Dog size
A little cheddar goes a long way for a toy dog
Updated
Cheese treats for small dogs should be broken down to crumbs, well under pea size. A little dog's daily calories are few, and the bag label on our cheddar puts it at 148.9 kcal per ounce. For a toy breed a crumb is a full reward, and the day's tenth is spent quickly.
Why does a small dog's treat budget fill so fast?
Two facts meet in the middle of a small dog. The dog eats little in a day, and cheese is a rich food, so each piece takes a larger share of the allowance than the same piece would for a retriever. Nothing about the cheese changes. The denominator does.
Under VCA's guidance, treats and snacks get about a tenth of a dog's daily calories and a complete and balanced diet covers the balance (VCA, Dog Treats, opened 2026-10-16). For a toy breed, a tenth is a small number, and our cheddar is not a light treat. It is a treat rather than a meal, and a rich one, which is the whole case for keeping the pieces tiny. Think of a small dog's budget as a small fuel tank. It tops off fast, and whatever you pour after that runs down the side.
The number for your own dog is not ours to set. Once you have it, the arithmetic is simple, and the pieces get smaller whenever the count looks tight. Our guide to cheese by format compares the formats for any dog; this page is about the handling a little dog adds.
How tiny should cheese pieces be for a toy breed?
Smaller than you think, then smaller again. The AKC's rule of thumb is a pea sized piece even for a large dog, and smaller for small dogs (AKC, The Right Treats Make the Best Rewards, opened 2026-10-16). For a toy breed, that means a crumb. Something the size of a grain of rice is a working piece, and it is gone before the next cue.
The reason is the repetition count, not thrift. A whole bite can take a toy dog a while, and the next repetition waits. A crumb disappears at once, so you can pay again while the dog is still in position. How small to break cheese for a small dog is a question you answer over a bowl: snap the bite between finger and thumb, and keep snapping until the pieces look too small. They are probably about right. The sizing blog walks through the snapping for every size of dog, so we will not retell it here.
How do you portion a bag for one small dog?
With a small dog, portioning is mostly about keeping the main bag closed. Our listing wants the bag resealed after opening and kept cool and dry, and the dried cheese needs no fridge. Open the bag as rarely as you can manage.
The habit that works:
- Open the bag once, before a session or once a week, and snap a session's worth of crumbs over a bowl.
- Tip the crumbs into a small container with a lid that seals. That container is what travels in your pocket or pouch.
- Reseal the bag straight away and put it back somewhere cool and dry.
- When the little container is empty, repeat.
The crumbs that are too small even for a toy dog are not waste. Our listing notes the cheese crumbles over kibble, so they can go on the next meal, counted against the same tenth. For small breed training treats, the main habit is keeping the broken pieces apart from the whole ones. The product page carries the full storage and feeding lines from our listing.
Can a small dog manage a crunchy treat?
Our listing says the pieces start small and break smaller, which is the answer for a little mouth: break the piece until it is a crumb. If your dog seems to be working at one, break it smaller next time. The size that suits a toy dog is one it can take and finish without a pause.
Our listing names the cheese for dogs of all sizes, adults and puppies, and its feeding line asks that you supervise while snacking. For a little dog that means handing pieces one at a time rather than leaving a pile on the floor, which also keeps the count honest. The cheese contains dairy, and our listing's wording is to ask a veterinarian if you are not sure how your dog does with dairy.
Questions
Can a Chihuahua have freeze dried cheddar?
Our listing names dogs of all sizes, adults and puppies, so a Chihuahua is inside the range it describes. The cheese contains dairy, and the listing points anyone unsure about dairy and their own dog to a veterinarian. Break the pieces to crumbs, and count them against a very small daily allowance.
Do small dogs need different treats from big dogs?
Not a different treat, a different piece. Training treats for small dogs can be the same cheddar, and what changes is how far you break it and how few pieces the day holds. A toy dog gets crumbs where a large dog gets a pea, and the small dog's count runs out much sooner.
How do I break pieces small without making dust?
Snap, do not grind. Hold the bite between finger and thumb over a bowl and press once, firmly, then press each half the same way. Grinding makes powder, while a clean snap leaves pieces. Any dust that falls collects in the bowl, and our listing says the cheese crumbles over kibble, so it has a use.
Is cheese too rich for a small dog?
It is a rich treat, and our listing says to feed it as a treat or reward rather than a complete diet. In practice the richness is managed with piece size and count, and for a toy breed that means crumbs. Your vet sets the daily number, and the pieces do the rest.
Can I use the crumbs as a topper for a little dog?
Yes. The crumbs left after breaking pieces for training are what our listing means when it says the cheese crumbles over kibble. Scatter a pinch over the meal rather than a spoonful, since a small dog's tenth covers the topper too. The topper blog has the longer version.
Should a small dog get treats in every session?
Every session that teaches something, yes, in crumbs. Trainers pay often while a behavior is new, and a small dog is no exception; the pieces simply get smaller so the count can stay high. On a day with several sessions, break less per session rather than skipping the reward.