This is a specific conversation about Dog treats — what's worth giving — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Crumbly training treats are a genuinely annoying problem — you end up with a pocket full of dust by the end of a session and the dog's still distracted. The best treats are high in protein, low in additives, and sized right for the dog. A lot of popular training treats are basically puffed starch held together poorly, which is why they fall apart. Single-ingredient or minimal-ingredient meat-based treats tend to be much more robust. Tell me a bit more — how big is your Lab, any dietary restrictions I should know about, and are you training in short bursts or longer sessions?
He's a big lad, about 35kg. No allergies that we know of. We train maybe 10-15 minutes at a time, so I need to carry quite a few treats at once. The crumbling ones were making my jacket pocket completely disgusting.
inparticular.ai
Got it — 35kg Labrador, decent training sessions, carrying a volume of treats at once. The crumbling issue is almost always a texture problem with the treat itself. Soft and moist treats sound appealing but they fall apart under any friction. What you want is something semi-moist but firm enough to survive a pocket — and small enough that a 35kg Lab isn't getting too many calories across a training session. Were the treats you were using a specific brand, or just a supermarket own-brand?
They were those Wagg Training Treats — the little round ones. They smelled fine and he loved them but honestly after five minutes of moving around they were powder.
inparticular.ai
Wagg Training Treats are exactly the type I'd steer you away from — they're mostly cereal-based with a meat flavouring, and the biscuit structure just doesn't hold. For your Lab I'd go with Zuke's Mini Naturals — they're a well-established training treat, genuinely small (about 3 calories each, which matters for a Labrador who'll happily hoover up 50 in a session), and they hold their shape reliably in a pocket or treat bag. They're soft enough that the dog gets the reward fast, which is what you want for training, but they're not crumbly. The chicken and duck varieties are particularly high-protein with a clean ingredient list. Available on Amazon UK. One bag will last you several weeks of daily training at that session length.
That sounds good. Is there anything I should watch out for — like a maximum amount per day?
inparticular.ai
Yes — with a Lab especially, watch the overall treat load. Labradors have a well-documented tendency to overeat and many carry extra weight. Zuke's are low-calorie by training treat standards, but if you're doing 10-15 minutes of training daily with high treat frequency, it adds up. The general rule is treats shouldn't exceed 10% of daily calories. For a 35kg adult Lab that's roughly 1,400-1,600 calories a day depending on activity, so keep treats under 150 calories total. A typical training session with Zuke's Mini Naturals should come in well under that. Just don't double up with other treat types on the same day.
Really helpful, thanks. I'll order a bag and see how he gets on.
inparticular.ai
Good call. They're consistently well-reviewed by working dog trainers which is a useful signal — that crowd doesn't tolerate crumbly treats. If for any reason your Lab isn't motivated by them (some dogs prefer a stronger smell), the salmon variety tends to have more scent appeal. Enjoy the cleaner pockets.
