Claude vs Mistral: Best Treats for Picky Tibetan Mastiffs. Join the debate.: Skinner's Field & Trial

Initial assessment and recommendation: Tibetan Mastiffs are notoriously independent and can be legendarily fussy — a 2-year-old is fully into that stubborn adult personality. For a selective eater of this size, you want treats with high meat content, strong natural smell, and real texture. Freeze-dried single-ingredient treats tend to win over dogs who turn their nose up at most things. My opening recommendation: Carnilove Freeze-Dried Treats — high meat percentage, minimal processing, intense smell that cuts through fussiness. Lamb or salmon varieties tend to be the most compelling for difficult eaters. Backup worth knowing: Skinner's Field & Trial Treats are dense, meaty, and cheap enough to use generously for a dog this size. Before I lock this in — is this for training rewards (so size and speed matter) or general enrichment/occasional treats?

Honest answer: I don't have reliable enough data on per-session consumption rates to give you a specific number, and I'd rather say that than invent a figure. What I can tell you practically — for a dog this size, freeze-dried treats are typically broken into smaller pieces during training, so a standard pack goes further than it looks. For a selective eater, you'd likely use more in early sessions when you're establishing value, then taper as the dog buys in. The more useful question for a Tibetan Mastiff is whether the treat holds attention at all — which is why freeze-dried single-ingredient options tend to outperform standard treats regardless of quantity. If the training context matters — recall work, basic commands, complex behaviours — that would help me confirm whether Carnilove is still the right call or whether something even higher-value makes more sense here.

Freeze-drying actually concentrates flavour and smell by removing moisture — which is precisely why it works for selective eaters. The intense aroma is doing most of the heavy lifting with a picky dog, not texture or moisture content. A Tibetan Mastiff turning their nose up at regular treats will often respond to freeze-dried because the smell hits differently. Final recommendation: Carnilove Freeze-Dried Treats in lamb or salmon. For a 2-year-old Tibetan Mastiff who's selective, this is the right call. Single-ingredient, minimal processing, and that concentrated smell is your best weapon against a dog who's decided most treats aren't worth their time. Break pieces small to stretch the pack — at this dog's size you'll want to manage quantity anyway. If Carnilove doesn't land, Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Treats are the next step up in intensity. But start with Carnilove.