How Much Should I Feed My Dog? Your Dog’s Complete Nutrition Guide

One of the many questions facing dog owners is how much food to feed their dog. While the question may seem like the can be answered by a simple trip to the pet store, it actually has many nuances that vary from dog to dog.

In general, the first step is to consult your veterinarian. They will ask about your dog’s weight, age, activity level and breed. All of these factors influence the amount you should be feeding your dog.

Below, we’ve created a comprehensive nutrition guide, including a dog nutrition chart, to make sure your pup is in peak shape for a lifetime.

How Much to Feed Your Dog

The amount of food you should feed your dog varies. It’s important to note the number of cups or grams a dog food feeding chart may suggest almost always lists the amount fortotaldaily consumption, not individual serving size. It’s easy to look past this.

For example, if a chart says a 15-pound dog should have 1.5 cups of food, 1.5 needs to be divided by the number of meals you feed your dog. It’s typically recommended that dogs be fed twice per day — so the ideal serving size, in this case, is ¾ cup of food per meal.

Take a look at the dog nutrition chart below to see how much you should be serving your dog depending on their weight. Remember, always consult your veterinarian before starting or changing your dog’s diet.

How to Read A Dog Feeding Chart

The most straightforward way to understand dog meal portions is through a feeding chart. Almost all dog food brands have their own, and each will be slightly different. Overall though, these charts give you the same information.

If you know how to read one, you can usually read them all. Think of these feeding charts as a car’s dashboard — you can pretty much hop in any car and get the hang of it.

Below are steps to get you familiar with reading these guides. Again, always consult a veterinarian if you have any questions surrounding your dog’s diet.

Look at how your chart classifies dogs. Some will break down feeding suggestions by weight, while others will separate suggested feeding portions by age.
Understand the “per day” measurement. Most charts will list the recommended amount you should feed your dog per day, meaning you’ll have to divide this number by the number of meals your pup generally eats in a day.
Take schedules with a grain of salt. Stick to your gut — if the feeding schedule on the chart doesn’t match what you usually feed your dog, be cautious about switching and contact a vet.

How Portions Sizes Differ by Breed

Your dog’s breed won’t have as much of an impact on their dietary needs as their size will.

The larger your dog, the more food they will need to eat. It takes more energy to keep a Mastiff going than a pomeranian. Keep this in mind when learning about your dog’s nutrition.

In addition to your dog’s breed, age will play a large factor in determining a meal size. For the first year of your pup’s life, portion sizes will go up exponentially from month-to-month. However, once your dog is an adult (aka when they stop growing), their portions will remain the same from year-to-year.

When in doubt, always consult your vet about portion sizes, as they can recommend specifics for your pup.

Luckily, once you get a hang of reading nutrition charts, portion sizes aren’t complicated. The most important thing to remember is caloric intake.

How Age Affects Feeding

As a dog gets older, their dietary needs change. Because senior dogs are less rambuntions than their puppy and adult dog counterparts, caloric needs significantly drop. Pay attention to your pup as they get older and ask a vet if you think they’re slowing down.

In some cases, your vet will recommend a nutritional formula pack for your senior dog specifically made to get older dogs the proper nutrients they need.

How Often Should You Feed Your Dog

Feeding your dog the proper amount of times per day will make life easier for you and them. Too much food will result in bowel issues and can cause obesity. Too little food will also cause internal problems and can stunt growth.

It’s generally smart to feed adult dogs two meals per day — once in the morning, and once at night. This helps maintain metabolic processes, and keeps them from getting hungry.

Puppies, on the other hand, should be fed three to four times per day. Smaller meals are easier for young dogs to digest and will keep their energy level constant throughout the day. This does not mean to increase caloric intake — divide the appropriate amount of total food by three or four depending on how many meals you go with.

You’re going to be feeding them treats during non-meal times, too. This increases their caloric intake and just like with humans, helps tide them over until mealtime.

Remember, when you put food in, it has to come out. It’s best to time meals so you will be home an hour after they eat. This means after waking up and a couple hours before bed is a good time to feed adult dogs.

Puppies should be fed shortly after they wake up (at the time you plan to feed them when they’re grown — same goes for their last meal at night), about 3–4 hours intermittently after that until sleep.

