The Best Dog Treat Pouches
April 11, 2021 2021-04-11 5:17As an Amazon affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have tested and are using on our own dogs!
I recently started clicker training my Australian Cattle Dog but ran into difficulties while out walking. The treats in my pocket got mixed up with all manner of other things, from tissues to pieces of wire and other sundry items. In the time it takes me to wrestle one out, she no longer has any idea why she’s getting a reward.
To make my training more effective, I decided to invest in a dog treat pouch. I searched through numerous reputable sites, evaluating products as I went. I was shocked at how many flimsy dog treat pouches there are out there. I live in South Africa, where every plant has a thorn to protect itself, and most of the products I found wouldn’t stand a chance in that environment.
In the end, I found five products that I think are up to the challenge. Not only are they all made with durable materials, but they also keep the treats secure while making them easily accessible.
Our Best Dog Treat Bag
Stylish and functional, this hard-wearing dog treat pouch won’t look out of place at a puppy training class, on a mountain hike, or when strolling down the high street.
While discreet, this lightweight training pouch is surprisingly roomy, giving you ample space to store treats, valuables, and poop bags. You can clip your dog training clicker and your house keys onto the handy D-rings on either side of the bag and stow your cellphone safely in the mesh pocket at the front.
Wear it over your shoulder, around your waist, or clipped onto a belt buckle and bag - whatever gives you the easiest access to the most important thing of all - your dog treats.
I love the fact that I can clip this pouch to the front of my saddle, making it easy to drag a treat one-handed while riding. When running or walking, I prefer to secure it around my waist, where it doesn’t bounce around so much.
This pouch can be worn over the shoulder, around the waist, or clipped onto a belt, making it ideal for horse riders and hikers. A drawstring pouch prevents the treats from bouncing out while exercising but means you can access them quickly and easily, even with one hand.
A bright green lining makes the treats easy to spot even on overcast days, and there’s even room for a cellphone and keys. This dog treat pouch doubles up as a poop bag dispenser and has two D-rings on the sides that you can use to attach your favorite dog clicker.
Made of durable nylon, this dog treat training pouch is weatherproof and lightweight, making it ideal for outdoor training sessions and walks. The green lining makes it easy to see the treats so my dog, Koala, can be instantly rewarded for good behavior.
While compact, it can carry everything you need, so you no longer have to struggle with a handful of leads, poop bags, keys, and dog treats. Despite its high quality, the Paw Lifestyles dog treat training pouch carries a mid-range price-tag which, given its durability, makes it extremely cost-effective.
Table of Contents
Mini-reviews
Looking for more specialized treat bag options? Here are our favorite runner-ups!
Best Dog Treat Bag For First-Time Dog Owners
This dog treat pouch from Lanney comes with everything you need to start clicker training your dog. It comes with a shoulder strap and waist belt, a dog training clicker, and a collapsible bowl. It seems as if they’ve thought of everything!
If you’ve been thinking about starting clicker training, this is a great way to get yourself set up without it costing you an arm and a leg.
Much like the Paws Lifestyle pouch, this one from Lanney has a poop bag dispenser and various pockets to store essentials like your keys and phone. It comes with a money-back guarantee which partially makes it for its high price.
As you pull the inside lining out of the bag, it's easy to clean, meaning you won’t end up with moldy kibbles in the corners.
The drawstring bag means you can secure your treats when you’re not using them, preventing your dog from sneaking some out when you’re not looking.
The inner lining is made of heavy-duty nylon, while the outer cover is 600D Oxford cloth - a durable, waterproof fabric that repels dirt.
This product gave our top choice a run for its money but proved less cost-effective in the end, which is why I chose the Paw Lifestyles alternative. It’s nevertheless an excellent product and if you don’t mind spending an additional few dollars, worth the investment.
Best Treat Bag For Hiking
This compact dog treat bag is perfect for hikes, but a little small for an intensive training session, so only suits those who want to carry just enough treats to ensure their dog recalls while out and about.
Small enough to clip onto a belt, this dog treat bag comes with an adjustable waistband so you can attach it securely while keeping both hands free to reward and control your dog.
Slip your keys or credit card into one of the side pockets and use the other as a poop bag dispenser.
The drawstring design means that you’ll get instant access to your dog treats, but they won’t fly out when you’re running. Like our other top products, it’s also easy to clean, machine washable, and durable.
This convenient bag can carry toys as well as treats, making it perfect for an outdoor adventure.
Best Pouch For Running
If you run with your dog as much as I run with Koala, you’ll understand the benefits of a hands-free leash. A product like this combines that convenience with the added practicality of a dog treat pouch.
You can keep your dog safe by clipping his bungee leash onto one of the D-rings on the waistband and reward his good behavior with one of the treats you’ve stored in the zipper pouch.
As the pouch has just one pocket, with no internal divisions, treats are a bit trickier to access, especially if you’ve put toys, keys, and other paraphernalia in there but, it's still easier than a pocket.
The leash has soft handles you can grab hold of if you need more control over your dog. It also has elasticated sections that prevent your dog from jerking you off your feet if he lunges forward.
Available in a range of colors, you can coordinate it to fit your running gear, while the reflective strips will keep you and your canine running companion visible at night.
This product combines a dog treat pouch with a hands-free leash means you get two items for the price of one, making it excellent value for money.
The iYoShop dog leash and treat pouch combo is available in two sizes, both of which feature an adjustable waist-belt and a long leash that measures 68” when fully extended.
Best Budget Option
Being made of silicone means this pouch is easy to clean and dishwasher-safe. It’s also bendy enough that, to extract a treat, all you have to do is squeeze it, and it dispenses them for you.
