Last Updated: 01/10/2026
Best Puppy Treats in Australia: Vet Picks
Discover delicious, age-appropriate treats for effective training, dental health, and rewarding good behaviour.
Author: Dr Brittany Ward BVSc
Reading Time: 8 minutes - short read
Congratulations on your new puppy! The best puppy treats are soft, small, easy to break up and right for your puppy's age, so they're gentle on tiny teeth and tummies and quick to eat during training. Puppies can usually start having small treats once they're eating solid food and settled at home, from around 8 weeks, and treats should stay within 10% of their daily food.
Below are our vets' picks for dental health, long-lasting chews, interactive toys, air-dried treats, versatility and training. For the bigger picture, see our vet guide to dog treats and our new puppy guide.
Why is choosing the right puppy treat important?
Treats are an essential part of puppy ownership. They will be used daily to train your puppy and encourage them to repeat desired behaviours. Treats will be a valuable tool while teaching them how to be a friendly and confident canine citizen! Having the right treats ensures that your puppy stays engaged with their training and increases the value in repeating the behaviour they are being rewarded for.
Four reasons why it's important to choose the right puppy treat:
- Training rewards: puppies need training, and treats are essential for this process. A treat is supposed to be a reward, so you want to use a treat that is tasty and your puppy wants to receive. The more your puppy enjoys the treat, the more they will want to work for it.
- Engaging: If your pup receives the same treat repeatedly, this can decrease the treats value. Providing a variety of treats and the right flavoured treats keeps them engaging.
- Goal Appropriate: Your treat needs to be appropriate to meet your training goal and ensures quick learning. Depending on what you are hoping to train, your treat choice may vary. Training treats are best suited to command training, while activities like crate training might use long-lasting treats.
- Healthy and Safe: You want to know the treats you are giving your pup aren't going to cause harm.
How We Review Our Products
Our Vet team use their health and husbandry knowledge, along with their own personal and clinical experiences to evaluate each product and provide detailed, informative reviews, free of any commercial bias. We then collate this information into our 'best of' recommendations.
Top Recommended Puppy Treats in Australia [Vet Reviewed]
What are the best training treats for puppies?
The best training treats for puppies are small, soft and easy to break into pea-sized pieces, so you can reward often without filling them up. Our vets' picks are SavourLife Training Treats, Ziwi Peak Steam & Air-Dried Lamb and Vitapet Jerhigh Milky Sticks. Puppies have short attention spans, so keep sessions to a few minutes and use part of their measured meals as treats.
For adult dogs, see our guide to the best dog training treats, and for the training steps, read how to train a puppy.
SavourLife Puppy Training Treats
Pros
Cons
- Not single protein or limited ingredient
- Suitable for supplementary feeding only
SavourLife Australian Puppy Training Treats are bite-sized, high-value rewards designed specifically for growing dogs. Made in Australia with real chicken or lamb and sweet potato, they are enriched with DHA Gold to support cognitive and vision development. A major standout of the brand is its philanthropic mission: 50% of all profits are donated to pet rescue organisations to help rehome abandoned dogs.
What our customers say: "The perfect training treat! Not too big and from what i can tell, they must taste good! Our puppy loves them!" - Nathan
What our vets say: "SavourLife Training Treats are an excellent tool for positive reinforcement - perfectly sized, soft bites that are highly palatable and gentle on developing teeth. The inclusion of DHA provides strong support for early cognitive and retinal development." - Dr Gill
Ziwi Peak Steam & Air-Dried Lamb
Pros
- Nutritionally balanced and complete
- Strong enticing smell and high palatability
- Uses natural, raw ingredients
- Grain free with 85% premium animal ingredients
- Comes in convenient bite sized pieces
- Suitable for all breeds and ages
Cons
- More expensive than most treats
Ziwi Peak foods make excellent training treats. They come in convenient bite-sized pieces and are natural, air-dried treats using ethically-sourced whole ingredients. They are New Zealand manufactured from locally sourced ingredients, including Green Lipped Mussel which offers joint support. Being nutritionally balanced and complete makes them a nutritious reward that your dog will love working for.
What our customers say: "My fussy dog loves this and it’s a good quality food - Kate"
Vitapet Jerhigh Milky Sticks
Pros
- Comes as a stick that can be given whole or broken into training pieces
- Includes calcium for bone and dental strength
- Free of artificial colours and preservatives
- Made with real chicken and milk powder
- Available in a 100g pack or 400g value pack
- Suitable for all ages and breeds
Cons
- Small dogs (up to 5kg) are only recommended to have up to 1 treat per day
- Suitable for supplemental feeding only
This natural treat is very versatile in its uses. It can be used as a full length stick to stuff into Kongs or similar toys, but it is also soft enough, and comes with scoring already, to be easily broken into training treats. It has a pleasant smell and is a clean treat to use, not crumbly or oily. It has a great taste that puppies love, but can also make a great option for adult dogs. The use of real chicken in a slow baked process results in a delicious and nutritious treat.