How to Set a Feeding Schedule

Setting a feeding schedule for your pup is one of the easiest parts of dog ownership — it just takes repetition! To set a feeding schedule, simply fill a dog bowl with the amount and type of food you plan on feeding your dog, set it in a designated spot and let it sit for five minutes.

If your dog eats, great! If not, take the bowl away and wait to put it down until the next designated feeding time. After a few days your dog should catch on and stick with this schedule for a lifetime!

As they grow, just be sure to phase out your dog’s number of meals and add food to the remaining ones.

Some owners are advocates of a feeding schedule called, “free choice feeding.” As the name suggests, with this method, you simply leave a dish of food out and your dog will eat as they are hungry.

Turning to this method means less work for the owner and in some cases it can lower the chance of hypoglycemia. But, many vets strongly advise against it. The chances of your pup becoming overweight is extremely high. Also, behavioral problems around aggression may arise.

How to Pick a Pet Food

The best way to pick a pet food is by trial and error. There are many different choices out there for dogs to choose from, so as long as the food has healthy ingredients, leave it up to your pup! Older dogs will usually have a set type of food they enjoy and you should always contact your vet before switching this up.

Look for options with natural ingredients, and it can sometimes be helpful to have added supplements.

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Dog

While adding “human” food to your pups diet can positively impact their health (unspiced protein, vegetables and some fruits), there are many foods your dog should not consume. You should always ask your vet before feeding your dog human food, but below you can find a list of food always off limits to dogos.

Almonds
Chocolate
Garlic
Cinnamon
Macadamia nuts
Human ice cream
Grapes
Raisins
Avocado
Onions
Alcohol
Caffeine
Whole peaches
Whole plums
Cooked bones

Tips to Create a Responsible Dog Diet

Over their lifetime, your dog will develop dietary preferences. As with humans, some foods will sit well with them and others won’t. This can be a stressful part of owning a puppy or even a senior dog when you first adopt, but don’t worry, it gets easier. Here’s how to keep your dog on a healthy diet:

1. Monitor Eating Habits

It’s important to monitor your dog for the first few months of ownership to understand which foods will contribute the most to their health. While some dogs may find natural protein delicious, others may be nauseated by it.

Whether your dog is a puppy or older, try different foods — fresh meats and vegetables specifically — to see which they like the most.

2. Adjust Portions

Portions aren’t set in stone. Depending on your dog’s activity level and overall health, you’ll need to adjust their portion size. Just like with human diets, more calories mean more energy — it just needs to be burned.

This is especially important to remember when adding natural food supplements. Unseasoned cooked steak can be a delectable addition to dry or wet dog food, but you need to account for these calories.

To do this, break the supplemental dish up into small, kibble sized pieces and measure them out. Typically, you can replace normal pet food with these types of additions at a 1:1 ratio. Meaning if you cut up ¼ cup of steak, take out ¼ cup of dog food for the day.

3. Remember Those Treats

All the snacks your good boy gets boosts their daily caloric intake, too. Treats are a necessity when teaching dogs tricks, but keeping an eye on how much you’re feeding a pup is essential.

The best way to approach this situation is with the simple “10 Percent” rule. Plainly put, the 10 Percent rule means treats should comprise no more than 10 percent of your dog’s daily caloric intake. The same is true for dietary supplements. This requires you to keep tabs on the treat’s nutritional information, but will save your pup from obesity in the long run.

4. Table Food Is a No-Go

As fun as it might be to feed your dog from the table, it’s never a good idea. No matter how hard your pup begs, feeding human food from the table reinforces negative behavior and can give false signals about dominance. The table is a place for your pup’s owners (i.e. you) to eat and giving them scraps from this place can mitigate an alpha presence.

If you want to feed your dog leftovers (and they’re healthy for your pup), clear the table and put them in your dog’s feeding bowl with their next meal.

5. Extra food doesn’t mean extra love

Always keep caloric intake in mind when feeding your dog. While giving them a large meal or extra treats may seem like an attempt to reward them, over-feeding can quickly lead to obesity. As with humans, this will cause major health problems.

A plump pup can experience everything from joint pain to cardiovascular issues — so show restraint and your dog will, too.

Diet is one of the most impactful factors on a dog’s health. A healthy pup will be fed the right food at the right time. Remember caloric intake is elastic and should change with age — especially in puppies. At Gallant, we strive for healthy pups. Learn how Gallant protects your dog and paves the way for a happy, full life with regenerative medicine.