When to feed a puppy
How Much To Feed A Puppy By Weight And Puppy Feeding Chart
There are many elements to keeping your dog healthy. These include giving your dog enough exercise, playtime, and, of course, food. But do you know how much to feed a puppy? Are you wondering, How much food should I feed my puppy?
Lets discuss what a puppys diet should consist of, how much a puppy should eat, and how often a puppy should be fed. We hope our puppy feeding guide will help you provide the proper diet for your pup.
Puppy Feeding Chart: How Much To Feed A Puppy By Weight
Curious to know, How much should I feed my puppy? How much food to feed a puppy depends on age and weight. Most dog and puppy food packages have a feeding chart on the label, similar to our chart below. Be sure to check your puppys specific food bag for the label so you know how much to feed him. While this chart is a good baseline, we recommend double-checking with your vet, as all dogs dietary needs are unique.
How Much Food Should I Feed My Puppy?
These amounts are for every 24 hours.
| Ideal Weight of Dog (At Maturity) | Weaning-12 Weeks | 4-5 Months | 6-8 Months | 9-11 Months | 1-2 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-12 lbs | 0.5-1 cup | 0.75-1 1/3 cups | 0.5-1.5 cups | Adult portion | Adult portion |
| 13-20 lbs | 0.5-1.25 cups | 1-2 cups | 0.75-1.25 cups | 1-1.5 cups | Adult Portion |
| 21-50 lbs | 0.5-1.5 cups | 1.5-2.75 cups | 1.25-2.25 cups | 2-3 cups | 2-4.25 cups |
| 51-75 lbs | 0.75-2.5 cups | 1.5-4 cups | 1.5-3.75 cups | 2.5-4.75 cups | 4.25-6.25 cups |
| 76-100 lbs | 1-2.5 cups | 2.75-3.75 cups | 2.75-6.25 cups | 4.75-7 cups | 6.25-11 cups |
| 101+ lbs | 2.5 cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 | 3.75cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 | 6.25 cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 | 7 cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 | 11 cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 |
How Often To Feed A Puppy
So now that you know how much to feed your puppy, you might be wondering, How many times a day should a puppy eat? Setting a routine for your puppys feeding schedule is critical so he can learn when to expect his food.
- 4-12 Weeks: Young puppies need three or more feedings per day to adequately meet their nutritional needs. So, according to the feeding guide that comes with their food or the chart above, divide that by three or more and give the food to them throughout the day.
- 3-12 Months: As your puppygets older, you can reduce the number of feedings to twice daily. Their energy level should be reduced; thus, they dont need as much food throughout the day.
- 12+ Months: Most adult dogs eat two meals per day. Youll want to divide their food requirement by two.
Puppy Feeding Schedule
A typical feeding schedule for puppies is 7 am, noon, and 5 pm. If you decide to do more than three feedings, you can adjust your schedule for puppy eating times as needed. Make sure to keep that last feeding around the 5 oclock mark. That way, your pup has ample time to digest the food and eliminate it one last time before bedtime.
Keep To The Feeding Schedule To Avoid Overeating
We know that it can be tempting to leave food out all day for your puppy to munch on, especially if you have a busy schedule. However, free-choice feeding encourages overeating, which can cause your pup to gain too much weight. Portion control is key to making sure your puppy eats the proper amount for his size and age. Learning how much to feed a puppy and choosing the best food and nutrition helps avoid overeating, which leads to obesity and ensures proper development.
Dog Feeding Schedule By Age
Heres a quick timeline of a puppys nutrition in the first few months of his life. You will find more details just below our how much to feed a puppy chart.
- 0-3 Weeks: Puppies should be with their mother and nurse as they please. The mothers milk has the nutrients necessary to provide proper nutrition and protect puppies from diseases. During this time, you dont need to worry about how much to feed puppies because their mother providesthem with nutrition.
- 3-4 Weeks: Puppies will begin developing teeth and will begin weaning off their mothers milk.The puppy caregiver can blend a 50:50 portion of canned wet puppy food with a milk replacer in a flat saucer, gradually reducing the amount of milk replacer until youre only giving them puppy food. One should not be concerned if the puppies dont like the new food right away. It may take a few days to adjust to the new formula. Rubbing fingers in the mixture and then gently on the puppys nose and mouth can make the transition smoother.
