The 10 Best Low-Calorie Dog Treats for Weight Management and Training

Best Overall

Wellness CORE Pure Rewards Jerky Treats

$9

$9 at Amazon View on Chewy View on Petco

A dog treat needs to be as nutritious as it is exciting for your canine pal. Wellness’s line of CORE treats is packed with healthy ingredients and vitamins that your dog can’t wait to chomp on. They are grain-free (though are made at a factory that produces grain) and made with real beef, for a snack that is high in protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin A. Also, there’s no corn, wheat, soy, or added fillers.

Each bag contains approximately 89 treats that have about five calories each. They come in three different flavors including chicken and lamb, beef, and beef and venison, and to top it off, they're budget-friendly. The chewy treats are great for puppies in training or adult dogs, although when you open the bag you might find some are in pieces.

_{Calories Per Treat: 5 | Crude Protein: 20-28 percent | Flavors: Chicken & lamb, beef, beef & venison | Quantity: 4 ounces}

Best for Training

Pet Botanics Training Rewards Mini

$7 at Amazon $12 at Chewy

$14

$12 at Petco

If you are training, you want treats to be small and chewy so your dog doesn’t eat too much as you use treats to encourage new behaviors. Pet Botanics Training Rewards Minis are small chews that are only one and a half calories each, with 12 percent crude protein, mostly from pork liver. They also incorporate a load of antioxidants from a proprietary blend of fruit and herbals, with chamomile, rosemary, green tea, and peppermint, so you might find them a bit smelly, although dogs don't seem to mind.

Pet Botanics treats are available in multiple flavors, including chicken, salmon, and bacon, all made with no corn or soy. There are plenty of treats in each bag too—200 treats in a 4-ounce bag and as many as 500 treats in the 10-ounce bag.

_{Calories Per Treat: 1.5  | Crude Protein: 12 percent | Flavors: Chicken, salmon, bacon, beef | Quantity: 4 ounces, 10 ounces, 1.5 pounds}

Best Natural

Fruitables Skinny Minis Dog Treats

$13

$6 at Amazon $6 at Chewy

$7

$6 at Petco

Fruitables offers a dog treat unlike any other that smells closer to a fresh-baked muffin than a bison burger. These oven-baked treats are packed with superfoods like blueberries, sweet potatoes, and peas, which give your dog a tasty morsel without the added calories. It’s also free of soy, corn, wheat, or artificial colors.

Available in multiple flavors, including bison and apple bacon, the treats have only three calories each, but are still nutritious, packing in 8 percent crude protein, 7 percent crude fat, and 4 percent crude fiber. These treats may not be perfect for every dog, especially those that prefer a meaty smell.

_{Calories Per Treat: 3 | Crude Protein: 8 percent | Flavors: Apple bacon, grilled bison, pumpkin spice, pumpkin & berry, pumpkin & mango, rotisserie chicken, watermelon, pumpkin & mango, pumpkin & berry. | Quantity: 5 ounces, 12 ounces}

Best Soft Treats

Wellness The Rewarding Life Training Rewards

$7

$7 at Amazon $7 at Chewy

$10

$7 at Petco

While six calories per treat is a lot for this list, it’s easy to divide these in half, or further. Wellness The Rewarding Life treats are large, square, and flexible enough that you have to bend them back and forth to break them into smaller pieces—the ease with which they break into even pieces is a feature that makes them useful for calorie control or training.

The Rewarding Life treats contain lamb and salmon protein, and a dose of omega-3 fatty acids too. They’re also grain-free and come in five different flavors including chicken and lamb, beef and turkey, lamb and salmon, chicken and venison, and turkey and duck, so you'll be sure to find one that your dog will love.

_{Calories Per Treat: 6 | Crude Protein: 15-16 percent | Flavors: Chicken and lamb, beef and turkey, lamb and salmon, chicken and venison, turkey and duck | Quantity: 6 ounces}

Best Freeze-Dried

Pupford Freeze-Dried Training Treats

$17

$17 at Amazon $17 at Chewy View on Pupford.com

Freeze-dried treats maintain a lot more nutrients than their baked counterparts while keeping calories low. Pupford’s freeze-dried treats come in a wide range of flavors, including fruits like blueberry or banana, plus rabbit, poultry, and fish. Each chew is less than one calorie and high in protein.

Made in the United States, Pupford Freeze-Dried Dog Training Treats are great for just sharing a snack or for training. Each bag has around 475 small, irregular-shaped treats made with three ingredients or less, with no filler ingredients or preservatives. The brand has thoughtfully included a training guide on each bag, too.

_{Calories Per Treat: Less than 1 | Crude Protein: 35 percent | Flavors: Beef, chicken, blueberry, shrimp, banana | Quantity: 2 ounces, 4 ounces, 6 ounces}

Best for Teeth

Whimzees by Wellness Dental Treats

$44 at Amazon $35 at Chewy $28 at Walmart

Your dog needs to have their teeth cleaned fairly regularly and getting a toothbrush into their mouths can sometimes prove quite difficult. That’s why dental chewing treats, which target plaque and tartar on their gums, are a great way to give their teeth some attention.

