The Honest Kitchen Essential Clusters Review: How They Worked for a Picky Dog

According to Freya, these passed the treat test—and that’s not something I say lightly. Crunchy foods, especially anything that looks even vaguely “kibble-adjacent,” usually do not make the cut as treats. I’ve tried. Many times. With optimism. And a weird amount of confidence for someone who should know better by now.

I think the difference is that these don’t feel like standard kibble. The clusters are bigger, denser, and more “hearty.” They have a more substantial bite to them, and they smell more like real food than dry dog food usually does. 

As a meal, she prefers them mixed with fresh food, but honestly, that’s true of just about everything these days. Offered during training games or treat time, though, she eats them enthusiastically on their own.

That also makes them easier to use in a few different ways:

• Whole clusters as higher-value rewards

• Broken pieces for quick-fire training or treat games

• Toss-and-find games where you want something dry that won’t make your rug smell like regret

If you do any kind of treat-tossing camera training, sniff games, or “find it” work, these are genuinely useful because they’re dry, not greasy, and they don’t turn into crumbs the second they hit the floor.