How much do you feed your dog?

[SnoopyF1BDoodle]

Hey guys, how much do you feed your dog.

Iv had him for 1.5 weeks now ( Hes only 9.5 weeks). and it seems with each meal i keep feeding him more and more.

I feed him 3 times a day, Any recommendations as to how much i should be feeding him with each meal? Atleast where i should stop to feed him more?

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Feeding amount completely depends on how big he is, how active he is, and what food you feed him. There is no standard amount that a 9 week old eats. Each brand is different and, often, each formula within a brand will be a little different. Each bag should have guidelines printed on it that can help you determine how much to feed him. His body composition over time will be the best determining factor as to whether he is getting too much or too little.

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Head over to The Food Group and you will find there are tons of discussions about feeding and choosing a high quality food :)

[SnoopyF1BDoodle]

Ok thanks ill look for this food group :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup

It looks like you are already a member.

As Stephanie mentioned, how much you feed depends on many factors, including the formula you are feeding. Every food has a different calorie content, and one formula can contain 100 calories more than another formula, so obviously how much you feed is going to vary wildly. It also depends on the age and weight of the dog. Every package of dog food will have feeding guidelines printed on it. use those as a starting point, and adjust up or down if necessary.

Three feedings per day for a puppy under 4 months old is appropriate. 

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Stephanie has given you great advice! Anytime you have a food question you should visit The Food Group. It's the best!

[Moe]

It should be printed on the back of the dog food bag. If you threw the bag away the feeding guidelines are usually online on the company's website. Overfeeding can be a problem, they will just keep eating. Stick to the guidelines. Good luck. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Just to add that you can not feed a pup until he or she stops eating--some are grazers and handle it well, but if your pup is one who gobbles down food (which could be due to the competition from the littermates in the past) then they won't let you know when they are full--stick to an amount and gradually increase it over time.

Didn't the breeder tell you how much to start with? I raise pups for a breeder. We tell our new puppy owners an amount and then to gradually increase it--For example, our 8-10 pound pups get 1/2 cup of high quality (like Blue Wilderness which is grain-free) food three times a day at 8 weeks and by the time they are 6 months old, they are getting 1& 1/2 cup twice a day--but they will mature to around 40-45 pounds. You decrease the food at one year when the growth slows down.  So it varies with the size of the dog.

Most people agree that the amount suggested on the bag label is too much. If you want to get scientific, you can go to your vet and ask for  a calorie recommendation--the bag of food will have a kilocalorie per cup amounts and then you can calculate how many cups to give him.