Dog Treats and Calories: The 10 Percent Rule

How many calories treats should make up, how to measure them, and healthier ways to reward your dog.

Treats are one of the easiest ways to overfeed without noticing. Because they are small, we tend not to count them, but for a small dog a few treats can add up to a full extra meal.

The 10 percent guideline

A widely used rule is that treats should make up no more than about 10 percent of your dog's daily calories, with the rest coming from a complete and balanced dog food. Use our calculator to find your dog's daily calories, then take 10 percent.

For example, a 40-pound neutered adult dog needs roughly 985 calories a day, so treats should stay under about 98 calories. A 20-pound dog needs roughly 585 calories, which leaves only about 58 calories for treats.

Know what your treats contain

Treat sizes and calories vary enormously. Some large biscuits contain 100 calories or more, while small training treats may contain only 2 to 5 calories each. Check the packaging, which often lists calories per treat. Some dental chews are also surprisingly high in calories.

Ways to cut treat calories

• Use part of the daily kibble. Set aside a handful of your dog's regular food for training, and reduce the next meal by that amount.
• Break treats into small pieces. Most dogs care about getting a reward, not how big it is.
• Use low-calorie extras such as a small piece of carrot, green bean, or apple without seeds. Check first that a food is safe for dogs, because some common foods, like grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, and anything with xylitol, are toxic.
• Reward with attention. Play, praise, and a walk are rewards that cost no calories.

Table scraps

Human food adds calories fast and can upset digestion or be unsafe. Fatty scraps can trigger pancreatitis in some dogs. If you like to share, keep it to small pieces of plain, dog-safe food and include them in the daily total.

If your dog is overweight

You do not need to give up treats entirely, but keep them very small and cut the meal portion to make room. Our guide to checking your dog's weight explains how to tell, and what to do next.

This is general information. Dogs with allergies, diabetes, or other medical conditions may need a special treat plan from their vet.

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