We all love rewarding our Aussie pups with a treat or two. However, not all treats are actually very healthy, in fact, most aren’t!
With treats being an important part of your Aussie’s day it’s worth finding one that’s both tasty AND healthy.
This article has everything you need to know about giving your australian shepherd puppy great treats!
What’s covered below:
➡️ 4 Best treats for Australian shepherd puppies
➡️ What makes a great puppy treat?
➡️ Do puppies need different treats from adults?
➡️ How many treats can your Aussie puppies have?
4 Best Treats For Australian Shepherd Puppies
I’ve taken everything into consideration with the following options. Not only have I tried all these with my own pups, but i’ve been asking other Aussie owners too.
These options all work great for australian shepherd puppies, and even adults too. They’re actually “healthy” or at least not terrible for your pup, and they’re small enough not to disrupt appetite, health, or cause problems to their developing teeth.
| #1 | Zukes Puppy Naturals | Best overall for all Aussie puppies |
| #2 | Wellness Soft Puppy Bites | Best overall for all Aussie puppies |
| #3 | Spot Farms Human Grade Treats | Best premium puppy treat |
| #4 | Cloud Star Tricky Trainers | Best puppy treat that includes grains |
1. Zukes Puppy Naturals 🐶
👍 Zukes Puppy Naturals are our No.1 recommendation for Australian shepherd puppies.
These treats are just awesome and tick all the boxes, all my friends and myself have been using these treats with our pups for a while now with great results. I just fed my pup one now!
They’re made from natural, nutrient rich ingredients, while avoiding all the rubbish many other brands put into their treats. Not only that but they’re super low in calories which means these treats rarely ever disrupt appetite or effect your puppy’s weight! This is sooo important and often overlooked when giving treats.
Why these treats are great for Aussie puppies:
✅ Low calories (3-5) – A+ training treats
✅ Very tasty and motivating for pups
✅ Won’t disrupt appetite or feeding
✅ Small, soft, and teeth-friendly
✅ Natural and wholesome ingredients
✅ Nutrient rich with added vitamins and minerals
✅ Contain essential fatty acids DHA and EPA to support a puppie’s growth
✅ Made in the USA in regulated kitchens
✅ No artificial preservatives, colors, flavorings, fillers, soy, wheat, gluten, or corn
✅ No grain
These treats come in a few different flavors but my Aussie owner friends all use the salmon & chikpea recipe with their pups and they seem to love it.
I sound like a one-man band with that glowing review, but honestly they’re great.
➡️ Check out Zukes Puppy Naturals here
2. Wellness Soft Puppy Bites 🐶
👍 A close second, or even equally as good as Zukes, are the Wellness Soft Puppy Bites. Specifically the lamb & salmon recipe.
These treats are small and soft, making them easy on the developing teeth and digestive system. Perfectly made not to cause your Aussie pup any issues.
The soft puppy bites are made from TWO kinds of fresh meat, so they’re high in protein and rich in nutrients.
Plus they don’t contain ANY nasty stuff like artificilal colors, flavors, preservatives, fillers, wheat, soy, corn, gluten, and are grain-free
Why these treats are great for Aussie puppies:
✅ Fresh and whole ingredients for maximum nutrients
✅ Contain DHA to support your pup’s intensive growth
✅ Small and soft, easy on the teeth and gut
✅ Super tasty and motivating
✅ Excellent for training rewards
✅ Low-calorie (6) per treat to avoid appetite disruptions
✅ Made in the USA in regulated kitchens
✅ No nasty stuff: wheat, fillers, by-products, corn, wheat, soy, gluten
✅ No artificial stuff: preservatives, colors, flavors
✅ No grain
These treats have received glowing reviews so we highly recommend checking them out, plus they’re slightly cheaper than Zukes. I’ve used these treats along with Zukes and my pup loves them just as much.
Although I prefer Zukes, these are just as good. The only difference would be they’re slightly higher in calories, but you could argue the difference is negligible.
➡️ Check out Wellness Soft Puppy Bites here
3. Spot Farms All Natural Human-Grade Dog Treats 🐶
👍 For those looking for an almost homemade quality level treat, then Spot Farms takes first place.
While these treats are slightly bigger and harder, they are still considered all-life stages and work well with puppies over 5 months.
You can also easily break these down into smaller chunks just to be sure, and this IS recommended.
These treats are super high quality, in fact they’re good enough for us to eat. Yup, they really are human-grade level dog treats and are made according to USDA human food standards.
Spot Farms believes if it’s not good enough for us it’s not food enough for them.
These treats are made with few ingredients in the whole, fresh state for maximum nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Every bite is healthy, and completely free from all the nasty stuff you could imagine.
Why these treats are great for Aussie puppies:
✅ Highly nutritious, human-grade quality dog treats
✅ Made with whole, fresh ingredients
✅ Extremely tasty and motivating for puppies
✅ Absolutely zero ingredients you wouldn’t eat yourself!
✅ Made in small batches at USDA human food standard levels
✅ USA anti-biotic free chickens raised on family farms in Kentucky
✅ One of the most premium treats on the market
✅ No grain
While these treats come with a higher price tag, the quality speaks for it’s self. If you truly want to opt for a natural dog treat with only the best, then Spot Farms is recommended.
