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
Moving away from the paste tube makes a lot of sense — effective training treats should be small (pea-sized), high in protein, and smell interesting enough to beat out distractions, without your dog needing to chew and lose focus. Dry treats tick all of those boxes and keep your hands clean. Before I point you to something specific: how big is your dog, what are you training for, and are there any dietary restrictions I should know about?
He's a 5-year-old Leonberger, so massive — about 65kg. We're working on loose lead walking and recall in the park. No allergies that I know of, but he's had some sensitive digestion in the past so I try to keep ingredients simple.
inparticular.ai
Got it — a big dog with a sensitive stomach means you want something with a short, clean ingredient list, not a treat stuffed with fillers or artificial flavours. For recall and loose lead work in an outdoor environment you also need something genuinely smelly, because park distractions are serious competition. What were you using in the paste tube — was it plain liver, or a mixed formula?
It was a Natures Menu liver paste. He absolutely loved it, no digestive issues at all. I just hate how messy the tube gets, especially in winter gloves.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — that tells me liver is his currency and his gut handles it fine. In that case I'd go straight to Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Beef treats. They're made with a single protein source, minimal processing, no grains or fillers, and they have that same intense meaty smell that makes liver paste so effective. Each piece is small enough to break down to pea-size for a 65kg dog, they stay dry in your pocket, and they won't leave residue on your gloves. The air-drying process concentrates the protein without cooking out the smell — that's exactly what makes them hold attention outdoors. One bag goes a long way even with a large dog because you're using tiny pieces.
That sounds ideal. Are they actually small enough off the shelf, or do I need to break them up every time?
inparticular.ai
They come in irregular pieces — some are already pea-sized, others are a bit larger and need a quick snap before a session. For a Leonberger working on recall I'd honestly break the bigger ones in half at the start of your walk and pop them in a treat pouch. Takes about 30 seconds and then you're completely hands-free. The texture is firm enough that they don't crumble when you break them, so no mess — which is exactly what you're switching for.
Brilliant, that works for me. I'll give them a try.
inparticular.ai
Good choice. If for any reason he's lukewarm on the beef variety, Ziwi also do a venison version with an equally short ingredient list and a slightly different smell profile — worth knowing if you ever want to rotate to keep his motivation high. Good luck with the recall work.