What our customers say: "Have ordered a few times over 12 months, GREAT easy treat for Cavoodle. Can rip up and put in towel/snuffle mat for entertainment and have also frozen it in a kong treat for extended amusement. BIG WIN - DB"
What our vets say: "Made from real chicken with no artificial colours and flavours, these delicious treats are soft in texture and mild on sensitive tummies making them perfect for growing puppies. Easily breakable, they can be used for training, snuffle mats, KONG stuffers or just as a delicious daily treat!" - Dr. Belinda
What are the best puppy treats for dental health?
Whimzees Puppy Dental Chews
Pros
- Designed to clean teeth but still be soft on puppy gums
- Grain and gluten free, vegetarian treats
- Low Calorie, long-lasting treat option
- Multiple sizes to suit different breeds
- Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) Approved
Cons
- Only suitable for puppies over 3 months of age and over 2kg
- Can be crumbly and may be messy when eaten
- Longevity is dependent on the individual pup's chew style
These chews offer a great Dental Chew option that is long-lasting, proven to prevent plaque and is suitable for younger puppies. They use natural ingredients and are vegetable based making them a great low calorie, daily treat option. Their ingredient consistency also makes it easy to transition onto the Whimzees Adult Stix after 9 months of age. Being a little bit longer lasting makes them perfect for crate training and managing separation anxiety.
What our customers say: "I gave the Whimzees dental treat to my Cavoodle and he loved it! The treat keeps him busy for a good 15 min. His breath smelt better and I will be buying them again. - Natalie"
What our vets say: "Dental care is an important aspect of preventative health! It's great that you can start taking care of your pup's teeth from an early age with Whimzee's puppy dental treats. These are made with natural plant ingredients making them gentle on the stomach and the knobby shapes help to clean the teeth as they chew." - Dr. Michelle
What are the best long-lasting chews for puppies?
Bell and Bone Collagen Beef Sticks Puppy
Pros
- Collagen based to support joint, digestive and skin health
- Uses high quality, natural ingredients to make them highly palatable
- Designed to be longer-lasting and promote healthy chewing
Cons
- Only suitable for puppies from 12 weeks of age
- Recommended to only be given 1 per day
- More expensive than some other long-lasting chews
These treats are designed to be high quality, nutritious and support ongoing health. They use collagen, which plays an important role in joint health, digestive health, skin and coat health, They are also grain free and lower fat treats. They can easily be transitioned onto the Bell and Bone Adult Collagen Chews after six months of age and also come in chicken flavour chew sticks. These have the added reassurance of being Australian made in Melbourne.
What our customers say: "In just a couple of days this turned my German shepherd puppy's coat from being visually fluffy to having a silky shine. Highly recommend. My puppy loves this flavour! - Boen"
What is the best treat for interactive toys?
Kong Easy Treat Puppy Paste
Pros
- Delicious chicken liver flavoured paste
- Comes in an easily dispensed can making it mess-free
- Great for elongating play and can be frozen for increased difficulty
- Also a great option for disguising worming tablets
- Can be stored at room temperature, no refrigeration required
- Suitable from 8 weeks of age
Cons
- Not suitable for all treat dispensers, only those your dog can lick
- Only one puppy flavour available
- Recommended serving size is only 5 grams
- Not nutritionally balanced and complete, supplemental feeding only
This is a deliciously flavoured, easy squeeze release treat that is great for getting longer play out of your puppy's Kong toys, Lickmats and other treat dispensing toys. It can be easily combined with other treats or even used on long-lasting treats for increased variety. It's high palatability also makes it a great way to conceal worming tablets for fussy pups.
What our customers say: "My dog looves this paste! Great for putting in Kong Classic and teething sticks. I am going to put some in my dog's kong and freeze it for a nice cool treat in summer! - Nadine"
What should I look for in healthy puppy treats?
High quality protein source: Treats using a high quality protein source are often more flavourful and enticing to our dogs, who love that meaty taste. Your puppy will be more willing to work for something that has a strong smell and great taste and the high quality of the ingredients prevents tummy upsets.
Ease of use: Training is something that happens at any time and all the time when you have a puppy around. Choose treats that are easy to grab when needed and convenient to store between sessions.
Variety: Remember that using the same treat repeatedly can get boring as your pup gets used to the taste. Having a variety of treats helps to hold your puppies interest and make training fun for everyone involved! Different treats can also be adapted to different training situations to offer versatility. For more on healthy treat choices, see healthy dog treats.
Meets your puppy's individual needs: Some puppies may be prone to stomach upsets or have unique dietary requirements. Look for treats that are highly digestible and easy to transition onto or meet those dietary requirements. It's also important to consider your puppy's training goal needs to ensure you achieve the results you are hoping for.
Puppy Treat FAQs
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History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Thu 1 Oct 2026
Edited by Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)Dr Brittany Ward BVSc
Veterinarian
Dr. Brittany graduated from James Cook University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and started working in her home town in the Wide Bay-Burnett Region. She has always been excited about working in the veterinary industry, but over the last few years has grown especially fond of dog behaviour and training, surgery and orthopaedic disease.