➡️ Check out Spot Farms All Natural Human Grade Dog Treats
4. Cloud Star Tricky Trainers Puppy Treats 🐶
👍 Cloud Star Tricky Trainers are another favorite and are highly recommended for Aussie puppies.
These little morsel treats are just 3 caloires per treat, are made from quality natural ingredients (whole salmons as the first ingredient) and are great for training any pup.
💡 These treats do contain grain. Which for some puppies work well. There’s a lot of uncertainanty surrounding grain and some believe that it’s not as bad as we think, with studies supporting both sides. Still, I’ve included this option for those that DO want a grain-included treat.
I love these treats because my pups love these treats. not to mention there’s about 130 treats in a single bag which means they last a while. Another bonus is that these treats don’t have that greasy/oil residue to them when you touch them.
The treats themselves are easy to breakdown and crumble so this ensures they’re easy on your pups teeth and digestive system.
Why these treats are great for Aussie puppies:
✅ Low calorie treats that won’t ruin appettie or contribute to weight gain
✅ Super tasty and palatable making them great for training
✅ Small and soft. easy on the teeth and gut
✅ Highly nutritious and made from quality premium ingredients
✅ Does not contain any nasty stuff, fillers, or artifiical ingredients
✅ Does not contain gluten, wheat, soy, corn
✅ Made in the USA in regulated kitchens
✅ The official training treat of the AKC canine good citizen program
If you want to try a grain-inclusive puppy treat, this is the best option for your Aussie pup!
➡️ Check out Cloud Star Tricky Trainers Puppy Treat
What Makes a Good Puppy Treat? 😋
When choosing a treat for your Aussie puppy, there are some things you can look out for that indicates it’s a good, healthy option that won’t hurt your pup. 🙂
✅ Here’s some of the essentials to keep in mind when choosing:
- Soft and small
- Low in calories
- Made with no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives
- Avoid allergens like wheat, corn, soy, gluten
- Avoids fillers, by products and other nasty stuff
- Is made with whole/fresh ingredients first
- Contains extra vitamins and minerals as well as omega 3, DHA, or EPA
- Is made in the USA in regulated kitchens
- Has good reviews and proven to work with puppies
These are the basic things that a puppy treat should have in order for you to try it out with your pup.
By looking for the above you’re ensuring that it’s a high quality product that’ll most likely work well for your Aussie puppy.
When it comes to grains, it’s difficult to say. Most are grain-free, and some include grain. While there is evidence to support grain-free, it’s so simple. When it comes down to grain I advise people to have a little research and go based on what you think is right, or consult with your veterinarian for their opinion.
Do Puppies Need Different Treats Than Adults? 🦴
Does your Aussie puppy need to be on different treats from an adult dog?
Well, it depends on the treat.
Ultimately, it is okay for a puppy to have any treat, so long as:
✅ The treat isn’t too big
✅ The treat is soft and easy on the teeth
✅ The treat is low in calories
✅ The treat is healthy and won’t negatively impact their health
The problem with most adult dog treats is that they can be quite large, hard, and higher in calories. And this can cause a few potential issues.
Adult treats can be too hard for puppy’s teeth. Their teeth take a while to develop and it can be upto 8 months before they have strong adult teeth. Before then, soft treats are important, which is one of the main features of puppy treats.
In addition to this, they must be small and low in calories. As we might be using them frequently during a puppy’s early training days, we can’t afford to have the treats disrupt their appetite or cause unhealthy weight gain.
How Many Treats Can Your Aussie Puppy Have? ⚖️
When training your australian shepherd puppy, you’ll need to use treats frequently to help speed up their learning process and keep them motivated during training. But how many can you actually give them each day?
Well, if you’re using a low-calorie treat like Zukes, Wellness, or Tricky Trainers then each treat is 3-6 calories. Which means you can give a fair few before you need to stop.
The general rule laid out by veterinarians is that a puppy’s diet (calories) should come from no more than 10% treats.
Their specially formulated puppy food contains everything they need, and it should never be disrupted. This is why it’s important your pup doesn’t receive more than 10% worth of calories from alternative sources.
Your aussie pup will need a different amount of calories depending on their age, just ensure that their daily treat consumption makes up no more than 10% of what that is.
| Age | Rough daily caloric intake | Maximum calories from treats (daily) |
| 8 weeks | 400-600 | 40-60 |
| 12 weeks | 900-1100 | 90-110 |
| 4 months | 1400-1600 | 140-160 |
| 6 months | 1000-1200 | 100-120 |
| 10 months | 900-1100 | 90-110 |
| 12 months | 800-1100 | 80-110 |
Using the chart above, all you need to do is divide the calories from treats by how many calories each treat contains. This gives you the amount of treats you can give. For example, at 12 weeks, my aussie puppy can have between 22-27 treats assuming i’m feeding Zukes (4 calories each). And remember, to minus 10% from their food if you’re giving 10% in treats.
Thanks! What treats are you using with your Australian shepherd puppy? Let me know!
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