Whimzees Dental Treats are made from vegetable ingredients including potato starch, cellulose, dried yeast, alfalfa, and paprika extract. Available in three sizes for small, medium, and large dog breeds, each variety pack comes in three shapes—with one resembling a squat little alligator—that encourage long chewing and maximum time cleaning your dog’s teeth. Some, but not all, chews in this variety pack have the VOHC seal of approval.

_{Calories Per Treat: 44 calories | Crude Protein: 1 percent | Flavors: Not listed | Quantity: 14-count (large breed), 28-count (medium breed), or 56-count (small breed)}

Best Crunchy

Charlee Bear Crunch Natural Dog Treats

$9 at Amazon $6 at Chewy

$11

$9 at Petco

One of the more famous low-calorie treats, no dog can resist a Charlee Bear, which comes in multiple tempting flavors, like egg and cheese. They are also made with wheat flour and no preservatives or artificial colors. Though small, they are packed with nutrients, having 18 to 20 percent crude protein, a minimum of 8 percent crude fat, and a maximum of 5 percent crude fiber.

Made in the USA, these treats are also perfect for training. Their small size allows them to be kept in your pocket for on-the-go commands or stored in places your dog won’t be able to smell.

_{Calories Per Treat: Less than 3 | Crude Protein: 18-20 percent | Flavors: Cheese, cheese & egg, chicken liver, chicken soup, turkey liver & cranberries | Quantity: 6 ounces, 16 ounces}

Best for Sensitive Stomachs

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Gentle Snackers Dog Treats

$12

$12 at Amazon $12 at Chewy

Gentle Snackers Dog Treats by Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets are formulated for dogs with sensitive digestive systems. Each crunchy treat has 3.6 calories and is made with a single hydrolyzed protein source, making them easier to digest. The low-fat treats also benefit dogs that need to lose a few pounds.

Purina Pro Plan recommends feeding two treats per 5 pounds of body weight with a daily maximum of 15 treats. Dogs seem to like the taste and crunchiness of these treats, although there is no chicken, turkey, or beef flavor listed, and the first ingredient is corn starch.

^{Calories Per Treat: 3.6 | Crude Protein: 18 percent | Flavors: Natural flavor | Quantity: 8 ounces}

Best Lickable

Rigby Pets Organic Squeeze Pouch Treats for Dogs

View on Rigbypets.com

Made from a short list of ingredients and free of fillers, stabilizers, preservatives, and additives, these pouch treats for dogs from Rigby Pets are convenient treat that makes it easy to monitor your dog's consumption. The lickable treats come in two flavors—one made with free-range organic chicken, organic butternut squash, organic peas, and organic olive oil. and the other made with organic beef, organic sweet potato, and organic spinach.

Rigby Pets conveniently packages these pureed snacks in pocket-sized resealable pouches with a twist-off cap for quick on-the-go use. They are suitable for dogs in all life stages—particularly seniors who may have dental and digestive issues and need more accessible dog treats.

With the built-in straw, designed to target sensory stimulation, it's easy to portion out a pea-sized amount to the top of the straw for your dog to lick with a simple squeeze, making it a great training tool. You can also dispense the treat mess-free into enrichment toys, lick mats, and freezer treat molds, or use it as a meal topper. One thing to note is that while the pouches are shelf-stable (they recommend storing them in a cool, dry place), they need to be refrigerated once opened—which can be an issue if you're feeding a dog under 20 pounds with a maximum treat consumption of half a pouch per day.

_{Calories Per Treat: 78.75 (chicken), 63.44 (beef) | Crude Protein: 5.49 percent (chicken), 4.91 percent (beef) | Flavors: Chicken, beef | Quantity: 3.5 ounces}

Popular on Reddit

Zuke's Mini Naturals Dog Treats

$17

$15 at Amazon $6 at Chewy

$11

$6 at Walmart

Made with animal-source protein (or peanut better) as the first ingredient and no wheat, corn, or soy, these tiny two-calorie treats are a favorite for dog training among Reddit users across various dog-centric forums, such as k9sports. One commenter wrote they "go a little wild and stock up" when the treats are on sale at Chewy or Amazon. Another Reddit user in the miniature schnauzer forum shared their dog liked all the flavors.

Aside from their small size and low calories, a big benefit of Zuke's is the flavor variety—available in beef, chicken, salmon, duck, rabbit, pork, and peanut butter & oats—which is great for dogs with sensitivity to particular proteins, like chicken. The texture of the treats is soft and chewy when fresh, which is ideal for dogs with dental issues. However, they can get very hard if the bag is not tightly sealed.

_{Calories Per Treat: 2 | Crude Protein: 5-10 percent | Flavors: Beef, chicken, salmon, duck, rabbit, pork, peanut butter & oats | Quantity: 6 ounces, 1 pound}