How much should I feed my dog?

Dog feeding guidelines

Your dog’s age, weight, activity level and overall health play a significant role in the amount of food they need:

• Age: With all their romping and running, puppies and younger dogs generally require more food that is higher in fat and protein. Older dogs that aren’t as active need fewer calories to stay healthy.
• Weight: Weight is one of the best ways to determine how much to feed your dog. Use the chart below as a guideline for how much to feed your dog according to weight. Heavier dogs may wolf down more food, but smaller dogs generally need to consume more calories per pound than large dogs.
• Activity level: Keep your dog’s energy output and overall lifestyle in mind when considering how much food to feed them. If your dog joins you on daily runs and maintains a highly active lifestyle, more food might be necessary. Less active dogs won’t need as much food.
• Overall health: Examine your dog’s general health. You’ll know your dog is enjoying a healthy diet when you see sparkling eyes, a glossy coat and clean ears. If your dog suffers from chronic eye or ear infections, a change in diet could help.

You want to make sure you’re feeding your dog the right amount of food and also the right kind of food. With dozens of brands on the market, dog food quality varies widely. The best dog foods contain high-quality meats, vegetables and grain sourced in the USA.

Dog feeding chart

The dog feeding chart below will give you a good starting point, but we recommend checking it against the label on your dog’s food and verifying with your veterinarian if you have any concerns or if your dog has special weight loss needs.The chart outlines recommended daily serving for full-grown adult dogs. Puppies may require double or triple the recommended adult feeding amounts.

How often should I feed my dog?

There are two schools of thought here. You can choose to feed your dog at specific, regimented times each day, or you can leave a bowl of food out all day for your dog to “graze.” While neither method is wrong, veterinarians generally recommend feeding your dog twice a day and removing the bowl after a set period of time (typically ten to twenty minutes), whether or not the bowl is empty. This will teach your dog to eat when the food is there, and help you keep track of exactly how much your dog is eating.