Best treats for a Doberman
A Doberman's size and drive matter more than any specific "best" brand when choosing treats: this is a large, athletic, highly food-motivated working breed, so the treats that suit one best are calorie-aware given how much a full-grown Doberman can be trained with in a session, and durable enough for a genuinely strong jaw if you're choosing a chew rather than a soft training treat.
Why size and drive change the choice
Dobermans are a large breed, typically 27-45kg as an adult, with a lean, athletic build and a strong food drive that makes them easy to train but also easy to over-treat. A training session that uses a handful of tiny treats can add up to a meaningful chunk of a Doberman's daily calories faster than owners of smaller, less food-motivated breeds might expect.
Their jaw strength also means a soft, low-durability chew disappears fast, and a genuinely tough natural chew is likely to get more genuine use out of a Doberman than it would from a smaller, gentler-mouthed dog.
Training treats: size and calories over flavour
For training, a smaller, lower-calorie treat that can be given repeatedly through a session works better than a large biscuit-style treat, simply because you'll likely be giving more of them in one sitting with a food-driven breed like a Doberman. Soft training treats that can be broken into smaller pieces stretch further than treats that are already tiny.
Keep an eye on total daily calories from treats, particularly if you train often — treats are best kept to a genuine minority of a Doberman's daily food intake, with their main meals doing the real nutritional work.
Chews: matching durability to a strong jaw
A natural chew genuinely tough enough to last matters more for a breed with strong jaws than it does for a small or toy dog, where almost anything lasts a reasonable while. Look at a chew's described durability and size guidance rather than assuming any dog-branded chew will hold up.
Always supervise a Doberman with any chew, and remove anything that's worn down to a small piece that could be swallowed whole, regardless of how tough it started out. No chew is entirely risk-free, whatever the size of dog using it.
What we stock for this breed
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Pedigree Schmackos Dog Treats Meat Variety
Meat-variety dog treat sticks, 20 per pack, under 30 kcal each, banded by dog weight
£2.75
Whimzees Toothbrush Daily Dental Dog Chew
A vegetarian daily dental chew for dogs, shaped like a toothbrush
From£0.69
Pedigree DentaStix Daily Large Dog Dental Treats
Daily Pedigree DentaStix dental chews portioned for large dogs
£2.29
Pedigree Dentastix Light Daily Dental Chews Dog
Pedigree DentaStix Light daily dental chews for medium and large dogs
£2.35
Dentalife Dental Oral Care Dog Chicken Chews
DENTALIFE chicken dental chews with medium-dog and large-dog variants
£1.65
Pedigree Rodeo Dog Treats with Chicken
Pedigree Rodeo chicken twists with weekly limits for dogs over the stated weight
£2.75
Hatchwell Advent Calendar for Dogs
A carob advent calendar for dogs, breakable into 4 pieces, made in GB
£3.00
Forthglade Grain Free Soft Bites Fresh Breath Treats 90g
Chicken soft dog treats with parsley and peppermint oil for fresh breath
£2.45
Forthglade Soft Bite Grain Free Joints & Bones Treats
Grain-free salmon dog treats with salmon oil, glucosamine and chondroitin
£2.45
Forthglade Dental Calming Sticks
Dental chew sticks for dogs with added calming botanicals for evening routines
£2.99
Forthglade Soft Bite Grain Free Good Gut Health Treats
Grain-free chicken dog treats with ginger, chicory root and MOS
£2.45
Common questions
- How many treats can I give a Doberman a day?
- There's no fixed number — it depends on the treat's size and calorie content and how much training you're doing. As a general principle, treats should stay a small minority of a Doberman's total daily food intake, with their main meals providing the bulk of their nutrition.
- Are Dobermans prone to weight gain from treats?
- They can be, particularly because their strong food drive and trainability mean owners often use treats generously. Choosing smaller, lower-calorie training treats and accounting for them within the day's total food helps keep this in check.
- What kind of chew lasts longest with a Doberman?
- A genuinely tough natural chew, sized appropriately for a large dog, tends to hold up best against a Doberman's strong jaw. Always supervise chewing and remove any chew once it's worn down to a piece small enough to be swallowed whole.
- Can I use a Doberman's normal food as training treats?
- Yes, many owners use a portion of the dog's normal kibble as training rewards, particularly during longer sessions, which avoids adding extra calories on top of their usual diet. It's a practical way to train a highly food-motivated breed without overdoing treats.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.