Kettle Craft Venison and Okanagan Apple Small Bite Dog Treats Deal Review: Worth It at 32% Off?

Yes — at $6.12 (regular $8.98, 32% off), the Kettle Craft Venison and Okanagan Apple Small Bite treats are a genuinely good buy. You're getting a novel-protein, limited-ingredient training reward for less than a large coffee. Our favourite pick for reward-based training. Browse more options in our dog treats collection.

Small bite treats live or die on two numbers: how few calories each piece carries, and how short the ingredient list is. Venison scores well on both fronts because it's a protein most Canadian dogs have never eaten before, which matters if you've been cycling through chicken and beef formulas trying to calm an itchy dog. Below is how we evaluate this category, four picks worth your money, and a head-to-head against the other Canadian small-bite treat we sell most of.

What actually matters when buying small-bite training treats

A training treat should deliver under 5 kcal per piece, list a single named animal protein first, and stay inside the 10% treat allowance that veterinary nutritionists recommend for daily calories. Everything else — shape, packaging, marketing language — is secondary.

How many calories can a treat have before it's too many?

Treats should contribute no more than 10% of your dog's daily calorie intake. A 25 lb dog eating roughly 600 kcal per day has about 60 kcal of treat budget. If each small bite runs 3–5 kcal, that's 12 to 20 rewards in a training session — plenty. A 70 lb dog with a ~1,400 kcal requirement gets closer to 140 kcal, or 28–45 pieces.

That math is why piece size matters more than bag size. In our store we see customers buy a bag of large biscuits for puppy class, break each one into thirds, and end up with crumbs at the bottom of a treat pouch. Small bites skip that problem entirely.

Ingredient criteria we apply on the shelf

• Named protein first — "venison" beats "meat meal" every time. Named muscle meat gives you a traceable amino acid profile.
• Under 8 total ingredients — a true limited ingredient treat makes elimination trials workable. If you're testing for a food sensitivity, a 22-ingredient cookie ruins the experiment.
• Novel protein when needed — venison, rabbit, and fish are proteins most dogs haven't been exposed to repeatedly.
• Fruit or vegetable for fiber content — apple contributes pectin, a soluble fibre. Modest amounts, but it beats added sugar.
• No added glycerin syrups — soft treats often use glycerin for texture; it's not harmful but it adds empty calories.

Treats are classified as complementary feed, not complete diets, so they don't need to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for a life-stage formulation the way your dog's main food does. That's fine — but it means a treat's guaranteed analysis (protein content, fat content, moisture) is your only real window into what you're feeding. The American Veterinary Medical Association reinforces the 10% guideline for any food outside the balanced ration, and a 2026 AAFCO labelling revision continues to push clearer calorie statements onto pet treat packaging, which makes comparison shopping easier than it was five years ago.

Why venison specifically?

Venison is a lean red meat, typically lower in fat than beef while carrying comparable iron and B-vitamin density. For dogs on a weight-management plan or dogs whose owners are managing recurring ear and skin flare-ups, a lean novel protein is a practical swap. Talk to your veterinarian before using any treat as part of a diagnostic elimination diet — that's a clinical process, not a shopping decision.

The picks: four small-bite treats worth buying

These four are the small-format treats our team reaches for most when a customer needs something for training, pill-hiding, or a sensitive dog. Prices change, so check each product page for today's number.

1. Kettle Craft Venison and Okanagan Apple Small Bite — the deal pick. Currently $6.12, down from $8.98 (32% off), which works out to $2.86 saved per bag. Venison as the lead protein plus British Columbia apple keeps the ingredient panel short, and the small bite format means you're not breaking treats apart mid-session. See the current sale price here.

2. Crumps' Naturals Mini Trainers — the volume pick. An Ontario-made, single-protein baked treat sized specifically for high-repetition drills. When a customer is running six 5-minute sessions a day with a young dog, this is what we hand them. Lean, low-kcal, easy on a treat pouch.

3. Caru Soft 'n Tasty Bites — the pill-hiding pick. Soft and pliable enough to fold around a capsule, which is the whole job description for some households. Pet owners tell us the texture matters most for seniors with worn teeth or missing molars.

