The 5 Best Dog Treats UK – Training, Dental & Value

The right treats do far more than spoil your dog: they reward good behaviour, make training stick, keep teeth cleaner and turn a quiet afternoon into something to look forward to. The best dog treats in the UK are made from ingredients you can actually pronounce, come in the right size for your dog, and are low enough in calories to hand out freely. Our top pick is the Pedigree Schmackos Mega Pack — more than 21,000 reviews at 4.8 stars, soft, low-fat and endlessly popular with dogs of every size.

Below are five treats covering every job in the treat jar: an everyday crowd-pleaser, a natural grain-free option, a proper training treat, a dental chew and a long-lasting natural chew that costs pennies. There’s also a short guide to choosing well, plus the one calorie rule the PDSA wants every owner to remember.

Key Takeaways

• Best overall: the Pedigree Schmackos Mega Pack — soft, low-fat strips in three flavours, backed by 21,000+ reviews.
• Best healthy/natural: the Pooch & Mutt Meaty Treats Variety Set — grain-free, high-meat treats with clean, functional ingredients.
• Best for training: the Pet Munchies Chicken Training Treats — tiny, low-fat real-meat bites made for fast, repeated rewards.
• Best dental chew: the Pedigree DentaStix Daily Dental Chews — a daily chew clinically shown to reduce tartar build-up.
• Best budget natural chew: the Hollings Pig Ear Strips — single-ingredient, air-dried chews for a few pennies each.
• Treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories — the rest comes from a balanced diet, as the PDSA advises.
• Always match chew size to your dog and supervise chewing to avoid choking, especially with small dogs and fast eaters.

The 5 Best Dog Treats UK

1. Pedigree Schmackos Mega Pack

With more than 21,000 reviews at 4.8 stars, Schmackos are one of the best-loved treats in the country — and it’s easy to see why. The mega pack gives you well over a hundred soft, chewy strips in a mix of beef, lamb and poultry flavours, so there’s always something to tempt a fussy eater. The texture is soft enough for puppies and older dogs alike, with no hard edges to trouble tired teeth.

What makes them such a reliable everyday choice is that they’re low in fat and easy to tear into smaller pieces, so a single strip can become three or four rewards. Dogs go slightly daft for the smell, which is exactly what you want when you’re competing for attention in a distracting environment like the park or a busy kitchen.

They aren’t a health food — think of them as the treat-jar staple rather than a supplement — but for sheer value, palatability and flexibility they’re hard to beat, which is why they take our overall top spot. As with any treat, keep them to a sensible share of the daily ration and you can hand them out with a clear conscience.

2. Pooch & Mutt Meaty Treats Variety Set

If you read ingredient lists before you buy — and more owners do every year — this is the pick for you. Pooch & Mutt build their meaty treats around a high proportion of real meat, grain-free and free from the artificial colours and fillers that pad out cheaper snacks. The variety set gives you three different recipes, so you can find the flavour your dog responds to best without committing to a giant single bag.

The treats are soft and low in calories, which makes them versatile: big enough to feel like a proper reward, small enough to use several in a row without derailing the day’s calorie budget. Owners with sensitive dogs tend to rate them highly, since a short, recognisable ingredient list makes it far easier to spot and avoid triggers — the same logic the Blue Cross applies when it recommends simple recipes for dogs with delicate stomachs.

At a mid-range price they aren’t the cheapest treat here, but the quality-to-cost ratio is excellent, and a 4.7-star average from over 1,500 reviews shows dogs enjoy them as much as their owners approve of them. For everyday feeding with a cleaner label, they’re our natural pick. If keeping your dog well is a wider goal, our guide on how to keep your dog healthy is a good companion read.

3. Pet Munchies Chicken Training Treats

A good training treat has to be three things: tiny, tasty and quick to swallow, so your dog is ready for the next repetition rather than still chewing. Pet Munchies get all three right. These are little grain-free bites of real chicken, low in fat and small enough that you can reward a dozen times in a single session without overfeeding — exactly what you need when you’re shaping a new behaviour.

Because they’re made with natural real meat and nothing much else, they carry a strong, meaty smell that cuts through distractions outdoors. That “high value” appeal is what separates a treat your dog will work for from one they’ll politely ignore when a squirrel appears. Trainers often keep a pot of exactly this kind of treat for recall practice and loose-lead walking.

They disappear quickly, which is the point — they’re a currency, not a chew. Pair them with short, upbeat sessions and they’ll earn their keep, whether you’re house-training a puppy or brushing up an adult dog’s manners. For the groundwork, our puppy training ultimate guide walks you through it step by step, and if you’re wondering how long the mad puppy phase lasts, see when puppies calm down.

4. Pedigree DentaStix Daily Dental Chews

Dental disease is one of the most common problems vets see, and the BVA and PDSA both stress that daily plaque control matters just as much for dogs as it does for us. DentaStix are the household-name answer: a daily chew whose X-shaped texture is designed to scrape at the tooth surface and gum line as your dog gnaws, and which the brand’s research shows reduces tartar build-up when given every day.

