The scores
Charlee Bear Grain-Free Turkey Liver: A/90 — Excellent. Turkey-and-turkey-liver-led 8-ingredient grain-free panel with natural preservation.
Blue Buffalo Blue Bits Tasty Chicken: B/76 — Above average. Chicken-led soft training treat with oatmeal and brown rice; cane sugar included.
How the ingredients compare
Both panels open with named animal protein but diverge on what fills positions two through five:
Charlee Bear: Turkey, Turkey Liver, Chickpea Flour, Pea Flour, Pea Protein, Flaxseed, Canola Oil, Natural Mixed Tocopherols
Blue Buffalo Blue Bits: Chicken, Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Cane Sugar, Potatoes, Vegetable Glycerin, Pea Protein, Flaxseed, Water, Natural Flavor, Salt, Fish Oil, Natural Smoke Flavor, Dried Cultured Milk, preserved with Lactic Acid and Mixed Tocopherols, Oil of Rosemary
Charlee Bear’s panel is 8 ingredients total, with two named animal proteins (turkey muscle plus turkey liver) leading. The remaining five ingredients are legume-based (chickpea flour, pea flour, pea protein), flaxseed for plant omega-3, canola oil for fat content, and mixed tocopherols for preservation. It is a deliberate grain-free formulation with concentrated organ-meat inclusion. Blue Bits’ panel is 17 ingredients on a grain-inclusive base. Chicken leads, but oatmeal (position 2), brown rice (position 3), and cane sugar (position 4) come before any second protein source. The cane sugar is the unusual element — sugar inclusion is rare in the premium training-treat segment because it adds calories without nutritional contribution and applies a meaningful rubric deduction. Both panels use natural preservation; neither uses BHA, BHT, or artificial colors.
Where Charlee Bear pulls ahead
Dual named animal proteins: Turkey muscle in position one plus turkey liver in position two delivers a per-treat protein-and-organ-meat density that Blue Bits’ chicken-only panel does not match. The treats rubric awards the dual-protein-source bonus only when the second protein is in position 2 or 3 — Charlee Bear hits this; Blue Bits does not (its second protein, fish oil, is in position 12).
No added sugar: Cane sugar inclusion in Blue Bits is the most surprising single ingredient choice in the comparison. Charlee Bear has no added sugar, no honey, no molasses. For dogs with insulin sensitivity, weight-management protocols, or dental concerns where sugar exposure matters, this is a meaningful difference.
Shorter panel: 8 ingredients vs 17. Easier to evaluate against allergen-exclusion criteria; the rubric also awards a moderate ingredient-economy bonus for panels under 10 ingredients with no filler-class deductions. Note: Charlee Bear’s heavy legume profile (chickpea, pea, pea protein) is a watchlist item per the FDA’s ongoing DCM investigation — not a deduction for treats consumed under the 10% supplemental ceiling, but worth flagging for households whose primary diet is also legume-heavy. Shop Charlee Bear on Amazon →
Where Blue Buffalo Blue Bits holds its own
Grain-inclusive formulation: Oatmeal and brown rice are whole grains, not refined wheat or corn. For dogs whose primary diet is also legume-heavy (multiple grain-free or pea-protein-led foods), Blue Bits’ grain-inclusive base provides a useful diet-balance counterweight that addresses the FDA’s DCM-and-legume advisory by reducing cumulative legume load.
Single-protein formulation: Despite the longer panel, Blue Bits is a chicken-only treat in terms of animal protein (the fish oil at position 12 is for omega-3, not primary protein). For dogs on poultry-novel-protein elimination diets per AAVDC dermatology guidance, Blue Bits is a single-protein treat in the way Charlee Bear (with turkey liver) is also single-source. Both qualify for chicken-only or turkey-only elimination protocols respectively.
Soft texture and high acceptance: Blue Bits is genuinely soft and breaks apart in seconds — the texture profile most training applications need. Charlee Bear is a jerky-format treat that requires a few seconds of chewing. For high-frequency training where the next reward must follow quickly, Blue Bits’ texture profile is the practical advantage. Shop Blue Buffalo Blue Bits on Amazon →
The bottom line
Charlee Bear is the cleaner panel and the higher-rubric pick by 14 points, primarily because of cane sugar in Blue Bits and the dual-protein density of Charlee Bear. Both are reasonable premium training treats — this is not a clean-vs-junk comparison — but for a same-price-tier choice, Charlee Bear is the rubric-better default. Blue Bits is the right pick for households whose primary diet is grain-free or legume-heavy and want a grain-inclusive treat as a counterweight, or for high-frequency training where soft texture matters more than ingredient panel by 2-3 rubric points.
Read our full reviews of Charlee Bear and Blue Buffalo Blue Bits for the complete ingredient-by-ingredient breakdown.