4. The Honest Kitchen Goat's Milk N' Cookies — the reward-day pick. Richer than a training treat and better used as an occasional reward than a 30-piece session snack. We covered its own promotion in our review of the Goat's Milk N' Cookies deal.

If dental function is your priority instead of training, a chew-style dental treat is a different tool — our Farmina dental treat deal review walks through that category. And for dogs who need joint or coat support rather than more calories, look at supplements with glucosamine or omega-3 in our dog health and wellness range rather than trying to get therapeutic doses from a cookie.

Kettle Craft vs Crumps' Naturals: which small bite wins?

Both are Canadian-made, single-protein-forward small bites, and both sit in the same price tier. Kettle Craft edges ahead on novel protein and the current 32% discount; Crumps' Naturals wins on sheer piece count for owners running long training blocks.

Our nutrition experts at the North York store usually settle it this way: if your dog has a clean history with common proteins and you just need fuel for training, either bag works and you should buy whichever is on sale. If your dog has a documented sensitivity to chicken or beef, the venison option isn't just cheaper this month — it's the more useful product. Both brands appear in our made-in-Canada pet products lineup, which matters to a lot of customers who'd rather keep their treat dollars domestic.

Questions buyers ask us about this deal

Is 32% off a good discount on dog treats?

It's a strong discount for this category. Premium single-protein treats rarely drop below 20% off outside of clearance cycles, so 32% — taking the bag from $8.98 to $6.12 — is above average. Sale prices change without notice, so confirm today's price on the product page before planning a bulk buy.

For context, we've reviewed treat promotions ranging from the mid-40s to high-50s in percentage terms, including a 56% cheese popcorn chew deal. Deeper discounts usually mean shorter-dated stock or a discontinued flavour; a 32% cut on a core SKU is typically a straightforward promotional price. Our price match guarantee covers competing advertised prices if you find one lower.

How many small bite treats can I give my dog per day?

Divide your dog's daily calorie requirement by ten, then divide that by the treat's kcal per piece. A 15 lb dog needing roughly 400 kcal per day has a 40 kcal treat budget — about 8–13 small bites. A 50 lb dog at approximately 1,100 kcal daily can have 110 kcal, or 22–36 pieces, spread across the day.

Reduce the main meal slightly on heavy training days. Owners who don't do this are the ones who come back in December wondering why their dog gained 1.5 kg over puppy class.

Are venison treats safe for dogs with food sensitivities?

Venison is often well tolerated because most dogs haven't been repeatedly exposed to it, which lowers the odds of an existing immune reaction. That said, food sensitivity diagnosis requires a veterinarian-supervised elimination trial — typically 8–12 weeks on a strictly controlled diet with no other protein sources. The American Kennel Club and your own vet are better guides here than any treat label.

Where can I buy Kettle Craft treats near me?

You'll find them on our shelves and online. Our store at 1111A Finch Ave W, Unit 2, North York, ON M3J 2P7 is open 7 AM to 11 PM daily, with local delivery available via DoorDash and other apps.

If you're stacking a treat order with something else, our dry dog food selection and the clearance sale are worth a scroll — that's where the deepest markdowns land. Cat households can check the cat deals page separately.

Do small bite treats work for large breeds too?

They do, and often better than large biscuits. A Bernese or a Lab swallows a big treat whole in under a second, which teaches nothing about the reward-behaviour link. Small bites deliver the same reinforcement value with a fraction of the calories, letting you run more repetitions per session. Breed-specific nutrition applies to complete diets, not training rewards — piece size and timing matter more here than breed.

One Toronto-specific note: winter training on salted sidewalks near Downsview Park means treats spend a lot of time in a cold pocket. Semi-firm small bites hold their shape in the cold better than soft, moist treats, which can freeze into a single lump. Worth knowing before January. More seasonal buying notes live on our dog blog, and for whole-diet questions our dog wellness guide is the better starting point.

Quick summary: At $6.12 down from $8.98 (32% off), the Kettle Craft Venison and Okanagan Apple Small Bite treats are a well-priced, Canadian-made, novel-protein training reward with a short ingredient panel. Keep total treats under 10% of daily calories — roughly 60 kcal for a 25 lb dog — and confirm the current price on the product page, since promotional pricing changes. For dogs with no protein sensitivities, Crumps' Naturals Mini Trainers are an equally solid alternative at regular price.