Are you looking for some tasty training treats that won’t upset your dog’s tummy?
If you’ve just rescued a dog or you’ve decided to kick-start training your pet, you may be looking for some bite-sized treats to keep your pup motivated.
However, you’ll find that a lot of the treats that you’ll find at your local supermarket are filled with additives, binders, fillers and nasties.
They may contain poor quality protein, be calorie-dense and contain a lot of fat that could risk upsetting your canine companion’s digestive system.
Thankfully, there’s been a big shift towards healthy dog treats over the past five years so you have plenty of choice if you want to reward your well-behaved pet with a quality treat.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the best training treats for dogs with sensitive stomachs available in the UK at the moment.
Editor's note: The content on this website is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as veterinary, medical or professional advice. The content of our articles does not constitute veterinary advice. It’s always best to speak with your vet or a certified pet nutritionist before making any changes to your pet's diet or feeding routine.
What Causes Sensitive Stomachs In Dogs?
Vet checks Labrador’s tummy (Photo: Adobe Stock)
I’ve experienced life with dogs who struggle with sensitive stomachs and it can be challenging to find food and treats that agree with them.
However, my Alaskan Klee Kai are notorious scavengers and will often find some scraps on the ground which can result in a bout of tummy upset.
Alternatively, a well-meaning friend may feed them some food from their plate or fellow dog owner at the park may give them a high-fat treat at the dog park.
Your dog may experience some sensitivity if they consume an ingredient that doesn’t agree with their digestive system.
The signs of a sensitive stomach could include nausea or vomiting, soft stools or diarrhea, loss of appetite, flatulence, low energy or lethargy.
Some common food items that could disagree with your dog include corn or grain or proteins such as chicken or beef.
It could be worth getting a dog allergy test to see if your dog is struggling with an allergy to a specific food.
What Makes A Good Training Treat For Dogs With Sensitive Stomachs
Terrier waits for treat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
When we started our search to find the best training treats for dogs with sensitive tummies, we kept some key criteria in mind.
• Quality ingredients – I only use treats that contain high-quality ingredients that have been sourced responsibly (and within the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland if possible). If you’re going to be using lots of treats to train your dog, you want to know that the treats contain healthy ingredients.
• High reward – While it’s important that the treats contain healthy ingredients, if you’re going to have success with training then they need to be high reward and high in flavour.
• Bite-sized – It’s inconvenient to have to half or quarter the treats to avoid feeding your dog a big treat every time they successfully complete a command or trick. Therefore, we look for training treats that are bite-sized.
• No nasties – If your dog has a sensitive tummy, the last thing you’ll want to do is feed your canine companion treats that contain additives, fillers, nasties or anything unpleasant. That’s why we only selected companies that use healthy ingredients and have transparent labels that allow dog owners to clearly understand what goes into each treat.
• Customer reviews – We’ve taste tested all the treats in this article so we’ll give our verdict but we’ve selected training treats that have also proven popular with thousands of other dog owners in the UK so you know that the training treats are tried, tested and proven.
• Value for money – You don’t want to pay over the odds for training treats but if you’re like me, you’ll be willing to pay a slightly premium price if it means your dog gets a healthier treat that can support good digestion.
Best Training Treats For Dogs With Sensitive Stomachs UK
Now that we’ve taken a look at what might cause a sensitive stomach and what we looked for in our search for healthy but tasty training treats, let’s take a look at our top five picks for the best training treats for dogs with sensitive stomachs in the UK right now.
1) Butternut Box’s Ultimate Training Treats
Where To Buy: butternutbox.com
Butternut Box Training Treats (Photo: hellobark.com)
Butternut Box worked with dog trainer and behaviurist Oli Juste to create the perfect complementary pet training treat for puppies and adult dogs. They’ve got a Chicken recipe and a Pork recipe that makes up 80% of the ingredients – so they’re high in taste and high in reward. Their Ultimate Training Treats supports healthy aging and cognitive function. Butternut Box have an excellent reputation for taking care of dogs with sensitive stomachs (including mine). Their Chicken and Pork Ultimate Training Treats come in two sizes – £3.80 for a 70g bag or £11.40 for a 350g bag. The only catch is that you can only order their training treats as part of their meal subscription plan. If you’re reading this article and your dog has a sensitive tummy, you may want to give their balanced and complete meals a try alongside their training treats.
