How Many Treats Can a Dog Have a Day? The 10% Rule, Worked Out

How many treats can a dog have a day? The short veterinary answer is no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories. The rest, at least 90%, should come from a complete and balanced dog food. That’s the “90/10 rule”, and it’s recommended by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and VCA Animal Hospitals.

The tricky part is turning 10% into something you can actually hand over. This post gives treat budgets by weight, calorie counts for common treats, a worked example with our dog calorie calculator, and the treats and foods to avoid completely.

What is the 10% rule for dog treats?

Dog foods labeled “complete and balanced” are designed so that a normal daily portion gives your dog all the protein, vitamins and minerals it needs. Treats usually aren’t. The 2021 AAHA nutrition guidelines note that when treats and other extras go above 10% of calories, they start to dilute the nutrients in the main diet. They also add calories that are easy to forget.

WSAVA is clear about what counts as a treat. It isn’t just biscuits:

• commercial treats and dental chews
• rawhide and other long-lasting chews
• table scraps and human food
• supplements that contain calories
• the cheese, peanut butter or pill pockets used to give medicine

How many calories of treats per day? Chart by weight

This chart uses the same starting point as our calorie calculator for a typical neutered adult dog (1.4 × RER, the low end of the 2021 AAHA range of 1.4–1.6). Intact and active dogs need more, so their budgets are a little bigger. Less active, senior or overweight dogs need less.

Dog’s weight	Daily calories (about)	Treat budget (10%)
5 lb	181 kcal	18 kcal
10 lb	305 kcal	30 kcal
20 lb	512 kcal	51 kcal
30 lb	694 kcal	69 kcal
50 lb	1,018 kcal	102 kcal
70 lb	1,311 kcal	131 kcal
90 lb	1,583 kcal	158 kcal

Small dogs have very small budgets. A 10 lb dog’s daily allowance is about the calories in less than half a tablespoon of peanut butter.

How many calories are in common dog treats?

WSAVA’s treat guide lists approximate calories for some popular treats and human foods:

Treat	Amount	Calories (about)
Ham	1 oz	46 kcal
Chicken breast (cooked)	1 oz	47 kcal
Turkey	1 oz	50 kcal
Lean beef	1 oz	64 kcal
Digestive biscuit	17 g (one biscuit)	75 kcal
Peanut butter	1 tablespoon	81 kcal
Cheddar cheese	1 oz	120 kcal
Tripe stick	1 oz	217 kcal
Dried pig’s ear	2 oz	242 kcal
Rawhide (large)	190 g	700 kcal

VCA adds that one large milk bone biscuit is about 85 kcal. For commercial treats, check the pack for the calorie content, often listed per treat or per kilogram.

Look at those numbers against the chart. One pig’s ear is more than the whole daily treat budget of a 90 lb dog. A large rawhide is closer to a full day’s food for a 30 lb dog.

Worked example: treats for a 30 lb dog

The treat budget depends on your dog’s total daily calories, which we cover in detail in how many calories a dog needs a day. Here’s how our dog calorie calculator works out a treat budget for a 30 lb, neutered adult dog with typical activity:

1. Convert the weight. 30 lb is about 13.6 kg.
2. Resting energy (RER). 70 × 13.6^0.75 ≈ 496 kcal.
3. Daily calories. A typical neutered adult starts at a factor of 1.4: 496 × 1.4 ≈ 694 kcal a day.
4. Treat budget. 10% of 694 ≈ 69 kcal a day.
5. Spend it. That could be 1 oz of plain cooked chicken breast (47 kcal) plus a handful of green beans, or a single commercial treat of up to about 65 kcal. A tablespoon of peanut butter (81 kcal) on its own would go over the whole budget.
6. Feed the rest as food. About 625 kcal should come from the dog’s complete food. Our dog food calculator converts that into cups or grams for your brand.

If your dog is on a diet, the treat budget comes from the lower weight-loss calorie target, not the maintenance number. See how fast a dog should lose weight for how that target is set.

What are good low-calorie treats for dogs?

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention suggests these low-calorie swaps:

• baby carrots
• green beans
• cucumber slices
• zucchini
• broccoli
• celery
• asparagus

Other practical tips:

• Break treats up. A small piece works just as well as a reward for most dogs, and a biscuit snapped into four pieces is four rewards.
• Use kibble from the daily ration. Set aside a portion of the day’s food in the morning and use it for training and rewards.
• Keep a treat jar with a daily limit. Put the day’s treats in a jar each morning, so everyone in the house draws from the same allowance.

For puppies in training, the same 10% rule applies. Our post on how often to feed a puppy covers meal schedules.

Which treats and foods should dogs never have?

WSAVA and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center list foods that are toxic or dangerous for dogs. Never use these as treats:

• chocolate
• macadamia nuts
• onions, leeks, shallots, garlic and chives
• grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas
• xylitol, a sweetener found in some sugar-free gum, sweets, baked goods and peanut butters (check the label)
• alcohol and raw yeast dough
• caffeine, including coffee and tea

WSAVA also warns that cooked and raw bones can cause serious injuries, and recommends avoiding antlers and hooves, which are very hard and can break teeth.

Why do treat calories matter so much?

Because most dogs are already carrying extra weight. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention’s 2022 survey classed 59% of dogs as overweight or obese. Treats are one of the easiest places for extra calories to hide, especially when several people in a house each give “just one”.

It’s also why the 10% line matters even for dogs at a healthy weight. Go well over it every day and your dog either gains weight or eats less of the complete food that keeps its diet balanced. For more on setting the main meal, see our guide on how much to feed a dog.

When to call your vet

• Your dog has eaten something on the toxic list above, even a small amount. Call your vet or an animal poison control line straight away; don’t wait for symptoms. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply).
• Your dog swallowed a bone, a large piece of chew or a treat wrapper and is vomiting, retching, drooling, has a swollen or painful belly, or is straining to poop.
• A new treat or chew is followed by vomiting or diarrhea that lasts more than a day.
• Your dog is gaining weight despite sticking to the 10% rule, or you’d like help choosing treats for a dog with a medical condition such as diabetes, pancreatitis or food allergies.

And if your dog is suddenly much thirstier after salty treats or table scraps, see how much water a dog should drink for what’s normal.