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
Your breeder is right to flag this — large-breed puppies like Cane Corsos have specific nutritional needs during growth, and loading them up with low-quality treats can throw off the balance of a carefully managed diet. The most effective training treats are pea-sized, smelly, and high in protein so the dog eats them instantly without losing focus — they need to feel more exciting than their regular meal. To point you to the right option: how much does your pup weigh right now, what are you working on with them, and has the breeder mentioned anything specific to avoid — certain proteins, high calcium, that kind of thing?
He's about 12kg already, we're doing basic recall and sit at the moment. Breeder said to avoid high calcium and anything with lots of fillers or grain. No known allergies yet.
inparticular.ai
Good instincts from your breeder — excess calcium in large-breed puppies is genuinely linked to skeletal development problems, so it's worth taking seriously. At 12kg at three months he's going to be a big lad, which means the quality of every calorie matters. For recall and sit work you'll be going through quite a few treats per session, so you want something tiny, stinky, and clean. What does he currently eat as his main food — kibble, raw, something else? That'll help me make sure the treat doesn't double up on anything.
He's on a raw diet, the breeder set it up for us. Mostly beef and chicken mince with added supplements.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — that actually makes this easier. On a well-managed raw diet you've already got good nutritional control, so you just need a treat that complements it without adding unnecessary bulk or calcium. My recommendation is Ziwi Peak Air-Dried treats — the beef or lamb version. They're made from 96% meat, organ, and bone in controlled ratios, no grains, no fillers, no artificial anything. They're air-dried so they're intensely smelly without being greasy, they break into pea-sized pieces easily, and crucially the nutritional profile is clean enough that you're not undermining his diet even if you're doing multiple training sessions a day. Avoid the venison and fish versions for now just to keep things predictable while he's young. You'll find them on Amazon UK — search Ziwi Peak dog treats beef and the 85g pouch is a good starting size to test with.
That sounds good. How many should I be giving him per session without it being too much?
inparticular.ai
A rough guide: keep treats to no more than 10% of his daily calorie intake in total. At his age and size on raw, that's probably around 20–25 treat pieces across the whole day if you're breaking them small. For a five-minute recall session, 10–15 small pieces is plenty — keep sessions short at this age anyway, his attention span is limited and you want to stop while he's still keen. If you're training twice a day, just account for that in his main meal — take a small amount off his raw portion so the overall intake stays balanced.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll order the Ziwi Peak beef ones and give them a go.
inparticular.ai
Good choice — he'll almost certainly go mad for them. One last tip: keep the treat pouch out of sight between repetitions rather than holding it in your hand. At this age Cane Corsos can get very focused on the pouch rather than the behaviour, and you want him working for you, not the smell of the bag. Good luck with the training — they're an impressive breed when they've got a solid foundation early.
