How Many Treats Should I Give My Dog Per Day?

Most vets recommend treats make up no more than 10% of your dog's daily calorie intake. For a small dog (under 10kg), that is a maximum of 20 to 40 kcal from treats per day. For a medium dog (10 to 25kg), 40 to 90 kcal. For large dogs (25 to 45kg), 90 to 180 kcal.

Every dog owner has been there. Your dog is sitting perfectly, tail going, staring at you like you hold the secrets of the universe, and you just want to give them another piece of liver. Fair enough. But how many treats is too many?

The honest answer is: it depends on your dog's size, the calorie content of the treat, and how much they are eating across the whole day. This guide breaks it all down with actual numbers so you can treat your dog generously without tipping into territory that causes weight gain, digestive issues, or nutritional imbalance.

The 10% Rule: The Foundation of Any Dog Treat Feeding Guide

The 10% rule is the widely accepted veterinary guideline for dog treat portions: treats should contribute no more than 10% of your dog's total daily caloric intake.

This is not a made-up marketing guideline. It comes from veterinary nutritionists and is endorsed by organisations like the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. The reason it exists is straightforward: treats are not nutritionally complete. If they start displacing a significant portion of your dog's main diet, the overall nutritional balance suffers. Most commercial meals are formulated to be complete and balanced. Once treats start crowding them out, gaps appear.

The key word is "total." That means all treats combined across the whole day: training rewards, enrichment chews, dental treats, the bit of liver you gave them while cooking dinner. All of it counts toward the 10%.

It is also worth noting that the 10% rule applies by calories, not by weight or piece count. A pea-sized piece of dense air-dried liver has more calories per gram than a large fluffy biscuit. Counting pieces without knowing calorie density is not a reliable method.

Daily Calorie Needs and Treat Budgets by Dog Size

Your dog's total daily calorie needs depend on their weight, life stage, breed, and activity level, but the table below gives you a practical starting point for working out how many treats for dogs per day is appropriate.

These are general estimates for adult dogs in moderate activity. Highly active dogs (working dogs, agility dogs) may need 20 to 30% more calories, which gives them a slightly larger treat budget. Overweight or less active dogs need less. When in doubt, your vet can give you a more precise daily calorie target.

Treat Portion Size for Dogs: Rufus Chews Products by Dog Size

Single-ingredient treats have straightforward calorie profiles because there are no fillers, added sugars, or starches to account for, making treat portion size for dogs much simpler to calculate.

Here is how Rufus Chews products break down for each size category:

All figures assume the treat makes up most of the day's treat budget. If your dog is also getting a chew treat, reduce the training treat allowance accordingly. The total across all treat types is what matters.

Training Treats: How to Make a 125g Bag Last Weeks

Training treats work best when they are small, high-value, and frequent, which is exactly why breaking treats into tiny pieces is the smartest approach to treat portion size for dogs during training sessions.

A 125g bag of Rufus Chews Beef Liver (125g for $11.50) contains approximately 375 to 500 kcal in total. If you use pea-sized pieces of around 0.5g each, you get roughly 250 training repetitions from one bag. For a medium dog with a treat budget of 65 kcal per day, you could run 15 to 20 training repetitions daily and still stay under budget with room for a small chew.

Here is the practical rule: the smaller the piece, the more repetitions you get, and the more reinforcement you can deliver without blowing the calorie budget. Your dog does not know the difference between a pea-sized piece and a thumb-sized piece in terms of perceived reward. The taste is the reward, not the size.

The same logic applies to Kangaroo Liver, which is one of the leanest training treats available. Very low fat, strong scent, and easy to break. Ideal for dogs on calorie-restricted diets who still need regular training rewards.

How Often to Give Dog Treats: Training vs Enrichment Chews

The right frequency for dog treats depends on whether you are using them as training rewards or as enrichment chews, because these serve different purposes and have different calorie profiles.

Training Treats (Small, High-Frequency)

Training treats are used for rapid reinforcement. They should be tiny, so you can give them frequently without exceeding the daily budget. The goal is many small rewards spread across a session. For a 20-minute training session, 15 to 20 pea-sized pieces of beef liver is reasonable for a medium dog. That is roughly 7 to 10g total, or around 28 to 40 kcal. Within budget, with room left for the rest of the day.

Enrichment Chews (Larger, Lower-Frequency)

Enrichment chews like Kangaroo Tail Chunks and Beef Paddywack are about sustained engagement. They keep your dog occupied, reduce anxiety, and provide physical and mental stimulation through the chewing process. Because they are denser in calories and take longer to consume, one chew session every one to two days is the right frequency for most dogs.

On chew days, reduce the training treat allowance. On training-heavy days, skip the enrichment chew or give a smaller piece. It is a daily budget: spend it where it matters most.

Dental Chews

Chicken Feet sit somewhere in between: they function as both a natural dental chew and a reward. One foot per session, three to five times per week, is appropriate for most medium dogs. Small dogs can split a foot between sessions.

How to Compare Treat Calories: Rufus Chews vs Other Brands

Calorie density varies considerably across brands and treat types, and comparing treats on a per-gram basis is the only way to make a fair assessment of how many treats for dogs per day is practical with a given product.

