How often should you feed a puppy Arden Grange

Our favourite puppy food

Written and reviewed by Dr Jill McMaster BVM&S MBA MRCVS, Veterinary Surgeon and in-house expert at BorrowMyDoggy

Youve got a new addition to your family, congratulations! Puppies are loads of fun but also a lot of work, and as a loving new pup owner, you want to be sure youre feeding them the right food. But with so many people and ads telling you what you should and shouldnt be doing, it can be tough, so let BorrowMyDoggy lend a helping paw with our guide to feeding your puppy.

Overview of article

What should you feed your puppy?

How often should you feed your puppy?

How much should you feed a puppy?

How long should you feed puppy food for?

Our favourite puppy food

James Wellbeloved Turkey and Rice Puppy (Dry)

Lilys Kitchen Chicken Puppy Recipe (Wet)

Arden Grange Dry Puppy Junior (Dry)

AVA Sensitive Skin and Stomach Dry Puppy Food White Fish (Dry)

What should you feed your puppy?

When you take home your pup, always make sure to take a bit of the food they have been on with the breeder or previous owner. You dont have to keep them on that food long term, but moving to their furever home is a lot for our puppy pals, and theres so much going on that keeping their food the same for a couple of days, can help settle them, and reduce the risk of upset stomachs.

If you want to change their food, after a couple of days settling in time, you can gradually introduce a new good quality puppy food over a week, every day giving a little bit more of the new food, and a bit less of the old. If they get an upset stomach, slow down the change over and ask your vet for advice. It might be that youve changed too quickly for your individual pooch, or it might be that the new food isnt for them.

And good quality puppy food is all they need. These balanced diets are great because they mean you dont have to worry about adding milk, eggs, supplements or anything else to their diet. Dry puppy kibble can even be used as training treats!

How often should you feed your puppy?

When pups are very small they should be fed 3-4 times a day as pups have little stomachs. You can gradually reduce the number of meals they have a day to 2 by the time they reach 6 months old.

What most people find is when your pup first comes home they eat really fast, then they slow down, although this is not the case for all breeds, see labrador (ok so not all labs, but quite a lot of them like their grub!). This is often because they were used to the competition of their puppy brothers and sisters, but now theyre on their own, they dont need to rush anymore.

Ideally pups should be given 20 minutes with their food. And if they havent eaten it, and are not just slowly munching away, lift their food and take it away for a few hours, then put it back down for another 20 minutes (as long as the food is still fresh!).

Training your pup to eat when their dinner is put down can be very useful in the future for lots of reasons including if you have to give them medication that needs to be taken with food or are heading out for the day with them. Dogs that have their food down all day to graze on can sometimes just expect that long term, and this can lead to weight gain in some cases as well.

If your pup is a fast eater all the time though, consider a slow feeder, as they can reduce the risk of indigestion and food going down the wrong way.

How much should you feed a puppy?

Generally, you should follow the amounts of food recommended on the pack, unless told otherwise by your vet. Some pups might seem hungry, but if they are growing well, are wormed properly and your vet has no concerns, then be careful not to overfeed them. Overfeeding is a common cause of diarrhoea in puppies.

Its also impawtant for puppies to grow slow and steady, particularly large breeds, so you dont want them grow too quickly. Regular weight checks at your local vet (see RCVS find a vet) are a great way to see how your pup is growing, get your pooch used to the vets and also discuss any worries you might have with the practice team.

How long should you feed puppy food for?

A lot of brands have puppy food versions of their foods, that have a different nutritional balance than adult or senior food. How long you should be on puppy food for, really depends on the brand. Some brands will have different life stage diets for different ages of puppy, while some will simply say change over to adult food when they have stopped most of their growing.

As a general rule puppy food should be fed until 9-12 months in smaller breeds, and 15-18 months in larger. When you do make the change to adult food though, be sure to change over slowly, gradually changing food over about a week. Your food brand and/or veterinary surgery can help you more with your individual dogs needs.

See our guide on our favourite dog food!

So what puppy foods can you think about trying?

There are so many brands out there with wonderful puppy foods, so heres a selection of dinner for your doodle, lunch for your lurcher, chow for your well Chow Chow (well stop now!)

(Although we appreciate puppy sizes vary massively, prices are based on a 4kg size puppy, so about Paddington the Tibetan Terrier at 4 months old size when approx 1 month of dry food is purchased and bulk boxes of wet food, as possible)

James Wellbeloved Turkey and Rice Puppy (Dry)

Price: 1.19 per day for 4kg Paddington

What we love:

• Easy to buy in pet shops or online, and subscription options direct from James Wellbeloved
• Environmental commitment - Packaging is recyclable, electricity in processing is from renewable sources and no factory waste goes to landfill

Best for:

• Sensitive tummies
• Puppies up to 6 months of age
• Small mouths as the kibble is nice and small

Lilys Kitchen Chicken Puppy Recipe (Wet)

Price: 2.40 per day for 4kg Paddington

What we love

• Handy online calculator to work out how much to feed
• Easy to buy online, in supermarkets or in pet shops
• Known for their good quality ingredients

Best for:

• Puppies who prefer wet food
• Pups who are sensitive to richer meats
• Pooches up to 8-14 months depending on breed

Arden Grange Dry Puppy Junior (Dry)

Price: 0.66 per day for 4kg Paddington

What we love

• No artificial preservatives or colourings
• Easy to buy at pet shops or online
• There is a large breed specific version with increase joint support and larger kibble size also available