This medium-dog pack contains 112 sticks — a genuine daily supply — and the low-fat recipe means a stick a day won’t undo a careful diet. Dogs treat them as a treat rather than a chore, which is the whole trick: the best dental routine is the one your dog actually cooperates with. They come sized for small, medium and large dogs, so it’s worth buying the right band for a proper fit.

They’re a supplement to good oral care, not a replacement for brushing or vet check-ups, but for most owners a daily DentaStix is the easiest habit to keep. If you’d like to compare the alternatives, our roundup of the best dog dental chews covers natural and vegetable-based options too.

5. Hollings Pig Ear Strips

Sometimes you don’t want a reward, you want ten minutes of peace — and that’s where a natural chew earns its place. Hollings Pig Ear Strips are exactly one thing: air-dried pig ear, with no grain, no additives and nothing artificial. They’re the cheapest option in this guide and, because a strip keeps a dog occupied for a good while, they’re arguably the best value too.

Single-ingredient chews like these appeal to owners who want to avoid processed treats altogether, and the high natural protein content makes them satisfying. They’re a favourite for keeping a dog settled while you work, eat or simply want a quiet evening, and unlike stuffed toys there’s nothing to wash up afterwards. For dogs who like to gnaw, a natural chew also scratches an itch that a soft treat never will.

Two sensible caveats. Any air-dried chew is rich, so introduce it gradually and count it towards the day’s treats. And as with all chews, supervise your dog and take the last small piece away to avoid a choking risk — advice the Dogs Trust gives for every chew, natural or not. For dogs who destroy everything else, our guide to indestructible dog toys makes a good pairing.

How to Choose the Best Dog Treats

Match the treat to the job

There’s no single “best” treat, only the best treat for the moment. Training needs tiny, high-value bites your dog can swallow in a second, like the Pet Munchies. Everyday affection calls for something soft and low-fat such as Schmackos. Cleaner labels and sensitive stomachs point to a natural, grain-free recipe like Pooch & Mutt, while teeth and quiet time are jobs for a dental chew and a natural chew respectively. Most treat jars end up holding two or three types for exactly this reason.

Watch the calories — the 10% rule

The single most important habit, and the one the PDSA repeats most often, is to keep treats to no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake. The other 90% should come from a complete, balanced food. Treats are easy to hand out without thinking, and canine obesity is now one of the biggest welfare issues in the UK — so if you’re doing a lot of training, cut the day’s meals slightly to compensate, and favour low-fat options.

Read the ingredients

A short, recognisable ingredient list is usually a good sign. Look for a named meat near the top, and be wary of long strings of additives, artificial colours and vague “derivatives” if your dog has a sensitive tummy. Grain-free recipes suit some dogs well, though grain itself isn’t a problem for most — the Blue Cross notes that true food allergies in dogs are less common than owners assume, so change one thing at a time if you’re troubleshooting.

Size, safety and supervision

Choose chews and treats sized for your dog. A chew that’s a sensible mouthful for a Labrador can be a choking hazard for a Chihuahua, and fast, greedy eaters need extra watching. Supervise any long-lasting chew, take away the final small piece, and introduce anything new gradually to avoid an upset stomach. When in doubt — particularly for puppies, seniors or dogs with health conditions — check with your vet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many treats a day is too many?

The rule of thumb from the PDSA is that treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories. That sounds generous, but small dogs need very little, so a couple of training treats can be a big share of a toy breed’s day. If you’re training heavily, reduce meal portions slightly and reach for low-fat, low-calorie treats.

Are dental sticks actually worth it?

Given daily, a textured dental chew like DentaStix can meaningfully reduce plaque and tartar between brushing sessions, which is why so many owners use them. They’re a helpful supplement rather than a magic fix — nothing replaces brushing and regular vet dental checks — but as an easy daily habit they earn their place.

What treats are best for training a puppy?

Tiny, soft, high-value bites your puppy can eat instantly, so you can reward often without filling them up. Real-meat training treats like the Pet Munchies work brilliantly. Keep sessions short and upbeat, and remember that a hungry puppy learns faster than a full one, so train before mealtimes rather than after.

Are natural chews like pig ears safe?

For most healthy adult dogs, yes — provided you supervise, choose the right size and don’t overdo the richness. Introduce them gradually, count them towards the daily treat allowance, and remove the last small piece to avoid a choking risk. Dogs with pancreatitis or fat-sensitive conditions should skip rich chews unless your vet approves.

Are cheaper treats worse for my dog?

Not necessarily. Price often reflects meat quality and processing, and premium recipes can be worth it for sensitive dogs — but a single-ingredient natural chew such as pig ears can be both cheap and wholesome. Budgeting for a dog adds up over the years, and our guide to the cost of owning a dog puts treats in the wider picture.

Our Verdict

For most homes, the Pedigree Schmackos Mega Pack is the best all-round dog treat in the UK — soft, low-fat, loved by nearly every dog and backed by more than 21,000 reviews. For a cleaner label, the Pooch & Mutt Meaty Treats are our natural pick, while the tiny Pet Munchies bites are the ones to reach for at training class.

For teeth, a daily DentaStix is the easiest good habit to keep, and when you just need ten quiet minutes the natural Hollings Pig Ear Strips are unbeatable value. Whichever you choose, keep treats to that sensible 10% of the day, and you can spoil your dog with a clear conscience.