- 4-6 Weeks: By this time, puppies should be fully transitioned to puppy food.
- 6 Weeks-6 Months: Puppy food based on their size and breed.
- 6-12 Months: Gradually begin to switch your puppy to adult food. Small breeds can switch between 7-9 months, and larger breeds can switch around the 12-month mark. It doesnt hurt to keep him on puppy food longer than needed to make sure hes getting all the nutrients he needs as a developing dog but since puppy food has higher calories, be sure to watch for unnecessary weight gain. A balanced diet that also maintains a healthy body weight is important for an adult dog.
What Can Puppies Eat?
A dogs food needs differ as they age, and you uncover different dietary needs. Here is a guide to our top recommended items for several different canines.
Can Puppies Eat Adult Dog Food?
Puppies and adult dogs have different nutrient needs. To help puppies grow into adult dogs, they require more protein, micronutrients, and carbs. Protein provides them with amino acids and energy. Puppies need more fat as they use a significant amount of energy, and fats help them absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Puppy formulas always have more fat than adult foods.
Calcium is vital to developing healthy bones and teeth. Puppies need more calcium than adults. However, larger breeds need than smaller breeds due to their rapid rate of growth. It is healthier to feed your puppy food that is formulated for their specific breed size to ensure they get the right amounts of essential nutrients like calcium.
DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is vital to puppy growth and is very important to brain and vision development. t is found in their mothers milk but is added to puppy food in the form of fish protein or fish oils.
Puppies also require a high amount of calories to help them grow, so its essential to purchase a high-quality food brand for your puppy. You want them to have a balanced diet to ensure healthy growth and development, and adult dog food will not meet their needs.
A puppys mouth is smaller than an adult dogs mouth, which helps explain why their food is not as big as adult kibble. Feeding puppies adult dog food can be dangerous because the kibble is larger, and the texture is harder to chew. Giving a puppy adult dog food can cause damage to their teeth, jaws, and overall health.
The same can be said for puppy treats. Treats made for adult dogs are often larger and harder to chew. Puppy treats ingredients also tend to be more suitable for them than those made for adult dogs. If you can, stick to treats that specifically say they are safe for puppies.
If youre looking for high-quality food for your little friend, perhaps you could try The Farmers Dog, one of our top picks for fresh dog food. Its a healthy solution for dogs of all ages. Learn more in our The Farmers Dog review.
How Long Do Puppies Eat Puppy Food?
For many breeds, puppies will need to eat a puppy-specific recipe until they reach a year or 12 months old. Smaller breeds may make the transition between 7 and 9 months old. Larger breeds, like the Great Dane, stay on puppy formulas for longer, some even until 18 months old.
How long your pup needs to stay on puppy food will depend on breed, health, and size. It is always better to stay on puppy food a little too long than to switch too early. Switching too soon can deprive them of vital nutrients needed to reach full development and can lead to health issues later in life. Discuss this change with your vet before making the switch.
Dont overlook the importance of planning and allowing for a transitional process when changing dog food. Imagine eating the same meals every day. Then, suddenly, you switch to something completely different. Youll probably experience a tummy ache orother gastrointestinal problems.
The same thing goes for your puppy. Remember that its a process that should take a minimum of six days and sometimes longer (up to several weeks).Do not try out too many different new foods at a time, as this can lead to digestive upset and stomach pain. It can also lead to body weight issues if your pup isnt eating enough. You want to keep your dog on a consistent feeding schedule and feed the appropriate amount for their age.
Puppyhood Is The Best Time To Consider Pet Insurance
As a puppy, your dog has probably not shown any significant health concerns at a young age. Since pet insurance companies dont cover pre-existing conditions, the younger your dog is when you sign up, the better coverage you will likely receive throughout his lifetime.
Pet insurance can help support you financially during the unpredictable puppy years when dogs are more likely to chew on things they shouldnt and run into dangerous situations. Check out our pet insurance guide to learn more and to determine whether pet insurance is worth it for your puppy. You can also use our free tool below to get instant pet insurance quotes.