Best for:

• Sensitive pups, as it is naturally low in allergens
• Fussy eaters
• The standard dry food is suitable for small to medium sized pooches from 2 to 12 months old

AVA Sensitive Skin and Stomach Dry Puppy Food White Fish (Dry)

Price: 0.50 per day for 4kg Paddington

What we love

• Can be bought online or at Pets At Home
• A gentle and natural tasty food for sensitive pups, that still makes sure they get the nutrition they need to grow

Best for:

• Sensitive pups with either skin or gut problems, or both!
• Can be fed from 6 weeks to 12 months
• Pups that prefer fishy flavours to meaty

(Prices correct as of 20th October 2022)

Choosing the right food for your new puppy pal can be really challenging. But you should do well if you choose a complete puppy food, made with good quality ingredients, and get in touch with your vet for advice if theres ever any issues!

This article is for information only, and should never replace any advice, diagnosis or treatment from your veterinary surgeon. Always contact your local vet or out of hours vet without delay if you have any concerns about your dog.

We all need a helping hand from time to time, whether it's training tips, a little bit of guidance or some help with dog care. BorrowMyDoggy, connects you with trusted, local borrowers who'd love to spend time with your pup.

Find local dog care

Other useful puppy guides

Everything you should know before getting a puppy

Caring for your new puppy

When can I walk my puppy

Where and how to buy a dog responsibly

Cute puppies and funny dogs

Tips for choosing a dog

Arden Grange Dry Puppy Food Review

This Arden Grange dry puppy food review forms a part of our largest best dry puppy food list. If you want to know which is best to follow that link.

A little about Arden Grange

Arden Grange is a long-standing UK based dog food manufacturer which began life in Sussex in 1996 by two renowned dog trainers with a lot of experience of the nutritional requirements of dogs to be at peak performance inside and out.

Their motto is nutrition without compromise which can be seen in all of their pet foods, not just the puppy/junior kibble were discussing today.

Arden Grange Puppy/Junior Dry Puppy Food Review

The product were reviewing today is Arden Grange puppy/junior dry dog food chicken flavour. Arden Grange also provides weaning, sensitive and large breed versions.

Ingredients breakdown

This blend contains 18% fresh chicken with 18% meat meal which combines at 36% which is about average in total but the meat meal is slightly higher than other dry puppy foods weve reviewed. This is understandable but a little disappointing that the fresh chicken couldnt be higher and the meat meal reduced, the former is so much better than the latter. However, this dry food does provide a large amount of lean protein for your growing pup and enough to support healthy growth.

The carbohydrates and energy come from rice, maize, refined chicken oil, whole dried egg which is completely normal and nothing fantastic. They do not specify how much of the whole composition this is, however, which is very disappointing from a company which promotes nutrition without compromise. We are pleased to see the variance, though.

Now that weve moved on from those ingredients things get more positive and we feel this is where Arden Granges expertise in puppy nutrition comes in. Linseed, krill and yeast are added to boost the mineral count, especially the linseed (known to us as a bit of a superfood) and krill which is chock full of hard to get nutrients. Beet pulp helps with fibre.

Prebiotics and antioxidants help your puppy develop a healthy digestive system and to properly deal with toxins in food- they help to not only absorb all of the goodness in this dry puppy food but to help boost their immune system during such a delicate time. Prebiotics should not be underestimated and should be included in whatever dry puppy food you do end up with.

Yucca extract is the final key ingredient in Arden Granges dry puppy food this plant help reduce bloat in your puppy, quells the smell of their farts as well as their poo. You can find Yucca extract in most puppy foods.

The ingredients needed to make a fine puppy meal are all there, we have a minor qualm with the use of chicken meat meal and oil but other than that everything they need is there. But does it contain anything more than most other competitors? Not really.

Whats the kibble like?

The kibble is the perfect size for small to medium breeds to easily chew and swallow without issues. It has a nice powder coating which provides instant flavour and it has the perfect blend of hardness for a satisfying bite but soft enough to be enjoyed with or without wet food.

Our Jug Jeff had this as a puppy and had no issues overlooking his usual brand for this test which for us signals that it does indeed taste nice.

Is it hypoallergenic and grain-free?

It is hypoallergenic but not grain-free as it contains rice and maize.

Is it cheap?

Unfortunately, Arden Grange is not on the cheap side of the market and does carry an above-average price. This is likely due to reduced mass production facilities, high supplier costs and lack of supermarket contracts that cheaper products have.

Ingredients list

Chicken (fresh chicken 18%, chicken meat meal 18%), rice, maize, refined chicken oil, whole dried egg, beet pulp, fish meal, chicken digest, whole linseed, krill, yeast, minerals, prebiotic FOS, prebiotic MOS, yucca extract, glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, cranberries, nucleotides.

How much should I feed my puppy?

Conclusion

Arden Grange Dry Puppy food is a quality meal with everything a growing puppy will need at a higher than average price. However, this blend does lack a unique selling point which sets it apart from its competitors

For a full list of the best dry puppy food click here.

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• Ronnie is the JugDog site editor and a dog expert who has lived and worked with dogs his entire life. Living in St. Helens, UK with his wife son and Jug Dog Jeff Ronnie spends most of time researching the answers to the burning questions of the dog community as well as reviewing the latest and greatest dog products.

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Last update on 2024-04-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API