Feeding guidelines: How much to feed a puppy

So, you’ve brought home a brand new puppy and you want to make sure you’re feeding your dog the correct amount of food. Luckily, making sure this newest addition to your family gets all the calories they need isn’t especially difficult for the average healthy puppy. That said, there are still a handful of considerations of which every new dog owner should be aware when it comes to puppy diets.

When determining how much to feed your puppy, you must take into account a variety of factors such as the dog’s breed, life stages, energy level, any health problems, and whether they’ve been spayed or neutered. But above all else, the two biggest components to determine your puppies caloric intake are their age and size.

How old is your puppy?

Generally speaking, the younger the dog, the more often they should eat. For the first three months of your puppy’s life, plan on feeding them small meals at least four times a day to keep up with their turbo-charged metabolisms. This is in contrast to the two portions a day many owners commonly feed to healthy adult dogs.

How big is your puppy?

Your puppy’s weight is another key factor in determining their food portions. Small breeds like Pomeranians and Chihuahuas can suffer from low blood sugar and need to be fed more frequently when they’re young to avoid hypoglycemia. Large breed puppies like Great Danes and Bernese mountain dogs run the risk of bloating, and will need to be fed smaller amounts with each meal. Most dog foods will have a chart on their packaging that instructs how much to feed your dog based on their size, though these are more like generic guidelines and may need to be adjusted to your individual puppy’s needs.

Wet food versus dry puppy food

Dry kibble is considered by many to be the best option for dogs of all ages, especially puppies. In addition to having a longer shelf life than wet food, munching on solid food helps your puppy maintain healthy gums and prevent the buildup of plaque or other dental issues. Regardless, you should still plan to brush your pup’s teeth regularly as well.

That said, canned wet puppy food can also be a good option, as long as it is balanced for growing puppies. Although wet food often has more calories in a smaller amount, it also has higher moisture levels to increase water intake. Much like dry food, wet food will have a puppy feeding guide on the label for how much to feed them relative to their size, along with proper storage information.

Some owners even mix dry and wet food, which can be beneficial in enhancing flavor for picky puppy eaters. While mixing isn’t bad, you should make sure you are calculating the total caloric intake between the two. Owners considering adding “people food” to their pup’s diet must first familiarize themselves with safe human foods for dogs and which foods can be toxic to pets.

Regardless of which dog food you give your pup, owners should be on the lookout for an Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) label on the packaging that ensures the product meets proper high-quality nutrition standards and which life stages for which it is intended.

How much should I feed my puppy?

First and foremost, all owners should consult their vet when deciding actually how much to feed their puppy, along with which life stage formula to consider. The puppy feeding chart below can give you a sense of how much food your new pooch will generally require based on their age and weight. A good rule of thumb is to take the total cups of food recommended for your puppy’s daily balanced diet and divide it by the number of meals you’ll serve in a day. For example, if your dog requires 1 cup of food each day divided into 4 meals, you will want to give them a quarter cup each time.

When it’s time to switch your puppy to adult food

Sadly, they can’t stay puppies forever. The general time frame when dogs are considered adults falls between 12 and 18 months, or when your puppy reaches their full weight.

Here are some tips for owners making the transition from puppy food to regular adult dog food:

• Mix it into their current food. The best way to introduce your puppy to adult food at first is to combine it with their puppy food.
• Start with a little, then gradually increase. Owners should begin with three parts of puppy food, one part adult food, and increase the ratio of adult dog food over the next week to two weeks to give your puppy’s digestive system time to adjust.
• It may take multiple tries. Finding the right adult dog food for your pup can be a bit of trial and error. If your dog is showing sensitivities to their new food, like stomach issues or itchy skin, you’ll need to repeat the process with a new food.