Your Best Puppy And Dog Food Options (And Other Tips)
Remember, having a dog who has his dietary needs met will be happier and healthier as a result. Not eating enough can lead to malnutrition, and overeating makes your pup obese (read our tips to help your dog lose weight). You do not want your puppy to become a picky eater, or develop a sensitive stomach, so stick to puppy formulas. If you have any concerns about how much to feed a puppy, are worried your puppy is not eating enough, or need help ensuring they are on the right diet, reach out to your vet. This is a perfect topic to bring up at a puppy checkup.
Are you looking for more dog food articles? Weve got plenty of resources on various dog diets and nutrition, including our recommended foods for any age, diet type, and health concern, the best dog food delivery services for puppies and adult dogs, and homemade dog food recipes.
Tagged With: Reviewed By Dr. Pendergrass, DVMHow much to feed a puppy based on breed + age + weight? (Chart)
At first, we agree that when it comes to feeding your puppy, it seems like theres not much to it. But as you may have already realized, its actually not so straightforward to work out what and exactly how much to feed them. And yes, we know all about the cups, grams, ouncesCant believe how the world has still not agreed on using the same metric system.
We know your struggle, and want to help.
Below is a general guide for puppies with average activity levels. Youll need to adjust the calorie intake according to their breed, size and how active they are.
Zingy Jack Russells are going to burn much more calories than sofa-loving Pugs!
A sample of how many calories per day your puppy needs:
| Age of Puppy | Weight | Calories Required | Weight | Calories Required | Weight | Calories Required | Weight | Calories Required |
| 8 weeks | 2kg | 353 | 4kg | 594 | 6kg | 805 | 8kg | 999 |
| 12 weeks | 3kg | 479 | 5kg | 702 | 7kg | 904 | 9kg | 1091 |
| 16 weeks | 3kg | 319 | 5kg | 468 | 7kg | 602 | 9kg | 727 |
| 20 weeks | 3kg | 319 | 5kg | 468 | 7kg | 602 | 9kg | 727 |
| 6 months | 3kg | 319 | 5kg | 468 | 7kg | 602 | 9kg | 727 |
| 6 months | 10kg | 787 | 14kg | 1013 | 18kg | 1223 | 22kg | 1422 |
| 1 year | 3kg | 287 | 5kg | 421 | 7kg | 542 | 9kg | 655 |
| 1 year | 12kg | 812 | 15kg | 960 | 18kg | 1101 | 21kg | 1236 |
How do I work out what to feed my puppy?
Okay. Are you sitting down? Grab yourself a cuppa and lets dive in.
How much you should feed your puppy is based on several things:
- Your puppys current age
- Their breed
- Their current and expected weight
- Their general activity levels spirited Cocker Spaniel or mellow St. Bernard?
- What food you are feeding them wet, dry or raw food.
Factoring all of the above is going to give you the correct calorie amount. And now to the next question just how nutrient rich and calorific is the food youre currently feeding them?
Heres a quick comparison of premium vs cheaper dog foods:
Premium Foods
- Have a higher calorific content
- Theyre nutrient dense containing calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and vitamin D, which are all brilliant for developing strong teeth and bones.
- They usually contain better quality protein sources which keeps puppies feeling full
- Allow you to feed smaller quantities due to being more nutrient dense
- Smaller poos! As less food is wasted during digestion.
Cheaper Foods
- Lower quality of protein sources
- They contain more empty fillers designed to keep your puppy feeling full
- Youll need to feed more of them (in terms of volume) to make sure theyre getting enough nutrients
- Bigger poos (yuck) as more of the food is undigested.
To sum it up: Feeding your puppy premium food means theyll get a better rate of digestibility. More digestibility means your puppy will absorb the nutrients better, and youll get less poo to clean up.
I think we can all agree its a win-win situation. If youre getting piles of poo, consider upgrading your puppys food!
In this article, weve created some handy breed specific tables for those of you feeding dry food. Weve based our figures on a range of weights your puppy is likely to be at that age, because we know every puppy is special and different. Some are more chubs, and some are more slim.
