without any evidence that it does anything for teeth beyond the mechanical scraping of chewing. Greenies are the most widely recognized VOHC-accepted dental treat on Amazon, come in four sizes (Teenie through Large to match your dog’s weight) and have a toothbrush shape that reaches toward the gumline as the dog chews. Calories per chew range from 26 (Teenie) to 147 (Large) — factor these into the daily budget. Whimzees Brushzees are plant-based, have a longer chew time than Greenies for most dogs, and also carry the VOHC Seal — making them the better option for dogs that are sensitive to the wheat in Greenies. Vets consistently recommend dental chews two to three times per week alongside (not instead of) actual tooth brushing with a dog-safe toothpaste, since no chew eliminates the need for mechanical brushing in dogs with any history of dental disease.
• 5
  What dog treats are good for small dogs specifically? Size matters in two directions — the treat needs to fit a small mouth, and the calories need to fit a small dog’s tiny daily budget. Zuke’s Mini Naturals, Greenies Teenie, and Old Mother Hubbard Mini Biscuits are the most consistent small-dog picks. For chews, bully sticks cut to 3–4 inch pieces are safer than full-length versions for small mouths

  Small dogs have two treat problems that large dog owners don’t deal with: their calorie budgets are so tight that a single large treat can eat up the entire day’s 10% allowance, and many treats that are fine for a 70-pound Lab pose a real choking risk for a 10-pound Shih Tzu. Greenies Teenie (designed for dogs 5–15 pounds at 26 calories each) and Zuke’s Mini Naturals (pea-sized, 2 calories each) are the most practically useful small-dog treats on Amazon. Small dogs are also more prone to dental disease than large breeds — proportionally more surface area, more crowded teeth, less natural chewing that scrapes buildup — making the dental treat category particularly relevant. For longer-lasting chewing enrichment, Natural Farm Bully Sticks (6-inch, odor-free) work well but should be given under supervision for dogs under 15 pounds to prevent swallowing large chunks. Avoid rawhide for small dogs entirely: the softened pieces can become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard when a dog bites off a piece large relative to their throat.
• 6
  What are the best dog treats for large dogs on Amazon? Large dogs have more calorie room but also more chewing power — they need treats that hold up to real chewing without splintering. Top picks: Natural Farm 6-inch Bully Sticks, EcoKind Yak Cheese Chews, Greenies Large (147 cal each), and Milk-Bone Brushing Chews Large (VOHC-accepted, chicken-flavored)

  The biggest mistake large dog owners make with treats is over-relying on biscuits that crunch in a single bite — for a 70-pound Lab, even a five-treat session of medium-calorie biscuits can push or exceed the treat budget. Long-lasting chews serve two purposes: they occupy the dog’s mind and jaw for 20–40 minutes and reduce the total number of treats needed per day. EcoKind Yak Cheese Chews are one of the longest-lasting treats on Amazon for large dogs — made from compressed yak and cow milk with lime and salt, they’re digestible, don’t splinter, and have no rawhide. Bully sticks from grass-fed beef (Natural Farm is consistently well-reviewed for quality control and odor reduction) are another solid option. For daily dental care at large scale, Greenies Large and Milk-Bone Brushing Chews Large (which holds a VOHC Seal and is chicken-flavored) are the main vet-mentioned dental treats sized for bigger dogs. Always match the Greenies size to your dog’s exact weight range — using a size too small is a choking risk for powerful chewers.
• 7
  Are bully sticks safe? What about rawhide? Bully sticks: generally safe and fully digestible when sourced from reputable brands — the main risk is calorie density (a 6-inch stick runs 70–130 calories) and unsupervised swallowing of the last inch. Rawhide: veterinarians increasingly advise against it due to choking, intestinal obstruction risk, and inconsistent processing standards

  Bully sticks are made from dried beef pizzle (muscle tissue) and are fully digestible — unlike rawhide, which is a processed hide that softens when wet but doesn’t digest cleanly. The two legitimate bully stick concerns are calorie load (significant — a 6-inch stick from a 25-pound dog uses most of that dog’s treat budget for the day) and the endgame problem: when the stick gets short enough that the dog can swallow the last piece whole, it’s a choking risk. A bully stick holder that grips the last inch is an inexpensive fix available on Amazon and genuinely prevents this. For rawhide: the veterinary consensus has shifted noticeably over the past several years. The core issues are pieces that soften and form plugs in the intestine, inconsistent quality control in manufacturing, and chemical treatments during processing. The American Kennel Club and most veterinary nutritionists now recommend rawhide alternatives — bully sticks, yak chews, SmartBones, and similar products — rather than traditional rawhide, particularly for aggressive chewers.
• 8
  My dog is gaining weight — which treats should I switch to? Switch to treats under 5 calories each and track them daily. Best low-calorie options on Amazon: Zuke’s Mini Naturals (2 cal), Pupford Freeze-Dried Beef Liver (1–3 cal), Fruitables Baked Pumpkin Treats (~8 cal), and baby carrot pieces (about 4 cal each). Also reduce kibble portions by the treat calories consumed that day

  Weight gain in dogs is almost always a calorie math problem, not a metabolism problem, and treats are frequently the invisible culprit because they’re not measured or tracked with the same care as food. If your dog is gaining and nothing obvious has changed in their food routine, write down every treat given over three days and add up the calories. The number is usually higher than expected. The fastest fix is switching to a very low-calorie treat and tracking the count. Beyond switching treats, the other half of the equation matters too: when you give a treat, reduce the next meal’s kibble by approximately that treat’s calorie count. If you give ten Zuke’s Mini Naturals in a training session (20 calories total), reduce dinner by a proportional amount. Vegetables — raw carrots, green beans, cucumber slices, blueberries — are naturally low-calorie options that many dogs enjoy and that vets regularly suggest for overweight dogs. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine specifically lists fruits and vegetables as good treat options because they’re low in protein, fat, sodium, and phosphorus.

These 20 picks span every treat category that actually matters for dogs’ health and daily life. Prices are approximate and vary with Subscribe & Save discounts (typically 5–15% off). Calorie counts per treat are noted — check current packaging, as formulas occasionally change.

Your vet is the best resource for treat guidance specific to your dog’s weight, health conditions, and life stage. Use the buttons below to find professionals and resources near you.