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I’m always on the search for new tools and treats to help me diversify my dog training. I’ve tried raw dog treats, homemade dog treats, and just about every brand that frequents the pet store shelves.
Then, a recent client sent their board-and-train dog to me with some treats from a brand I’d never used before: Pet Plate.
I was already aware of Pet Plate from their cooked “real food” dog foods. Though I haven’t yet had the pleasure of trying their veterinarian-designed dog food recipes, I’ve had them on my list of brands to try for some time.
As you may be able to tell from my enthusiasm for cooking for my personal dogs, I always get excited when a dog food brand actually looks like (and is) real food.
After I saw how well my board-and-train dog liked his treats from Pet Plate, I decided it was only right for me to go out and order a bag (or four) for myself to try out for teaching some new skills to my personal dogs and fosters.
I decided to “go with what I know” and get some of Pet Plate’s Chicken Apple Sausage Bites, the same type that I got to try with my board-and-train.
Chicken Apple Sausage Bites
The Pet Plate dog treats are made of only six ingredients: chicken, apples, pumpkin, rosemary extract, vinegar powder, and vegetable glycerin. Every single one of those ingredients are organic and have their own health benefits for dogs.
I love seeing the small ingredients list, and seeing Pet Plate create healthier options even for their treats makes me very interested in trying out their core food recipe options.
From my experience buying from them, Pet Plate’s dog treats are only available in four-packs. I got a pack of four of the Chicken Apple Sausage Bites, which ran about $45.
However, you can also build a custom four-pack that includes their two other treat packs:
- Tummy Ticklin’ Digestive Cookies
- Joint Jumpin’ Mobility Cookies
After getting to try the Chicken Apple Sausage Bites with my board-and-train, however, I decided to go with a pack off only those so I had enough to test with each of my dogs.
What really impressed me about Pet Plate was their commitment to Version 1 of the Better Chicken Commitment, a policy of supporting an improved set of standards for food companies and chicken suppliers to improve the welfare of food-supply animals.
By 2024, we will source only chicken certified by Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) and require all chickens to be processed in a manner that avoids live-dumping and live-shackling, and instead utilizes a pre-shackle, multi-step controlled-atmosphere processing system that’s widely hailed as more humane.
Version 1 of the Better Chicken Commitment, from betterchickencommitment.com
Maybe it doesn’t matter to our dogs, but I certainly appreciate that Pet Plate is mindful of where their food comes from, and even better yet is interested in working towards a better existence for those animals.
First Impressions
The Chicken Apple Sausage Bites from Pet Plate are bigger than most dog treats that I’d use for training purposes; roughly silver dollar-sized and with a shape that kind of reminds me of “bite”-style snacks for humans, like egg-bites or brownie-bites.
That said, these treats are really easy to break into smaller pieces, and they tend to do so in ways that don’t crumble all over the place.
A pack of Chicken Apple Sausage Bites includes 4.5oz, which ends up coming out to 25-30 individual treats at that size.
What I love about this style of dog treat is that it’s easy to manage. You don’t need to have a treat pouch handy; you can place a few of these Sausage Bites in a lined pocket or baggie in your purse without it falling to pieces or crumbling all over.
I think that the bite-style treat is something that a lot of dog owners would love, because it’s easy to keep on you without purchasing extra gear. When you want to reward your dog for a good behavior, you can basically pull out a small “puck” of dog treat and break off an appropriate amount.
This is awesome for reinforcing behaviors during “real life” like maintaining manners or quickly re-engaging a somewhat distracted dog.
It’s also awesome for “jackpot” type rewards because of the larger size. Trust me, it’s going to feel “special” when your dog gets a big chunk of treat instead of a small kibble, and you can absolutely use that to your advantage!
On the other hand, I do think that the downside of the “bites” style dog treat is that it’s not great for luring and shaping new behaviors. I don’t want to have to be breaking off bits to make them appropriately-sized for teaching a dog a new skill over several minutes, as it would take too long for that kind of repetitive work.
That said, I don’t think luring and shaping was what Pet Plate really had in mind when creating their Chicken Apple Sausage Bites, anyway. I think what they were trying to make was a tasty and healthy treat that dogs love whether they are working for it or just getting a fun snack.
And boy, did they succeed.
How Do Dogs Like Pet Plate Treats?
I tried the Chicken Apple Sausage Bites from Pet Plate on five different dogs:
- Grimm, my 18-lb Italian Greyhound-Chihuahua-mix
- Wicca, my 12-lb Pomeranian
- Milo, my 75-lb Bully mix
- Indie, a Dutch Shepherd “passion project” I took in for training to prepare for rehoming
- Kimber, a German Shepherd Dog behavior foster from a local rescue, currently working with Khayl
All of the dogs adore these treats. In fact, as soon as the package was open and the dogs could smell them, all bets were off.
Even while I was trying to take product pictures to include in this article, I had some curious noses forgetting their manners at the smell of new snacks.
Needless to say, the dogs love them.
I haven’t had any upset tummies, allergic reactions, or really anything negative at all in terms of how my dogs have taken to them. This is especially awesome because my bully mix, Milo, tends to have a sensitive gut and I have to usually be selective about giving him treats outside the homemade food I make for him.
I’ve been using these Pet Plate treats in a number of ways.
- Breaking into pieces for easy rewards
- Feeding an entire piece as a high-value reward, “jackpot,” or lure
- As a crate treat
I do think they’re a little pricey for the amount that you get, but I do appreciate that Pet Plate’s ingredients are definitely better than a lot of other (cheaper) dog treats out there. Because of that I think that Pet Plate’s Chicken Apple Sausage Bites are great for a once-in-a-while or “special” treat.
I’m sure my dogs disagree, and would gladly take some daily if I offered it.