A simple ring and clip mean you can attach it to your belt or even your dog’s collar or harness if you trust him not to mistake it for a chew toy.
While the drawstring design of the Paw Lifestyles dog treat pouch makes it easy to access treats quickly, it still requires some level of dexterity and coordination. Conversely, this one is small enough to hold in your hand which means almost no coordination is needed, so your focus can stay on your dog.
It’s by no means perfect, however, and as the slit runs the entire width of the pouch, it does tend to spill crumbs and smaller treats. It’s also not airtight so, if you keep soft treats in it, they tend to dry out.
If you’re planning on a big training session with a large breed dog, this dinky pouch won’t get you very far but, if you only need a few treats, it’s a great budget alternative to the pricier products in this review.
How To Choose The Best Dog Treat Pouch
Any pouch, bag, or fanny pack can carry dog treats, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily double-up as good dog treat pouches. Retrieving the treats can be challenging, as can stopping your dog from just helping himself. The best dog treat pouches have the following features:
Easy Access
If you can’t open your dog food treat pouch with one hand, chances are you’ll spend too much time retrieving a treat, disrupting your dog’s focus and rendering your training session all but useless.
Dog treat bags with one of the following closure styles are the best:
- Magnetic closures
- Drawstrings
- Zippers
- Silicone pouches you can squeeze to open.
Size
On the one hand, you don’t want to lug a suitcase-sized bag of treats around with you but, on the other, you don’t want to run out before the training session is complete.
The size of your dog and the intensity of your training sessions will dictate what size treat pouch works best for you.
Larger dogs working for longer periods will inevitably need more treats, making something like the Paw Lifestyles dog training pouch necessary.
For a chihuahua, on the other hand, the hand-sized Kibble Bubble is ideal, unless you want to carry him, in which case, the Paw Lifestyles model will be ideal.
If you’re working with your dog to achieve more advanced training goals, you may need bigger and better rewards, making a sizeable pouch a necessity.
Carrying Styles
As I mentioned earlier, when out exploring with my horse and my Australian Cattle Dog, I prefer a pouch that I clip to the front of the saddle, making it easier to access.
When walking or jogging, however, I’d rather wear it around my waist so it doesn’t bounce around too much. As a result, I prefer a dog treat pouch like the one from Paw Lifestyles, simply because it’s versatile enough to wear in a variety of different ways.
Some pouches are better worn over the shoulder as the pouch itself then hangs close to your hand, so you can easily reach in for a treat whenever you need one.
There is no hard and fast rule about which style is best – it’s a matter of personal preference more than anything and, as long as you’ve got easy access and the treats aren’t falling out, you’ve got it all figured out.
Extra Storage
Few of us take our dogs out for a walk with only a few kibbles to reinforce positive behavior. Most of us are armed to the teeth with poop bags, have our phones in-hand in case of emergency, and carry our house or car keys and other sundry items with us.
These requirements make a more sizeable bag with extra pockets and a dedicated poop-bag dispenser more practical for walking or exercising your dog.
If you only need a dog treat pouch for training purposes, however, something as small and simple as the Kibble Bubble will do the trick.
Lining
There are several reasons the lining of your dog food pouch is one of its most important features. For one, a dark-colored lining makes it difficult to spot the treats lurking in its nether regions, so look out for one with a pale lining, like the grey and green pouch from Lanney. I know, the pink Lanney Doug treat pouch is super-cool, but its black lining will make it more difficult to use so, it’s a case of choosing between style and practicality.
Added Extras
If you’re looking for a complete clicker-training kit, you can’t go far wrong with the pet training bag from Lanney.
Not only will you get a durable bag, but you’ll also be the proud owner of your very own clicker training device and a color-coordinated collapsible bowl.
If, on the other hand, you’re keen to get your dog out on the running track with you, the iYoShop dog treat pouch and hands-free leash combination is ideal.
The Bottom Line
Even though I only just started clicker training with Koala, I’m amazed at how effective it is. Just hearing the clicker is now enough to recall her. Even if I can’t see her, l click the clicker, and seconds later, she’s sitting in front of me waiting for her treat.
Using the Paw Lifestyles treat bag has meant I can reward her instantly, rather than making her wait while I rummage around in my pockets trying to find her something edible. It’s versatile enough to use while horse-riding, running, walking, or training and gives me somewhere to keep keys and other items without getting them mixed up with the dog treats.
The Lanney dog treat pouch follows a similar design and, if it weren’t for its rather over-inflated price, may have even beaten the Paw Lifestyles version to the top spot. It comes with a clicker training and collapsible bowl and has zippered pockets to secure your phone and keys.
For those of you who only need to carry a few treats, the compact treat bag from Amznova is ideal. Although small, it’s still got enough room to keep your valuables safe and has an easy-to-use poop bag dispenser. Finding kibbles in this black-lined bag might be a bit of a challenge, but, as it comes with a 90-day guarantee, if it proves too demanding, you can always ask for a refund.
Even smaller than the Amznova treat pouch is the Kibble Bubble. Designed to carry kibble and kibble alone, its squeeze-action opening is one of the easiest for immediate treat access. On the downside, smaller treats may fall out of the opening, making it suitable only for dry treats.
For those of you who enjoy running with your dog, iYoShop has got you covered. Its combined hands-free leash and treat pouch is perfect for rewarding your dog while out on a trail and keeping him safe at the same time.
Every dog benefits from positive reinforcement training, and most enjoy the experience, especially when there are tempting treats involved. The best dog treat pouches mean no more fluff-encrusted kibble hiding in the bottom of your pockets and more instant rewards for your dog, so what are you waiting for? Go and get a dog treat pouch today and turn your training sessions into a slicker and more rewarding experience for your dog.
