We would like to tell you about our most favorite treats. I will start out by saying that I bought these products myself (and have been regularly buying them for years) and the manufacturer doesn’t have any idea I am doing this review. Now that we have that out of the way you can really take to heart what I have to say about them.
Our favorite treats are made by Zuke’s Performance Pet Nutrition out of Durango, Co. We are sold on Power Bones, Hip Action and Mini Naturals. These soft, chewy treats are wheat, corn and soy free. They are based on the concept of energy bars for people but for dogs. Hip Action and Power Bones (and Jerky Naturals which we also love but aren’t reviewed here) are the same size – about 1 inch by 1 inch – but the Mini Naturals are smaller.
Power Bones, their “energy treats for active dogs”, were the first Zuke’s treats we tried. They are made with a variety of carbohydrates and high-quality protein to give you dog the boost of energy he needs out on the trail and come in Peanut Butter, Chicken and Beef flavors. I love the idea of having “power bars” for the dogs to eat on the trail while I am munching my favorite energy bar or gel.
Besides extra energy, active dogs also need a hip and joint formula to keep them spry and active. I primarily feed Chester and Gretel Zuke’s Hip Action. These treats are basically the Power Bones but contain 300 mg of Glucosamine and 50 mg of Chondroitin (they also have Omega oils but the package doesn’t say how much). I looked at the mg of these ingredients in my own joint formula and these concentrations seem more than sufficient for a 15 to 30 lb dog. In fact the instruction say to feed 1 treat to any dog 46 lbs or under. Since Chester and Gretel are less than half that weight I think that even ½ treat per day would be sufficient. But, because I think more is better, these treats aren’t really expensive as far as quality dog treats go and they love them so much, I give them one whole treat a day. Hip Action comes in Beef, Chicken and Peanut Butter flavors.
Mini Naturals are basically mini versions of the Power Bones. Each treat is about the size of a pea and contains only 3 calories so they are great for training. Honestly, you can easily break up any of the larger soft treats into small pieces like this for training but the mini treats eliminate the possibility of getting treat under your fingernails or crumbs on your clothes while doing so. Mini Naturals come in Chicken and Salmon flavors but mysteriously but both flavors seem to stink like Salmon.
When you read the back of the package, all of these treats have about the same mix of protein, fat and fiber (and I assume carbohydrates). Chester and Gretel like all flavors of these treats seemingly the same. Get Hip Action if you need the extra joint supplements and the Mini Naturals if you will primarily be using these treats for training. Or, if you are like us, by all three 🙂
By far, Zuke’s soft treats are Chester and Gretel’s favorites. They love the flavor and are fanatic about them when I have one in my hand. The only other thing that comes close is dried liver, etc. but I don’t even feel like those compare to Zuke’s treats.
Personally, I really like these treats too. I admit, I am kind of a gear head which includes liking all kinds of power gels and bars designed for quick snacking and performance while being active. I like the idea of the same thing for my dogs. I also love Colorado and really like that these treats for active dogs are made there. A bonus to buying these treats is that Zuke’s donates a portion of its profits to the dog and cat cancer fund. However, I wouldn’t keep buying them if the dogs didn’t love them so much. I can’t recommend these Zuke’s products enough!
If you are interested, Zuke’s also makes Z-filets, Mini Bakes, Superfood Organic Dog Biscuits, and Z-Bones Natural, Edible Dental Chews. I have only tried the Z-fillets in sample size but didn’t feel they elicited the same greedy response in the dogs. The Mini Bakes and Organic Dog Biscuits are dry treats so I am assuming that they would be just like any other dry dog treat as far as the dogs are concerned. I would be willing to try them because I love their products so much but when it comes to spending my own money I think I will stick to what I know works.
If you would like to try these treats, go to their website and you can print a coupon for $1 off on package of treats. Come back and let us know what you think.
Elizabeth says
August 10, 2011 at 8:37 PMWe would try those treats just looking at your two adorable faces!!
2browndawgs says
August 11, 2011 at 4:27 AMOur dogs love Zuke’s too. We use them for training, for bait in the show ring, and give them just as treats. The mini naturals are great training treats because they are nice and small and the jerky can be easily torn for bait in the ring.
AdventureJess says
August 11, 2011 at 5:27 AMYay! Another vote 🙂
Mary Hone says
August 11, 2011 at 6:08 AMI’m all about power bars for dogs. The dogs always want our hiking treats, not just plain dog food. I’ve bought the Zukes before and they like them.
