Why a handful of treats matters more than you think

Reward-based training is the kindest and most effective way to teach a dog almost anything, from a reliable recall on a windy moor to settling quietly while you chat to a neighbour. The trouble is that the rewards we reach for most often are the ones that carry the most calories. A medium training biscuit can easily contain 30 to 50 kcal. Offer three in a ten-minute session and a small dog may have taken on more than a third of their daily energy needs without you noticing.

Multiply that across two or three sessions a day, add a few "just because" treats and a bit of sausage on a Sunday walk, and you have a recipe for a steadily expanding waistline. Extra weight is one of the most common problems vets see in UK dogs. It strains joints, hearts and airways, and it makes older dogs far less willing to head out into the hills. None of this means you should stop rewarding your dog. It means rewarding thoughtfully.

Lower-calorie rewards dogs still love

Most dogs care far more about the frequency and the smell of a reward than its size. Swap the usual biscuits for some of these:

• Cooked chicken or turkey breast, chopped into pieces no bigger than a pea.
• Plain white fish, unseasoned and flaked into small crumbs.
• Carrot, cucumber, green beans or apple (no core or pips), which many dogs enjoy raw and crunchy.
• Their own complete food, taken from the daily ration rather than added to it.
• Commercial training treats listing around three kcal or less per piece. Read the packet, because words like "light" and "natural" mean very little.
• A tiny sliver of cheese or cooked liver, saved for the hard-won recall or the first calm loose-lead walk.

Keep rich, salty or fatty food for the rare jackpot moment, and never use onion, garlic, grapes, raisins, chocolate, macadamia nuts or anything containing xylitol, all of which are toxic to dogs.

Adjust the dinner bowl, not the enthusiasm

A useful rule of thumb is that treats should make up no more than about ten per cent of your dog's daily calories. On a training-heavy day, measure the treats first and then take the equivalent amount out of the bowl.

If your dog normally has 150g of dry food a day and you plan to use 30g of kibble as rewards on a walk, serve 120g at dinner. Your dog still receives the same total amount of food, but earns much of it. The maths is simple and it keeps training rewarding without the kilos creeping on.

Try not to let the bowl go empty altogether. A genuinely ravenous dog tends to become grabby, snatchy and unable to concentrate, which is the opposite of what a session needs. Keep meals at roughly the same times, and if a class or a long countryside walk is planned, sort the portions the night before.

Make every reward go further

• Cut pieces smaller than you think. A pea-sized reward is plenty, and you can halve that again for a small breed.
• Mix high and low value. Use everyday kibble for easy repetitions and save the chicken for the breakthrough.
• Vary the pouch. A mix of textures and scents keeps a dog guessing and working hard.
• Pay with play. A game of tug, a thrown toy or a good sniff in the hedge is a genuine reward for many dogs.
• Let sniffing be the prize. Releasing your dog to explore a verge after a neat recall teaches that coming back is worth it, at no cost to the waistline.

Treats in the countryside

If you train outdoors, a little countryside care goes a long way. Carry treats in a sealed pouch or tin rather than loose in a coat pocket, because the smell of food can draw in livestock, wasps in summer and the occasional opportunistic dog. Never feed your dog near sheep, cattle or horses, and never leave scraps or wrappers behind.

Follow the Countryside Code: keep to public paths, close gates behind you, keep dogs on a lead around livestock and near ground-nesting birds between March and July, and always bag and bin poo, or take it home if there is no bin. A long line is a brilliant training tool on open ground, letting your dog practise recall safely while you reward check-ins with a crumb of chicken rather than a whole biscuit.

Keeping an eye on condition

Run your hands over your dog's ribs every couple of weeks. You should feel them easily under a thin covering, and see a clear waist from above and a tucked belly from the side. If the ribs are getting harder to find, trim the treat ration before you trim the training.

Weigh your dog on the same scales at the same time of day and keep a note. Puppies, older dogs and dogs who have been neutered all have different energy needs, and a dog who is slowing down on walks may simply be carrying a little too much. If you are unsure, ask your vet to check your dog's body condition and help you work out a sensible daily calorie target.

Fitness and enthusiasm go hand in hand. Keep rewards small, frequent and calculated, and your dog will stay lean, keen and ready for whatever the footpath throws at you.