Puppy Feeding Chart: How Much & How Often to Feed
We all know puppies need good nutrition to grow up healthy. That’s where you come in. The more you know, the more you can do to provide the nutrition your puppy needs, when he needs it.
What to Feed Your Puppy
Just Right pet food expert Dr. Taylor Francis says, “By definition, all puppies are dogs, but not all dogs are puppies.” From a nutritional standpoint, this means that right now, dog food isn’t what your puppy needs. Because they grow so fast at this stage of life, puppies need high-calorie, nutrient-dense puppy food to support that rapid growth and development.
Quality puppy food will provide key nutrients for healthy growth, including:
- Protein from high-quality sources
- Minerals like calcium and phosphorus for growing bones and teeth
- High-quality fats to fuel growth and energy
- Antioxidants to nourish a puppy’s developing immune system
- The omega-3 fatty acid DHA, to support brain and vision development
In addition, large breed puppies can benefit from additional nutritional joint support. And small breed puppies require more energy. So an ideal puppy food for these breeds will be formulated to support their individual nutritional needs.
How Much Goes in the Bowl?
To answer this, you need to have an idea of how much your puppy is likely to weigh when he’s fully grown. The larger the adult version of a puppy, the more food that puppy will need.
A puppy feeding chart by age and weight at maturity will give you an idea of how much dry food your puppy may require each day, during each stage of his development. For more guidance, check your puppy food packaging for a puppy feeding chart by weight/age or talk with your veterinarian.
Just Right personalized pet food blends come with a personalized daily feeding amount recommendation and instructions, which can be found on the insert in each order. The daily feeding amount is determined by a Just Right nutritionist, based on the information you provide about your puppy. Your first Just Right delivery even comes with a scoop, to make it easy to feed the right amount each day.
How Often to Feed Your Puppy
The American Kennel Club® (AKC) recommends a timeline that is a helpful puppy feeding guide for the first year:
- 6–12 weeks: Four feedings a day should the meet nutritional needs of a growing puppy.
- 3–6 months: During this time, decrease feedings from four to three a day.
- 6–12 months: During this time, decrease feeding to twice a day.
- After age 1: Most adult dogs do well on two half-portions a day.
During each stage of your puppy’s development, and into his adult life, a consistent feeding schedule is important. Just Right pet food behavior expert Dr. Annie Valuska adds that a consistent feeding schedule that divides up the recommended daily feeding amount is especially important for puppies during housetraining.
Also, no matter how adorable your puppy is, and how much he loves his food, avoid the temptation to feed more than the recommended daily amount.
How Long Should You Feed Puppy Food?
Your puppy will need the nutritional support of a quality puppy food for about a year, or until he’s officially an adult dog. Different breeds reach maturity at different rates—your veterinarian can help you determine the best time to transition your puppy to adult dog food.
No matter what your puppy’s individual nutritional needs during this important time, with Just Right you can create a personalized blend to help meet them. It’s a great way to provide just what your puppy needs to grow on.