For context, here is how Rufus Chews sits alongside other well-known Australian treat brands:

• Rufus Chews (air-dried, single-ingredient): Beef liver at 3 to 4 kcal/g, kangaroo tail at 2 to 3 kcal/g. Predictable calorie density, no hidden fillers. Easy to portion.
• WAG: A popular and widely available Australian brand. Some WAG products are single-ingredient, but the range also includes multi-ingredient chews with added starches and flavourings. Calorie density varies more across the range, so reading the label matters.
• Laila and Me: Premium dehydrated treats, generally short ingredient lists and good quality. Dehydrated at slightly higher temperatures than air-dried, which can affect nutrient retention, but still a solid option. Calorie density is broadly comparable to air-dried products.
• Ziwi Peak: Ultra-premium, air-dried, and extremely calorie-dense. Ziwi Peak's high fat content means even small amounts can push a small dog over their daily treat budget quickly. If you use Ziwi Peak for training, you need very small pieces and careful tracking.

The principle is the same regardless of brand: check the calorie content, weigh or estimate your portions, and count everything toward the 10% budget. Single-ingredient treats just make that process simpler because you are not trying to account for hidden sugars, starches, or fillers.

Signs You Are Over-Treating Your Dog

Three consistent signs indicate a dog is regularly receiving more treat calories than their diet can accommodate: soft stools, gradual weight gain, and reduced interest in their regular meals.

Soft or Loose Stools

High treat volumes, particularly from rich organ meats like liver, can cause loose stools. Liver is dense in fat-soluble vitamins and fat. Too much too quickly overwhelms the digestive system. If your dog's stools soften after you increase treats, scale back and reintroduce gradually. For small dogs especially, 10g of liver per day is about the upper limit.

Weight Gain

Gradual weight gain that cannot be explained by changes to the main meal is almost always related to untracked treat calories. If your dog is gaining weight despite eating the same amount of food, add up every treat they receive in a typical day and compare the total to their daily calorie target. The number often surprises people.

Reduced Appetite for Main Meals

If your dog is leaving food in the bowl at mealtimes, they may be getting enough calories from treats to reduce their hunger. This is a problem because meals are nutritionally complete; treats are not. A dog filling up on treats instead of their main diet is getting calories without the vitamins, minerals, and balanced macros they need.

Why Single-Ingredient Treats Make Dog Treat Calories Easier to Manage

Single-ingredient treats simplify calorie management because every gram of the treat is exactly what it says on the pack, with no hidden extras inflating the calorie count.

Multi-ingredient commercial treats often include added sugars, glucose syrup, starches, and flavour enhancers to improve palatability and extend shelf life. These add calories without adding nutritional value, and they make it harder to know how many calories are actually in a given portion.

With Rufus Chews products, there is only one thing in the bag. Beef liver is beef liver. Chicken feet are chicken feet. The calorie content per gram is predictable, the ingredient list is one item long, and you are not inadvertently giving your dog added sugars every time you reward them.

This is what "One Ingredient, Zero Nasties" actually means in practical terms: you can look at a 10g piece of liver and know it is approximately 30 to 40 kcal, no more and no less. There is no guesswork, and there are no surprises.

Browse the full range at rufuschews.com.au.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many treats should I give my dog per day?

Most vets recommend treats make up no more than 10% of your dog's total daily calorie intake. For a small dog (under 10kg), that is a maximum of 20 to 40 kcal from treats. For a medium dog, 40 to 90 kcal. For a large dog, 90 to 180 kcal. The exact number of pieces depends on the calorie density of the specific treat.

What is the 10% rule for dog treats?

The 10% rule is the widely accepted veterinary guideline stating that all treats combined should make up no more than 10% of a dog's daily caloric intake. It applies to all treats across the whole day. Going over this regularly can cause weight gain, soft stools, and nutritional imbalance as treats displace balanced main meals.

How many pieces of beef liver can I give my dog?

Air-dried beef liver is approximately 3 to 4 kcal per gram. For a medium dog with a daily treat budget of around 65 kcal, that is roughly 16 to 20 grams per day. For training, break liver into pea-sized pieces (roughly 0.5g each) so a 125g bag lasts weeks. Always account for all treats given across the day, not just liver.

How often can I give my dog a chew treat like paddywack or kangaroo tail?

One chew session every one to two days is appropriate for most dogs. Enrichment chews are calorie-dense compared to small training treats. For weight-conscious dogs, stick to one session every two days and reduce the daily training treat allowance on chew days to stay within the 10% budget.

How many chicken feet can I give my dog per day?

Chicken feet are approximately 3 to 5 kcal each. For most medium dogs, one foot per day fits comfortably within the 10% treat budget. For small dogs, half a foot per session is more appropriate. For large dogs, two feet is generally fine. Check your dog's full daily calorie intake to confirm the fit.

What are the signs I'm giving my dog too many treats?

The main warning signs are soft or loose stools, gradual weight gain, and reduced interest in regular meals. If any of these appear, calculate your dog's daily treat calories and compare them to their total calorie target. Reduce treats and reassess over one to two weeks. Single-ingredient treats make this calculation much simpler.

Are single-ingredient treats better for portion control?

Yes. Single-ingredient treats have predictable calorie density because there are no hidden calories from added sugars, starches, or fillers. With a treat like beef liver or kangaroo tail, every gram is exactly what it says on the pack. Multi-ingredient commercial treats often include bulking agents that make calorie tracking unreliable.

How do I calculate my dog's treat calorie budget?

Estimate your dog's daily calorie needs based on weight and activity level, then multiply by 0.10. A 20kg moderately active dog needs roughly 700 to 800 kcal per day, giving a treat budget of 70 to 80 kcal. Use the calorie content on the treat pack, or a general rule: air-dried single-ingredient liver treats are approximately 3 to 4 kcal per gram.