This is a specific conversation about Dog training treats — high value, small size — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Sugary treats are a real problem for daily training sessions — the calories and sugar add up fast when you're doing twenty or thirty repetitions. The most effective training treats are pea-sized, high in protein, and genuinely smelly — something that cuts through the dog's environment and feels like a proper reward, not just a snack. What are you training your Weimaraner on right now, and are there any ingredients you need to avoid?
He's 4 years old, about 32kg. We're doing recall and off-lead work in the park — he's easily distracted. The treats we use now are soft and he loves them but I checked the label and they're really high in sugar. No allergies as far as I know.
inparticular.ai
Good context. For a 32kg Weimaraner doing recall work with high distraction, you need something with real scent throw and genuine meat density — sugar-loaded treats work partly because they're palatable, but you can get that same motivation from protein without the sugar hit. What brand are you using currently? That'll help me understand what texture and size he's used to, so the switch doesn't disrupt his training rhythm.
They're Lily's Kitchen training treats — the little soft ones. He goes mad for them but I did the maths and if I'm doing a full recall session he's getting way too much sugar daily.
inparticular.ai
Lily's Kitchen are decent but you're right — the sugar content isn't suited for high-volume training. Given he already responds well to soft, small treats, I'd switch him to Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb treats. They're intensely meaty and smelly, genuinely low in sugar, and naturally high in protein from whole lamb. Critically, they're soft enough to break into pea-sized pieces easily, so you control the portion. For a distraction-heavy environment like off-lead park work, the scent profile alone will hold his attention better than the Lily's Kitchen. They're available on Amazon UK and the pouch lasts well because you're using tiny amounts per session.
That sounds good. Will he actually find them as exciting if they're not sweet? I worry he'll lose interest.
inparticular.ai
Dogs don't crave sweetness the way humans do — what drives food motivation in dogs is fat and protein content, plus smell. Ziwi Peak is around 40% protein and has a strong lamb scent that carries well outdoors. Weimaraners in particular are scent-driven, so this will likely work better in a park environment than a sugary treat. You might see a brief adjustment period of one or two sessions while he recalibrates, but most owners find high-meat air-dried treats get a stronger response than sweet ones once the dog learns what they are.
Great, I'll give them a try. How many should I be using per session roughly?
inparticular.ai
For recall work with a dog his size, aim for pea-sized pieces — about the size of your thumbnail nail. In a 20-minute session you might use 15 to 25 pieces without it being a meaningful calorie load. Because Ziwi Peak is nutrient-dense, a little genuinely goes a long way. If you're training daily, just subtract roughly 10% from his evening meal on heavy training days and you'll stay balanced.
