The scores
Zuke’s Mini Naturals Chicken Recipe: B/78 — Above average. Chicken first, 3 kcal per piece, no artificial colors, no synthetic preservatives, no corn/wheat/soy. Held back from A by a multi-ingredient binder stack (ground rice, vegetable glycerin, tapioca starch, gelatin).
Wellness Soft WellBites Chicken & Lamb: B/78 — Above average. Chicken first, lamb second, real whole fruits and vegetables in the mid-panel. Held back from A by vegetable glycerin (humectant) and cane molasses (added sugar).
How the ingredients compare
The leading ingredients are the structural difference between these two treats:
Zuke’s Mini Naturals: Chicken, Ground Rice, Vegetable Glycerin, Tapioca Starch, Gelatin, Malted Barley, Chickpeas, Water, Sea Salt, with mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract, citric acid, and vinegar as natural preservatives.
Wellness Soft WellBites: Chicken, Lamb, Chickpeas, Ground Potatoes, Vegetable Glycerin, Guar Gum, Carrots, Cane Molasses, Salt, Natural Smoke Flavor, Blueberries, Garlic Powder, Flaxseed, Phosphoric Acid, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, with sorbic acid and mixed tocopherols.
Both panels start with named whole-muscle chicken — the minimum bar for any quality training treat — and both use a glycerin-and-legume soft-chew system. The structural differences appear after position one: Zuke’s uses ground rice and tapioca starch as its primary binders (cleaner but less protein-forward). Wellness uses lamb at position two (a second named whole muscle, +2 rubric bonus) and stacks blueberries, sweet potatoes, apples, and carrots as whole-food middle-panel ingredients. The single biggest rubric delta between the two is cane molasses at Wellness position eight, which triggers our sugar-anywhere −8 deduction; Zuke’s uses no added sugar. Both products avoid BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, and synthetic colors.
Where Zuke’s Mini Naturals pulls ahead
3-kcal calorie density: A 50-pound dog on a 1100-kcal-per-day primary diet has a 110-kcal treat budget under the 10% rule. At 3 kcal per Zuke’s, that’s 35+ pieces — functionally unlimited for a normal training session. At 8 kcal per WellBite, the same dog runs out at 13 pieces. For dogs in active obedience training, agility, or behavior modification work, Zuke’s calorie discipline is the difference between a productive session and a session that ends because the budget ran out.
No added sugar: Zuke’s skips molasses, honey, corn syrup, and cane sugar entirely. Wellness uses cane molasses at position eight as a humectant and palatability enhancer. For dogs with weight-management priorities or dental-disease history, the no-sugar formulation matters more than the per-piece protein difference.
Per-piece transparency on calories: Zuke’s discloses 3 kcal per piece on the package, which our rubric’s transparency axis rewards — a non-trivial share of training treats omit calorie density entirely, making the 10%-of-daily-calories math impossible at the shelf. Shop Zuke’s on Amazon →
Where Wellness Soft WellBites holds its own
Two named whole meats: Wellness leads with chicken AND lamb in positions one and two — the strongest opening panel in the mid-tier soft-training-treat category. Our rubric rewards a named whole-muscle meat first (+12) plus +2 for a named second whole meat. Zuke’s has only chicken in the protein-first slot. For dogs with chicken sensitivities or owners rotating proteins, the dual-meat panel widens tolerability.
Whole-food middle panel: Wellness includes blueberries, sweet potatoes, apples, and carrots as middle-panel ingredients — not vague “natural flavor” placeholders. Each whole vegetable or fruit in the top eight ingredients earns +1 (capped at +2), and Wellness picks up the maximum whole-food bonus. Zuke’s panel after the binder stack is mostly water and sea salt; the food-density gap is real even if the rubric scores tie.
Higher-value reward energy for prey-driven breeds: The 8-kcal density and dual-meat protein content makes WellBites a higher-value reward token than Zuke’s 3-kcal pieces. For low-frequency, high-value reward situations (recall practice, novel-environment cues, distraction proofing), the higher reward magnitude can be the right tool. Shop Wellness Soft WellBites on Amazon →
The bottom line
These are the two strongest soft-training treats in the mid-tier B-grade range, and they are tied at B/78 for genuinely different reasons: Zuke’s wins on calorie discipline and added-sugar avoidance; Wellness wins on protein density and whole-food content. The right pick depends on the use case. For high-volume training (heel work, recall reps, agility drills), Zuke’s 3-kcal pieces let you keep working past the point where WellBites would have used up the daily budget. For occasional high-value rewards or rotation-based feeding to dogs with chicken sensitivities, Wellness’ dual-meat panel is the better call. Many handlers stock both.
Read our full reviews of Zuke’s Mini Naturals Chicken Recipe and Wellness Soft WellBites Chicken & Lamb for the complete ingredient-by-ingredient breakdown.