Treats and chews
How do I stop my dog getting fat from training treats?
Last updated 23 September 2026 · How we write and check this
Short answer
Using pea sized pieces of the dog's own kibble as the default training reward, reserving richer treats for genuinely difficult moments, and subtracting whatever treats are used from the day's regular meal portion together prevent training from becoming a hidden source of weight gain. Tracking roughly how many treats a typical session uses over a week helps catch a creeping increase before it shows up on the scale.
Using the dog's own food as the main reward
Setting aside a portion of the dog's normal kibble ration each morning specifically for training that day means the calories are already accounted for in the meal plan, rather than added on top of it. A dog eating 250 g of kibble a day might have 30 g of that set aside as training rewards, with the remaining 220 g served as the usual meal.
Reserving richer treats for real difficulty
Saving higher calorie, higher value treats specifically for new skills or high distraction environments, such as recall practice at a busy park, keeps the richest calories concentrated where they are actually needed, rather than spent evenly across every session including easy, familiar exercises at home.
Watching the trend over weeks, not days
A monthly weigh in, or simply a regular rib and waist check by hand, catches gradual increases early enough to adjust before it becomes a larger problem. A gain of even half a kilogram over a month in a small dog is worth investigating, since that can represent a meaningful percentage of total body weight.
Key takeaways
- Use a portion of the dog's own kibble as the default training reward to keep calories accounted for.
- Reserve richer, higher calorie treats for genuinely difficult or distracting training moments.
- Setting aside training kibble in the morning keeps the day's total intake consistent.
- A monthly weigh in or hands on check catches gradual weight gain before it becomes significant.