High-value treats are not just for spoiling your dog. They are a training tool, and understanding how to use them correctly makes training faster and more effective than any single training method.
The Value Hierarchy
Dogs have a hierarchy of food rewards. At the bottom: regular kibble or standard biscuits. In the middle: common commercial treats — usually grain-based, moderate palatability. At the top: high-protein, high-smell treats like beef liver, chicken, or other freeze-dried single-ingredient proteins.
The value of the reward should match or exceed the value of the competing distraction. In a quiet room with no distractions, kibble works. At the dog park with other dogs running around, you need something your dog cares about more than whatever else is happening. Beef liver is that treat for most dogs.
How to Use Them
Break them small. Freeze-dried treats can be broken into pea-sized pieces. Small pieces allow you to deliver 20 to 30 rewards in a single training session without exceeding the treat budget for the day. The dog gets the reward and the flavor signal — it does not need a large piece to register the reward.
Reserve them for the hardest asks. Do not use high-value treats for every command. Use them for the behaviors the dog finds most difficult — coming when called at a distance, holding a stay with distractions, working through fear responses. For easy behaviors in low-distraction environments, lower-value treats are sufficient and preserve the high-value treats for when they are needed most.
Account for treat calories. A dog eating significantly more treats than usual needs slightly less food at meals. Treats — particularly protein-dense ones — have caloric content that adds up. Treats should represent no more than 10% of daily caloric intake.
The Fed By Nature Line
All three proteins in our Pet Products collection — beef liver, chicken breast, and pork loin — are suitable as high-value training treats. The sampler pack is the right starting point for identifying which protein your dog responds to most strongly.