Theyll save you time in guesswork and give you a rough idea of how much to feed them. Remember that youll still need to check the back of your puppys food bag to be sure!
For the maths geeks, you can enjoy making some sums.
PS: These figures quoted are for female puppies! If youve got a hefty puppy boy, you might find him to be at the top of the weight range; so make sure to up the food for them.
If youre eager to have a full and precise food calculation only for your puppy, here is a handy calorie calculator.
Do large breeds of puppies need more food than smaller puppies?
Well, yes. But also no.
Generally speaking, larger breeds need fewer calories per kilo of body weight. So in the end, you actually feed small breeds MORE (in terms of calories for their body weight) than large breeds sometimes as much as twice as many calories are needed for a small breed of dog. Who woulda thunk it?
For example: Small breeds such as Jack Russell Terriers are highly energetic, have a much faster growth rate and are physically mature at around 12 months of age. However, larger breeds like Great Danes the gentle giants will have a much slower growth rate and dont physically mature until they are around 2 years old
So to round things up, large breed puppy food has lower calories per piece of kibble (as well as different amounts of vitamins and minerals), as we want steady and slow growth because it takes large breeds longer to physically mature.
As for mental maturity, some big dogs just never seem to grow up its why we love them!
But it *looks* like you feed a large breed more food than a smaller breed?
Yes, but its more of an optical illusion. Its because large breed kibble is made to have a low calorific density and larger breeds have bigger tummies too, of course! Although it might look like you are feeding smaller breeds much less kibble, it should have higher calories per gram often almost double.
Per breed: how much should I feed my puppy per day?
How much should I feed my Labrador puppy per day?
Do you have an always hungry Labrador puppy? No surprises there, scientists found that a quarter of Labrador retrievers actually have a mutated gene which makes them feel like theyre forever hungry. No wonder so many of them are called Dyson..
We suggest Labradors be given large breed puppy food. This lets them have lower calorie density (so less energy dense) to encourage slow growth, while also giving them a good quantity to keep them fuller for longer.
| Age of Puppy | Approximate Weight | Calories required |
| 3 months | 9.7-11.9 kg | |
| 4 months | 13-16 kg | |
| 5 months | 15.9-19.2 kg | |
| 6 months | 18-22.3 kg |
https://en.belpatt.fr/puppy-weight-chart/Labrador
How much should I feed my Cocker Spaniel puppy per day?
Cocker Spaniels belong to the Gundog group and are medium sized dogs so you can feed them regular puppy food. Theyll reach full adult weight at around a year old but theyll still continue to develop physically until theyre around 18-24 months. Lucky you, getting them to keep their puppy faces for longer.
| Age of Puppy | Approximate Weight | Calories Required |
| 3 months | 5.1-6.3 kg | |
| 4 months | 6.8-8.2 kg | |
| 5 months | 8.1-10 kg | |
| 6 months | 9.3-11.5 kg |
https://en.belpatt.fr/puppy-weight-chart/English-cocker
How much should I feed my Border Collie per day?
Border Collies are in the pastoral shepherding group in our ZigZag app. They reach adult weight by the time they are 12 15 months old and take much longer to mentally mature. Until they are 2 or 3 years old, you can look forward to them keeping their jolly puppy selves!
Being busy dogs that like to chase sheep all day, they will burn that energy off if out working in a field not so much if they stay indoors on the sofa so take care with how much you feed them.
| Age of Puppy | Approximate Weight | Calories Required |
| 3 months | 5.1-7.6 kg | |
| 4 months | 6.8-10 kg | |
| 5 months | 8-12 kg | |
| 6 months | 9.3-14 kg |
https://en.belpatt.fr/puppy-weight-chart/Border-Collie
How much should I feed my Chihuahua puppy per day?
Chihuahuas are in the toy group of dogs and reach adult weight by the time they are around 10-12 months old.
Due to their small size, they find weight gain quite easy (dont we all) so you need to take care not to overfeed them. I know it probably wont look like a lot of food in their bowl, but just think about how small chihuahua tummies are cant hold very much can they?
