Freeze-dried cheddar training treats
Training treats for dogs that stay crunchy in your pocket
Training treats for dogs work best when they are small, quick to eat and worth the effort. Ours is real cheddar with the water dried out of it, so a piece snaps in your fingers and leaves them clean. A bag is $15. Contains dairy.
- Freeze-dried
- Shelf stable
- Contains dairy
Made in Malvern, PennsylvaniaFreeze-dried cheddar
What makes a training treat work
A training treat is a paycheck, and a dog judges it on three things: how fast it gets eaten, how much it is worth, and whether you can carry enough of it. The American Kennel Club's trainer-written advice on choosing rewards lines up with that. It favors treats a dog can swallow quickly so you can move on to the next repetition, keeps them small (a pea-sized piece is plenty even for a large dog), and points out that smelly foods like cheese sit near the top of most dogs' lists (AKC, The Right Treats Make the Best Rewards, opened 2026-10-16).
Cheddar fits that job description on paper. The rest of the job is up to you, and it takes about three minutes a session. Our step by step guide to using training treats covers marking the moment, sizing the piece and thinning rewards out.
Why freeze-dried
Cheese you can carry
Cheese from the refrigerator is a fine reward at home. In a jacket pocket on a long walk, or in a treat pouch through a class, it turns soft and slick. A freeze dryer pulls the water out of the cheddar, which leaves a crisp piece and a bag that lives in the cupboard. After you open it, close the seal each time and store it somewhere cool and dry.
The trade is texture. Crunchy pieces can crumble, which is why the guide shows you how to break them into a pouch before you leave the house.
What is in the bag
Cheddar cheese. The ingredient line printed on the bag reads pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, which is what cheddar is made from, and the net weight is 8 oz (227 g). The guaranteed analysis on our product listing reads crude protein 34% minimum, crude fat 50% minimum, crude fiber 4% maximum and moisture 6% maximum, with metabolizable energy (printed bag label) of 5,251 kcal per kilogram, about 148.9 kcal per ounce.
Read that fat figure honestly: this is a rich treat, not a light one. That is why the pieces are small and why the treats belong inside your dog's daily calorie budget. Use the treat budget calculator to see what 10 percent of a day looks like in grams, then ask your vet for the calorie number to start from.
Cheddar is a dairy food, and the bag lists salt among its ingredients. Skip it for a dog that reacts to dairy, and talk to your veterinarian first if you do not know yet. Our can dogs eat cheese guide goes through what the AKC, ASPCA, VCA and PetMD say.
A first week with training treats
The short version of the guide.
Mark and pay
Say a short word the instant your dog does the thing, then hand over one small piece within about a second.
Keep the piece tiny
Break the bites before you leave. Smaller pieces mean more repetitions before your dog is full.
Short sessions
Three minutes is plenty. Stop while your dog still wants more.
Thin it out later
Pay every time while a skill is new, then reward some repeats and keep praising all of them.
More ways to buy
The single bag is above. Three bags in one box, or a rubber tire toy with a bag of the bites for the tug before the treat. All three contain dairy. Supervise your dog with the tire toy.
A puppy in the car?
Our listing names puppies as well as adult dogs of every size. It gives no puppy amounts, and the bites are rich, so keep pieces tiny and ask your veterinarian how many treats your puppy should have. Start with puppy training treats.
What owners say
Kept these in my car for dogs I come across and they all love them!
Both our dogs love these and the portion size is perfect for our Shih Tzu. We like supporting this business.
Another great choice, my dogs enjoy these a lot.
Questions
What is the difference between training treats and regular treats?
Size, speed and job. A training treat is small enough that you can hand out dozens in a session and quick enough to eat that your dog is ready for the next repetition. A regular treat is often a bigger, slower snack given for no particular reason. The AKC advises keeping training pieces to about pea size.
What treats do trainers use?
Trainers match the treat to the moment. The AKC says to choose treats that are small, quick to eat and, for distracting places, smelly and loved, with cheese named as a typical favorite. Many also rotate between a few treats so one does not go stale.
Does it contain dairy?
Yes. The bites are cheddar cheese, and the bag lists pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt and enzymes. Skip them for a dog that reacts to dairy, and ask your veterinarian if you are not sure.
How big are the pieces?
Small, and easy to snap smaller. The bag is sold on its 8 oz weight and we do not publish a piece size or count, so size them by eye: the AKC suggests about pea size, and smaller for little dogs.
Where is it made?
Sniff and Shift makes them a small batch at a time in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and orders ship from Malvern too.
Ready to train?
Crisp cheddar, small pieces and a plan for using them. Contains dairy.