A common question among pet owners is how much you should actually feed your dog. The proper amount is actually determined by several different factors, including age, breed, and activity level. This article will seek to clarify how much food your dog should actually be getting.
Factor # 1 – Age
How old your dog is will play a large factor in how much your dog should be eating, particularly in the puppy stage.
First 8 Weeks – In reality, puppies should not be separated from their mother before 8 weeks of age. However, there are some circumstances where it is appropriate to, or you didn’t have a choice. In this case, there are formulas you can purchase to get them by. You should follow the instructions on the formula closely, as each one is different. At about 4 weeks, you should try to start feeding the puppy some dry food. Sometimes it helps to mix it in with some formula, to get a puppy used to it.
6-8 Weeks – Puppies should be fed 3-4 times per day, any nutritional puppy food will do.
8 Weeks – 9 Months – Puppies should be fed twice per day.
9 Months – Reduce feeding to once per day.
Between 1 and 2 Years – Start your puppy on adult dog food, still keeping at once a day. If you have a larger dog, make sure they do not come off the puppy food until 2 years of age. Larger dogs may also require two feedings per day.
Factor # 2 – Breed
Different breeds have different requirements, however below is a generalization based off weight classes.
Dogs up to 10 lbs – 1/3 – 1 cup of food.
Dogs from 10-25 lbs – 1 to 2 1/4 cups of food.
Dogs from 25-50 lbs -2 to 3 3/4 cups of food
Dogs from 50-75 lbs – 3 to 5 cups of food.
Dogs over 75 lbs – 5 to 8 cups of food.
Again these are very general statements with a lot of room for adjustment. The best thing you can do is look to your dog for answers. If he or she is constantly begging for food, you may need to feed them more. Likewise if they are consistently not finishing their meal you should be able to feed them a little bit less.
Factor # 3 – Activity Level
Just like humans, a dog’s activity level is a large factor in how much they should eat each day. However, unlike humans, counting calories is not the proper way to determine how much you should be feeding your dog. Active dogs should be getting a different protein to fat ratio than inactive dogs. An active dog should have up to 20% fat in their diet due to the excess energy they burn off. Comparatively, an inactive or overweight dog should not have over 9% fat in their diet. This excess fat needed by active dogs can be received either by special food with a high fat content, or by simply feeding you dog more each day.
36 Responses to “How Much to Feed a Dog”
1 of my 3 dogs have a very weird habit. She will eat exactly 1/2 of her dog food. It is weird because she eats it and thete is a perfect line down the middle between what she ate and what was left. I reduced the amount she ate and she did start eating more of the serving, but still there is a strait line between what she ate and what was left. Is that weird?
I think she’s just a funny dog LOL Nothing to be concerned about
My border collie does the same thing. She shares her bowl with my much older Chow/Retriever mix. It looks like she cut the plate in half with a knife. She eats first and leaves the other half for the other dog. I tried putting out 2 plates of food and then she ate half of each plate. Sometimes she doesn’t eat right away, but instead sits staring at the food as if she were counting the pieces. I’m tempted to count out the kibble before I feed her and then count out what she leaves behind. I’m relieved to hear about other dog’s weird eating habits.
I have a sherman shepherd labrador mix…and when she was a puppy I feed her 3 times a day. I adopt her when she was 3 months. She’s almos 10 months now and I swith her to twice a day, 1 cup in the morning 1 cup in the late afternoon, and she’s the healthiest looking dog. She doesn’t overeat either. I will keep feeding her like this till she’s 1 and a half or 2 years.
I have a black lab/border collie who just turned 3 a few days ago. He has a bowl of dry food out all the time and he gets a homemade (vet approved) wet dinner when we have dinner. He doesn’t over eat and only eats his dry food when we have breakfast and lunch. He eats about 1 1/2 cups of dry a day and get 1 1/2-2 cups wet depending on his activity that day. I’ve never had a problem with him over eating even when he was a puppy.
my dog likes soft foods and will not even attempt to eat dry food, can you telll me why.
I don’t know why, but I can about guarantee your dog will eat dry food at some point. They will eventually eat it. They will not starve themselves to death.
Have you made sure that his teeth don’t bother him? Some dogs have issues with their teeth or their mouth. I think you should have a vet take a look at him and if nothing is wrong then he is just being picky. If you have a picky dog and don’t want to keep giving him soft food them just give him the dry kibble. He might not eat it for about 3 days but he will eat it when he gets hungry enough. He will not starve.
I have a 8 month old lab that weights 61 lbs and we just got her spayed, the vet told us that she can only have 1 cup…(8oz) twice a day and NEVER any treats again…this seems a little harsh and when she eats her (8oz cup) she scarfs it down and looks for more…how much would you suggest???