Some adult Chihuahuas benefit from eating small meals across the day rather than two large meals, so keep that in mind when dropping down your Chihuahuas meals as they get older.
| Age of Puppy | Approximate Weight | Calories Required |
| 3 months | 0.7 kg | |
| 4 months | 0.9 kg | |
| 5 months | 1.1 kg | |
| 6 months | 1.2 kg |
https://en.belpatt.fr/puppy-weight-chart/Chihuahua
How much should I feed my Beagle puppy per day?
Beagles are a medium-sized dog and can be fed regular puppy food. They reach their adult weight at around 1 year old, but carry on filling out and gaining more muscle until around 18-24 months.
Beagles are generally food-motivated dogs, which means theyll probably be ones to slobber as soon as you call them for dinner. They can keep eating for days, which makes sense as they would be used to needing lots of energy to hunt.
Watch your portion sizes though those puppy dog eyes and floppy ears will fool you into believing theyre still hungry, so take care not to overfeed!
| Age of Puppy | Approximate Weight | Calories Required |
| 3 months | 3.9-4.3 kg | |
| 4 months | 5-6 kg | |
| 5 months | 6-7 kg | |
| 6 months | 7-7.8 kg |
https://en.belpatt.fr/puppy-weight-chart/Beagle
How much should I feed my Whippet puppy per day?
Whippets are a medium size and can be fed regular puppy food. Some can get fussy about what they eat, while some can be quite food motivated, so youll have to discover what yours is like.
Due to their lean appearance (dont we all wish we could look like that), they typically carry less body fat than other breeds of dogs this is because their job is to run and chase, so they burn a lot of calories tearing about the place!
| Age of Puppy | Approximate Weight | Calories Required |
| 3 months | 4.3-5.5.kg | |
| 4 months | 5.6-7 kg | |
| 5 months | 7-9 kg | |
| 6 months | 7.8-10 kg |
https://en.belpatt.fr/puppy-weight-chart/Whippet
How much should I feed my Large Breed puppy per day?
Large Breed Puppies like Bernese Mountain Dogs, Mastiffs or Bloodhounds need food with a lower calorie density to encourage slow growth. They wont reach their full adult weight until they are around 2 years old, so we want to keep them growing steadily.
| Age of Puppy | Approximate Weight | Calories Required |
| 3 months | 16-22 kg | |
| 4 months | 22-30 kg | |
| 5 months | 26-34 kg | |
| 6 months | 32-40 kg |
https://en.belpatt.fr/puppy-weight-chart/Pyrenean-Mountain-Dog
How much should I feed my Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy per day?
Staffies (yay! one from our own lands) are a medium sized breed of dog, so they can be fed regular puppy food theyll reach their adult size at around 14 -16 months. Although they dont tend to be fussy, obesity can be a problem in this breed. Theyre brilliant beggars for table scraps, so make sure to resist the temptation to feed them your last chips. They probably know you wont share your food with anyone but them.
| Age of Puppy | Approximate Weight | Calories Required |
| 3 months | 4.3-6.5 kg | |
| 4 months | 6-8.5 kg | |
| 5 months | 7-10.5 kg | |
| 6 months | 7.8-11.9 kg |
https://en.belpatt.fr/puppy-weight-chart/Staffordshire-Bull-Terrier
All weight range figures taken from https://en.belpatt.fr/dog-growth-chart
FAQs Puppy Food
We know theres a lot more to know about puppy food, so we went ahead and answered some of the most common questions related to food, puppies, and all sorts of other good stuff.
Raw Food for puppies. How does it work?Not sure how much raw food to feed your puppy? Makes sense, pieces of steak arent quite as measurable than kibble.A healthy puppy should be fed on average 5-8% of their body weight per day this will decrease as they get older, which you see on our lovely table below.FOR EXAMPLE: A 10kg puppy would require 500 800g grams of puppy food per day. Remember that to get their raw food measurements right, you will need to regularly weigh your puppy, and adjust depending on their activity levels.Important to remember: The smaller the breed, the higher percentage per body weight of food they will need. This is because smaller breeds grow at a faster rate than larger breeds, and will need more calories to keep up the pace.
