Are cheap dog treats bad for dogs?

Not inherently — plenty of budget treats have a perfectly reasonable ingredient list, and price alone is not a reliable guide to quality. It is worth checking the label for anything your specific dog needs to avoid, rather than assuming cheap automatically means poor.

What is the cheapest way to buy dog treats?

Buying a larger value pack and working out the cost per treat, rather than judging by the price on the front of the bag, usually gives the best value if you get through treats quickly. Simple biscuits and everyday training treats tend to be the most economical category overall.

Can I use cheap treats for training?

Yes, and many trainers actually recommend simple, low-cost treats for training precisely because you go through a lot of them in a session — saving anything higher-value for occasional big rewards rather than every single repetition, which also keeps your dog motivated to work for the better treat.

Cheap dog treats that don't cut corners

The cheapest dog treats on a shelf are not always the best value once you compare price per treat or per gram rather than the headline price on the bag — a larger value pack of a simple biscuit often works out cheaper per use than a small bag of anything premium, without your dog noticing much difference at all.

Why price per treat matters more than the price on the bag

A big bag of plain biscuits at a low price per kilo can still work out more expensive per individual treat than it first appears if the biscuits are small and you use a lot of them during training. Working out cost per treat, not just cost per bag, gives a fairer comparison across different products.

Training treats in particular are often used in high volume during a session, so a value multi-pack aimed at everyday feeding rather than occasional rewarding tends to be the more economical choice if you are getting through a lot of them each week.

Where cheap genuinely is fine

Simple biscuits, plain training treats and everyday chews do not need to be expensive to do their job — most dogs are perfectly happy with a straightforward biscuit, and the ingredient list on a budget treat is often no more complicated than a premium one at several times the price.

This is a sensible place to save money if your dog goes through treats quickly, particularly during training, without needing to compromise on anything your dog would actually notice or care about.

Where it's worth checking the label first

If your dog has a known sensitivity or is on a specific diet, checking the ingredients on a cheap treat matters more than the price itself, since a bargain treat with an ingredient your dog reacts to is no bargain at all once you account for the upset stomach it causes.

For dogs managing their weight, a lower-calorie treat is worth prioritising over the cheapest option regardless, since treats that are both inexpensive and low in calories genuinely exist and are worth the small amount of label-reading to find.

Pedigree DentaStix Light daily dental chews for medium and large dogs

£2.35

Browse all of Dogs →

Common questions

Are cheap dog treats bad for dogs?: Not inherently — plenty of budget treats have a perfectly reasonable ingredient list, and price alone is not a reliable guide to quality. It is worth checking the label for anything your specific dog needs to avoid, rather than assuming cheap automatically means poor.
What is the cheapest way to buy dog treats?: Buying a larger value pack and working out the cost per treat, rather than judging by the price on the front of the bag, usually gives the best value if you get through treats quickly. Simple biscuits and everyday training treats tend to be the most economical category overall.
Can I use cheap treats for training?: Yes, and many trainers actually recommend simple, low-cost treats for training precisely because you go through a lot of them in a session — saving anything higher-value for occasional big rewards rather than every single repetition, which also keeps your dog motivated to work for the better treat.

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.