One treat for Beagle and Poodle training

Training two dogs at once is a real juggling act — and using two different treats makes it even harder to manage. The good news is there's usually one treat that works for both if you pick something genuinely high-value: small enough to eat in one bite, smelly enough to cut through distraction, and more exciting than whatever they had for breakfast. The most effective training treats are pea-sized, high in protein, and soft so there's no crunching pause mid-session. Tell me a bit more: how big are the Beagle and Poodle, what are you working on with them, and are there any allergies or dietary restrictions I should know about?

That's a decent size gap but not a problem — with recall and loose-lead work you need something that grabs attention fast and keeps them focused rather than sniffing the ground. The sensitive stomach history is worth noting too. What was the Poodle reacting to — rich proteins, grains, something specific? And are you training them in the same space at the same time, or separately but wanting one treat to use for both?

Right, so fat content is the thing to watch rather than a protein intolerance — that's useful to know. Training together in the garden with a Beagle involved means you need something with serious smell to compete with all those ground scents. My recommendation is Forthglade Chicken Liver Treats. They're soft, pre-cut to roughly pea-size, and chicken liver has that strong smell that cuts right through outdoor distractions — Beagles in particular go mad for it. The fat content is moderate rather than high, which should be fine for the Poodle as long as you're not overdoing quantities, and because they're soft there's no chewing delay so the reward lands at exactly the right moment. Both dogs get the same treat, same value, no favouritism to manage. They're widely available on Amazon UK and good value per session.

For a 30-minute session I'd cap both dogs at around 20–25 pieces total, which is easy to do with pea-sized soft treats. Crucially, subtract whatever you use in training from their daily food allowance — treats should make up no more than 10% of their daily calories. For the Poodle at 28kg that gives you a bit more room, and the Beagle's portion is naturally smaller anyway. If you're doing multiple sessions in a day, split the allowance across them rather than doubling up. The stomach issues you saw before were almost certainly volume and fat combined — keep one in check and the other follows.