Youll need to feed roughly double the amount of wet food that you do dry. This is because wet puppy food is approximately 70% moisture, while dry food is only around 10%.Wet food is wet because it contains, well, water. Quite a lot of it in fact, so youll need to feed a much larger quantity of wet food then you did dry kibble.The back of the pack will tell you the right quantity you should be feeding your puppy youll find that theyve based it on their weight and their age. But if youre really eager to know more about wet food, here is a handy guide. To get your puppys weight in lb, times their weight in kg by 2.2. Again, silly metric system.
We know the back of my dog food bag says, adult weight. Not sure why some brands expect you to see into the future and work on your puppies expected adult weight but this calculator can be of great help. It will give you a rough idea of what your puppys adult weight is likely to be, based on their weight now.Looks like maybe you will be able to see into the future now.
Can puppies eat the same food as adult dogs?They can, but they shouldnt as their entire diet.Besides a higher calorie intake, puppies also need different levels of nutrients and vitamins which support essential rapid growth. Adult dogs, however, need more of a maintenance diet.To make it plain and simple, we just recommend you feed them puppy food which is correct for their size and weight.Dont worry if your puppy steals some of your adult dogs food though, it wont make them grow excessively large canine teeth, or a third eye. It will probably just annoy your older dog, but by now, they probably know how to deal with your pups naughties.But yes, do try to get them to eat their own food.
What to feed puppies in the first year?Your puppy should be on a complete puppy diet until they are around a year old. Here is a useful chart that tells you when to switch from puppy food to adult food for a medium dog.PRO TIP: Larger breeds will likely stay on large breed puppy food for longer, the lucky things!
Toy breeds may go onto adult food at around 8 months, and some food brands will do an-in between junior food for adolescent dogs, but we recommend you check with your particular manufacturer just to be sure.Teenage dogs are nicer than teenage humans by the way, just wanted to let you know.
Dont forget your puppy needs to chew! Better give him edible chews such as Whimzies theyre safe on puppys teeth, and will save your couch from being ripped to shreds.You should also be using training treats to help you through the chewing if this has been a struggle so far, make sure to read our article here on what treats to use foro your puppy.
How Often Should Dogs Eat?Dogs arent designed to pick at food all day as theyre not grazers like cows. They also prefer to gorge down their food fast. Having a routine for their meal times will be great for their metabolism, and youll find it easier to work out when your puppy will need the toilet.When they first come from the breeders theyll likely be on 4 meals per day. Their stomachs are small and theyll need a lot of calories to do all that growing. At around 12 weeks or so, this will drop down to three meals a day. Some will stay on 4 for a while though, not all puppies are the same!
Glad you asked. Its good to know youre aware of not overfeeding your puppy pet obesity is increasing year on year with statistics saying that as many as 40% of UK dogs are overweight *gulp*. Still not bad as us though, seeing as 63% of the UK is on the heavier side of the scale.If youre feeding your puppy too much, you will soon see two changes in particular:Changes in their body condition: Theyll start to get chubby in a non-baby fat kind of way!More poo: If youre overfeeding your puppy, youll see them going for a poo a lot more since they cant absorb the food. Look out for runny poo those have special appearances in overfed puppies too. Yum.
As a rough guideline you should be able to feel the ribs, and sometimes see the bottom two ribs depending on their breed.I also like to use my hand to demonstrate how your puppys ribs should feel like:Make a fist: Run your other hand apartment against your knuckles. This is what it would feel if you felt every rib and it also means your puppy might be a bit lean.Turn that hand over and lay it out apartment palm up Run the opposite hand over the inside of your open palm, below your fingers ooh, looks like your puppy will have to lay off the pork pies for a while.Hand out apartment, knuckles facing up: Run the opposite hand over the knuckles. Roughly, this is how your puppys ribs should feel, with a small layer of fat on them.If rubbing your hands just dont do it for you, heres a good chart on how to check your puppys weight. Essentially, what you want to look for is: A nipped in waist That youre able to feel the ribs, spine and hips A small amount of fat that can still be feltNot trying to make your puppy run for a beauty pageant, but he will look gorgeous when hes healthy.
We hope this article helped you work out how much to feed your puppy and hope we didnt blind you with the science too much!
If youd like to know more on puppy nutrition the Pet Food Manufacturers Association have produced a useful fact sheet here.