I would try giving her a topper with the kibble. I give mine dehydrated raw chicken meal with her dry food. my gsd is 9 months and weighs around 60 lbs, she is rather lean and the only snacks she gets are training treats.it may take some time for your pup to adjust to her new feeding habits
lexee is a yorkie/chihuahua 2 1/2 yrs old – i have her on hills r/d canned due to her being just over a lb overweight. on the can it shows feeding for 5 lbs dog and the next weight is 10 lbs. how do i figure out how much i should give her for 8 lbs
thanks
I have 2 rescues, one staffie/mastiff cross (almost 4) and a puppy I just rescued who I’m not even sure exactly what age (probably 3 months) or breed. My Staffie has never been a big eater, when I had her she was maybe 6 months old and around 60lbs and would eat twice a day. I’m free feeding my puppy for now (had her just over a week), she won’t eat all of her food at the same time…yet. But I think I will start feeding her 3 times a day, to also regulate her outings. My vet did say to feed adult dogs (45lbs or more) twice a day…ESPECIALLY labs/retrievers as their intestine can get twisted…very common for that breed. Also, alway give a bit less food than what they recommend on the food bag…they try to get you to feed more = buy more food. Again…also depends on activity and ideal weight for your dog.
Free feeding is a ridiculous idea! I have three dogs, a mongrel, a Beagle and a Retriever, I tried free feeding to see what would happen, the mongrel had perfect self control and ate only what he wanted, the Retriever and the Beagle had no such control and I observed them eat all they could then fight for the remaining amount! I put out 3 days of food for each dog, the Beagle and Retriever ate it all within an hour then lay around looking like beached whales! I walk my dogs each morning at 6am, they get fed once a day between 9am to 11am, they have constant access to water but not food. They get walked again at 3pm and again at 6-7pm – this keeps them active, regular and happy … hey also get bones onces a month and they love this, it cleans their teeth and is something they seemingly look forward to.
I tried free feeding- while it would work fine w/ my small dog, my big dog would eat and eat and eat. We thought she would self regulate- nope. She ate it all at once and just wouldn’t stop. The little guy liked to nibble but he has learned that he needs to eat when we feed him or his “big sis” will likely gobble it up or try to sneak bites out of it.so they both eat 2x a day at the same time now and it works.
my sister use to frre feed until one pup she had tummy bloated or had bloat.the vet said never leave food out .due to freshness and feed twice a day not just one meal dogs of all ages should have two meals ans some w/ blod sugar problems should have 4 meals . i have a very tiny 1 1/2lbs. 5 year old dog that i feed 4 meals so her blood sugar doesn’t drop.the vet said what a dog doesn’t eat in 20 mins… remove as spoiled food can hurt and even dry food loses vitamins and freshness.but to each what works for them… all dogs are not the same even same breed same age are different in amounts and needs…. just as people.just like the yearly shots some dogs and cats have reactions and some don’t.and one size shot for dogs don’t work 1 1/2 lb dog getting same shot as a 145 lb dog…. that is crazy! but that is exactly what happens the law for rabies but nearly lose mine with each shot.my dog eats 1/4 cup twice and 1/2 of a 1/4 cup twice but very active and that keeps her weight good.but my yorkie weighing 7 lbs only will eat 1/4 twice and his on the heavy side so he larger but takes less food.you just have to know your 4 legged kids and what works for that dog.and i have to get him to play he is a couch potato and wants to be carried big baby the girl very tiny but wants to play all the time so… no two are alike.
all dogs cannot be free fed! some dogs WILL over eat. I have had both kinds and I currently have one that has to be regulated because of her weight. She does not get human food or snacks, she is a breed type that is prone to obesity.
free feeding is a terrible idea. dogs don’t have the hormone that humans do that tell them to stop eating, and can overeat to the point of causing all kinds of problems. also free feeding makes for picky eaters.
I think his basic idea is who will keep a count of what is fed. Its less work if you give them Free Food and let the pet decide its limit, or not.
sherry you have bowls of dog food all over your house?? whats it like in the summertime?
i go by the charts and all of my dogs are beutifully shaped. i hunt with my dogs so they are fairly active, but even if they go for several months without huntin they still do not gain a whole loty of weight or get skinny
I totally disagree with all this. The simplest way to feed your dog(s) the proper amount is to FREE feed. This means the dog has food and water available 24/7. Dogs will not overeat. Besides being a breeder, I also do all breed rescue and I have a house full of dogs of various sizes, ages, backgrounds. I have NO fat or skinny dogs. There is never a food fight because even the dogs that come in half starved learn food is always there and by having bowls in several different rooms, the dogs can go to a free bowl if another one is being used. They learn very quickly there is no need to gulp down everything in sight… yes, at first, some will eat enough to make themselves sick, but they move beyond that in a couple days. I even free feed my Bullies and believe this is one of the main reasons they no longer have digestive problems or excessive gas. And to be perfectly clear, I am feeding a common commercial brand available at the grocery store.
