Most people who are careful about their dog’s meals are not remotely careful about everything else their dog eats. That is where the weight comes from.
The guideline nutritionists use is simple: **treats should make up no more than about 10% of daily calories**, and that 10% should come out of meals rather than being added on top.
Almost nobody does this, largely because the numbers are invisible.
The arithmetic that surprises people
Consider a 10 kg terrier needing roughly 400 calories a day. Ten per cent is 40 calories — a small allowance.
Now add up an ordinary day. A dental chew can account for most of it on its own. A few training treats. A corner of toast at breakfast. Something dropped by a child. A chew in the evening.
It is very easy to arrive at 150 to 200 calories of extras — meaning the dog is eating 40 to 50% more than intended, every day, without anyone noticing.
The same extras on a 35 kg Labrador matter much less. This is why small dogs get fat on what looks like nothing.
Where the calories hide
- **Dental chews** — often the single biggest item, and easy to give daily without thinking
- **Chews and long-lasting items** — a filled bone or hide chew can be substantial
- **Training treats** — harmless individually, significant across a session
- **Human food** — cheese in particular is calorie dense
- **Food used in puzzles and stuffed toys** — this is food, and it counts
- **Whatever the other people in the house are giving** — frequently the real answer
Fixing it without making life joyless
**Measure the day out in the morning.** Put the full daily ration in a container. Meals, training treats and stuffing all come from it. When it is empty, the day is done. This one habit solves most of the problem.
**Use the dog’s own food for training.** Dogs work happily for kibble in a low-distraction environment. Save the high-value food for hard situations.
**Break treats smaller.** Dogs count events, not grams. A treat torn into four pieces is four rewards. For training at home, pea-sized is plenty.
**Use vegetables for volume.** Carrot sticks, cucumber, green beans and courgette are low calorie and satisfying for dogs who want to chew something. Avoid grapes, raisins, onions and anything from the allium family.
**Deduct chews from meals.** If your dog gets a dental chew every evening, take a corresponding amount out of dinner.
**Agree it as a household.** Multiple people each giving one little thing is the classic mechanism. It only works if everyone uses the same container.
Choosing better treats
Look for something low in calories per piece, small or easily broken, single-ingredient where possible, and genuinely motivating.
For pill-giving specifically, a purpose-made pocket beats wrapping tablets in cheese or sausage, both for calories and for reliability.
Greenies Pill Pockets, Peanut Butter
Soft treats with a built-in cavity for tablets. Far lower in calories than the cheese most people resort to, and considerably harder for a dog to eat around.
Greenies Teenie Dental Treats
If you use a daily dental chew, size it correctly for your dog and take the calories out of their meals. Dental chews supplement brushing rather than replacing it.
Both are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What counts as a treat that is not food
Worth remembering, because dogs do not only value food:
- A thrown ball
- A good sniff on a walk
- A scratch in the right place
- A short game of tug
- Being allowed onto the sofa
For many dogs these are as reinforcing as food, and none of them add a single calorie.
The honest summary
Ten per cent of daily calories, taken out of meals rather than added to them. Measure the day out in the morning, use the dog’s own food for easy training, and get everyone in the house using the same container.
Keeping a dog lean is the most effective thing most owners can do for their dog’s lifespan — and treats are where that effort usually falls apart.