You can get 50% off your first box and 50% off your second box if you sign up to Butternut Box by clicking here.
2) Bounce and Bella’s Grain Free Dog Training Treats
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
Bounce and Bella offer British dog owners the opportunity to feed grain-free treats to their dogs. They’ve got a Poultry recipe and a Fish recipe. Their treats use premium ingredients such as chicken, turkey, duck, salmon, trout, white fish as well as potato and sweet potato. Their limited-ingredient treats provide peace of mind that there are no nasties but just real ingredients. Furthermore, they’re gluten, grain and wheat free to help with digestion. Bounce and Bella currently offer a 500g bag of each recipe for £17.99 on Amazon.
3) Denzel’s Bites
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
If you’re looking for soft-baked training treats then you may want to consider Denzel’s Bites. They’ve got a range of different recipes that are made using natural ingredients. Denzel’s Bites use a single-source protein in each of their recipes (Nut Butter, High Protein, Superfood, Brunch, Tropical & Pure Paleo). Like Bella and Bounce, Denzel’s Bites are grain-free, hypoallergenic and don’t contain any artificial ingredients. They’re bite-size shaped and gently-baked in the UK. We love that Denzel’s Bites use 100% plastic free pouches so they’ll break down in a landfill in under 30 weeks. You can get a variety pack of six 100g bags of treats for £17.40 on Amazon.
4) Forthglade Natural Dog Treats
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
Forthglade have established a reputation for making natural, nutritious recipes over the past 50 years. They’ve got a range of Training Soft Bites that are made from natural ingredients and free from junk and fillers. They’re grain-free so they’re perfect for dogs with sensitive tummies, while they’re hand-baked to lock in flavour. Forthglade have three recipes – Fresh Breath, Calming and Rewards. For the purposes of this article, we’re looking at Rewards which come in a chicken and liver flavour. You can get a pack of eight 90 resealable bags for £18.32 on Amazon.
5) Scrumbles Nibbles Calming Treats
Website: www.amazon.co.uk
Scrumbles have marketed their Nibbles treats as guilt-free! They’ve got three recipes within their Nibbles range but we’re looking at their Calming Treats for the purposes of this article. They’re made with turkey but contain lemon balm and chamomile so they’re perfect for anxious dogs who do better when in a relaxed state of mind for training sessions. They’re hypoallergenic and free from grain, wheat and gluten. Scrumbles only use natural, responsibly-sourced ingredients and human-grade meat. Their Nibbles treats are made in the UK and Republic of Ireland, while their packaging is recyclable. The slight drawback is their treats aren’t bite-sized but my dogs loved these treats and they’re easy to break in half. A 100g packet costs £2.08 on Amazon.
Anything Else To Consider?
If you suspect that your dog has a sensitive tummy, you should speak to your vet so they can assess your pet and let you know what steps to take to promote a happy and healthy digestive system.
We’ve tried all the brands in this article and they’ve all got good customer service and social media teams that can help to provide further information or support if you have questions about their treats.
Wrapping Up – Our Final Thoughts
We’ve reached the end of our article on the best training treats for dogs with sensitive stomachs in the UK.
Our top pick is Butternut Box as their treats are comprised of 80% protein, made with natural ingredients and bite-sized so perfect for training sessions.
However, you’ll need a Butternut Box meal subscription which may appeal to some British dog owners who have dogs with a sensitive tummy and looking for balanced and complete meals.
If you prefer to order your training treats on Amazon, we recommend Bounce and Bella’s limited-ingredient recipes or Denzel’s Bites’ range of soft-baked treats.