AdventureJess says
August 11, 2011 at 6:25 AMAnd the Mini Naturals are Roxy size 🙂
Happy.Bark.Days says
August 12, 2011 at 1:13 AMAfter hearing so much about Zuke’s, I recently bought the Power Bones for Miss Maple—it’s our first try with this particular brand of treats. So far, Miss Maple is loving every bite of it! I like the idea of a power bar for dogs and will often give one to Maple before we head out for an evening at the dog park, where she can easily spend an hour with a frisbee (lol). The power bar treat gives her that energy boost and it doesn’t spoil her appetite when we return home for her dinner. We’re definitely going to try out the other Zuke’s treats, as well!
lexy3587 says
August 12, 2011 at 8:40 AMI tried the salmon snack bite ones for Gwynn.. he wasn’t a fan of them. They seem like such a great idea, and they certainly smell strong enough, but he was just as happy to get kibble, which isn’t the point of a treat at all.
AdventureJess says
August 12, 2011 at 8:49 AMI admit…..soem dogs ARE pickier than my guys who will actually eat anything. However, the Zuke’s treats are their favorite.
brokendaughterTam says
August 13, 2011 at 7:44 AMMy dog goes crazy for these! My favourite treats for him too.
its the dog says
August 21, 2011 at 5:05 PMWe do our training with the minis, they also work great for stuffing dispensing toys.
Minis do come in peanut butter flavor as well.
Todd says
June 25, 2012 at 12:47 PMMy dog acts like a crack addict on a binge with these treats. He loves them SO much that I was searching to see if possibly they could be bad for him. Of all the treats I’ve tried these are the only ones that whip him into a crazy frenzy. He will do ANYTHING for them. Sometimes I’ll break the minis into smaller pieces (it’s amazing that you can do this but they break pretty easily) and hide them around the house up and downstairs. I’ll put them under pillows and blankets and behind furniture and he manages to sniff them out like a drug sniffing dog in no time flat. He LOVES it! These also have made training incredibly easy. When you can give him a small piece that is only about 1-2 calories and have him be satisfied it makes you feel a lot better. These treats are by far the best treats I’ve ever tried!
AdventureJess says
June 25, 2012 at 2:31 PMThanks for sharing your experience Todd. I love how easy they are to break into smaller pieces and Chester and Gretel are fanatic for them too. However, unlike your dog, they will eat pretty much anything. Ha, ha.
A.J. McCullough says
January 17, 2014 at 8:57 AMI was just informed that Zuke’s has been bought out my Purina and they don’t have a good track record, testing on animals and poor ingredients. What do you know about this. If true it would stop me from buying my dogs FAVORITE treat. 🙁
Jessica Rhae says
January 17, 2014 at 9:25 AMYes, I just heard that Wednesday and it is confirmed. I don’t like the sounds of it but I am waiting to see what happens from here before making judgments. Some larger companies buy small ones and allow them to operate as they always have. As long as Purina doesn’t make any changes to Zuke’s treats, that is fine. If they change the formula or mission of Zuke’s, I will find an alternative *secretly crying*
Toni Perkins says
August 9, 2017 at 7:30 AMSaw a documentary about diet supplements for humans which was a bit scary. It reported that nothing is known about the claims of ingredients in these products since there are no regulations or tests to verify the claims of their effectiveness. So….how do I know what is in the supplements for dogs? I use hip action by Zuke’s but now I am wary of the claims for this product.
Jessica Rhae says
August 13, 2017 at 5:31 AMHi Toni. It is true that the FDA does not require testing on the effectiveness of supplements. Still, I don’t believe that products are able to make false claims. So, for example, the FDA may not require testing of a specific supplement but a product can’t claim that it contains X supplement when it contains Y or doesn’t contain anything similar to it at all. Even though the FDA does not require testing on supplements, that doesn’t mean testing is not done. For example, there have been many tests on the effectiveness of glucosamine on both humans and pets. Here is one such example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5356289/
If you are wondering about a specific supplement and whether it is effective or not, I would look at studies done on it. In some cases, there might not be because the FDA doesn’t require it. In these cases, the “health benefit claims” of the supplement may be purely anecdotal and based on trend. In many cases there are studies though. It’s up to you to decide if there is enough evidence that it works and whether you want to give it to your pet or not.
As a personal note, I do believe that Glucosamine can be beneficial for pets and people and regular take it myself and give it to my dogs.