Can a dog have too many bones?
I buy them from the butcher and give them one every night.
My son thinks that they are getting too much bone marrow.
Can this be so?
I think giving bones only is not a good idea. i read somewhere that chicken bones can be harmful. As small splinter may injur the intestine of the pet. And larger bones may get stuck in the mouth.
I feel whatever is coming with the meat is good enough. Even veg food is a good idea. What is important is a balance of Protiens, Carbohidrates and fats.
Free feeding (kibble) may work for some breeds but not all. I would never free feed a Labrador Retriever, they will over-eat on a daily basis. An overweight lab will easily lead to: diabetes, hip problems, etc… But do always allow them as much water as they want to drink.
I fully agree, My Labra is always hungry the clink of his food bowl always has a response from him. He is now 9 months had never pooed in the house, now I see there is an increase in the frequency . Today he did it 3 times in the last one hour.
I have to disagree with you on this. My dog was a “free eater” for a while and became very obese, so I simply had to limit her food intake and go by this article…it has significantly helped with her weight and health problems. All dogs are different. What may work for one will not work with another.
Some dogs will definitely overeat. Maybe it works for some dogs, but it led to big problems with my Golden R.
You’re wrong about that. Dogs can and will overeat. Some do fine on free feeding but not all dogs.
I totally agree. Dogs will and do overeat. I have never owned one that didnt! cats have a limit but dogs do not.
i agree with you totally! but what about a puppy how much should u feed them? im scared to feed them openly due to them using the bathroom in the house
DISAGREE 100%!!!! It absolutely depends on the dog as to whether or not you can free feed them. For one of my dogs (our first), this is absolutely true. He would only eat when he wanted to and walk away from the dish when he was done. When we got our second dog. We tried to continue the same eating habits and our new dog would just eat everything in sight!! This dog would eat 24/7….no joke! If there is food there she will eat it…It has nothing to do with hunger with her.
As a result we had to adopt a new feeding routine. It’s called “You eat when we put the food down or you don’t eat!!” It took our first guy a bit to adjust as he was just used to his old way, but he learned!!
I view it as “dogs will not starve themselves” (which they won’t) as opposed to “dogs will not overeat” (because some do). This is just my experience. If your dog will not overeat, that is great. The thing is, it is NOT a general rule. Some dogs DO overeat and you have learn where your dogs fit in the mix
I agree with you. Some dogs do overeat. My pit was one of them.
Yes. we too free fed our 1st and only dog at the time, when our 2nd came along, he would eat more than his share, now our 3rd 11 mos old beagle, he eats his in record time and checks out the other bowls for anything that could be left. I find we fed 1st thing on rising, then outside, then again at dinner hour. It works fine, they are very much on routine. No mishhaps during the day etc. My only concern is the youngest beagle, seems too skinny, he’s very active compared to the 7 and 12 yr old dogs. So I’m going to up his portion a bit, til he bulks up a wee bit.
Kelly, my beagle is different. We got her 6 months ago and she is about 1-1/2 years of age. Ever since we got her she only eats when she wants it/hungry so we free feed. I put her breakfast out (about 1 cup of dry) and she usually smells it and leaves to go back to bed…lol. She sleeps most of the morning. Usually, she won’t eat until mid-afternoon/evening. We were also giving her about 2/3 c. at dinner and she would eat it, but we have now cut that out since she was so late eating her breakfast and gets very little exercise. I have started walking her about twice a week (a mile each time). I don’t believe she’s overweight, but she is stout. She weighs 30 lbs. Is that too much???
I’m another one who totally disagrees with Sherry. Most dogs are in fact genetically programmed to eat at much as they can possibly fit in their very elastic stomachs at one time. This is a direct result of their wolf lineage. In the wild one does not know when the next big meal will come and its best to get as many high quality calories down as possible in one sitting. Many dogs do condition to not overeating during free feeding, but this is not typical of most dogs, especially if with multiple dogs.
I also disagree with Sherry. I recently moved into a house where my room mate also has a dog. When my dog lived in another residence where she was the only animal, she only ate enough to keep her going. Now that I live in a new house with another dog, my dog thinks it is a competition and will eat and eat and eat. I have only lived here 6 months and she has gained 14 pounds. I don’t know what to do.