How many treats can a dog have a day? The 10% rule, explained

Treats should make up no more than about 10% of what your dog eats in a day, counted in calories rather than handfuls. The other 90% is a complete, balanced food. It's the rule veterinary nutrition bodies keep coming back to (WSAVA; FEDIAF, 2024).

Why 10%, and 10% of what?

A complete food is balanced for a dog that eats nothing else. Treats aren't, and aren't meant to be. The more of the day that comes from treats, the more the balance drifts, and 10% is where nutritionists are comfortable the drift doesn't matter (WSAVA). It's calories, not weight: drying takes the water out and leaves everything else, so a thumb-sized piece of jerky started life as a much bigger piece of meat.

What does 10% look like by dog size?

We won't give gram numbers, because every dog and every food is different. For a small dog, a terrier or a cavalier, a tenth of the day is a few small pieces: one slice of jerky, or a couple of pieces of kangaroo lung crisp broken up. For a medium dog, a kelpie or a staffy, a handful of small pieces, or one modest chew. Not both. For a large dog, a few treats plus a chew.

Puppies and small dogs get there fast. A small body has a small day, and a puppy's growth food is balanced for growing (NRC, 2006), so every treat that displaces it is balance they didn't get. Break soft cuts pea-sized, and count them.

Swap, don't add

On a training day, when a dog might earn fifty tiny rewards before tea, take them out of the day's food rather than on top of it. Reward from the morning's measured pile, or serve a smaller bowl. The bowl and the tin are one budget. Chews count too: a chew most days is most of the allowance, and the loose jerky comes down to match.

Watch for a visible waist and ribs you can feel without pressing, a dog going off dinner, and water, always down. On a prescribed diet or weight plan, the vet's plan overrides all of this.

Every dog is different. For an ongoing issue, your vet is the first call — this is general information, not veterinary advice.

None of this is a reason to stop. The cuts in Best Sellers do the job in a small piece. The moment is the point, not the size.

Keep reading: How to introduce a new treat to your dog without the upset · Low-fat dog treats for a dog watching their weight

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee. Nutrition Toolkit. wsava.org
• FEDIAF (2024). Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. europeanpetfood.org
• National Research Council (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. National Academies Press. nap.nationalacademies.org

Pudel · Reviewed September 2026 · Single-protein, naturally dried dog treats, made in Australia. General information, not veterinary advice.