How Many Treats Should I Give My Dog? A UK Portion Guide

It is the question every dog owner asks eventually: how many treats is too many? Get it wrong and you either have a dog carrying extra weight, or a dog who thinks dinner is optional because the biscuit tin has been too generous.

The 10% rule

Vets generally recommend treats make up no more than 10% of your dog's daily calorie intake. The other 90% should come from a complete, balanced meal. For an average 15kg dog eating around 700 to 800 calories a day, that is roughly 70 to 80 calories in treats, which is more generous than it sounds once you are working with small, natural treats rather than processed biscuits.

Why the treat matters as much as the amount

A single-ingredient treat like Pawhawk Steak or Bark Ribs lets you count calories properly, because there is nothing hidden in the ingredients list. Compare that to a bulked-out supermarket biscuit padded with cereal and it is easy to see why portion control gets harder with lower-quality treats: your dog is eating more filler to get the same reward value.

• Break larger treats into smaller pieces for training, so one treat becomes four or five rewards
• Keep a mental note of treats given throughout the day, not just at the main "treat time"
• Weigh your dog every few months if you treat regularly, so you catch any creep early

Choosing treats that make portioning easy

Our Dog Treats Selection pack gives you three natural options to rotate, so you are never relying on one treat for every occasion. Single-ingredient treats like Woof Nuts and Canine Cluck are naturally low in fat, which gives you more room within that 10% before you need to start cutting back on dinner.

Get the portions right and treats stay what they should be: a genuine reward, not a hidden cause of weight gain. Browse the full natural dog treats range to find the right fit for your dog's size and appetite.