Provide access to grass (avoid chemically treated grass and toxic plants). Puppies will sometimes eat grass which may be a source of vegetable matter and micronutrients.
Tinned sardines in spring water, tinned tuna and tinned salmon may also be offered as a treat occasionally (take care with any fish bones). Fish should not be fed constantly.
If you do choose to offer bones to your puppy, they should always be raw and introduced gradually. The bone must be large enough so that the puppy cannot fit the whole bone in their mouth or swallow the bone whole. Avoid large hard marrow bones, T-bones, ‘chop’ bones (e.g., lamb cutlets), large knuckle bones or bones sawn lengthwise. Ask your butcher for non-bone chewy alternatives such as cow hearts. Always supervise your puppy when they are eating bones.
It is important not to underfeed or overfeed puppies. Research indicates that overfeeding puppies (particularly large and giant breeds) can predispose them to muscle and bone problems. Your vet will be able to advise you on how much and what to feed your puppy.
[1] Standards Australia (2017) Manufacturing and marketing of pet food, AS 5812:2017. (accessed on Oct 8 2019).
How Much to Feed a Puppy
Now you know what to feed your puppy, but just how much food does he need each day? Because puppies grow at such fast rates, they need to start eating a complete and balanced puppy food as soon as they’re weaned, usually between six and eight weeks.
The amount of food your puppy needs depends on how much he’ll weigh at maturity. A Labrador Retriever will weigh more at maturity than a Russell Terrier, for example. So, the larger dog requires more food as a puppy.
The chart below can help you determine how much dry food to feed your puppy. You should also review the specific feeding instructions on the back of his puppy food and consult with your veterinarian.
| Weight at Maturity | Weight at Maturity | 1-1/2 – 3 Months | 4 – 5 Months | 6 – 8 Months | 9 – 11 Months | 1 – 2 Years |
| (lbs) | (kg) | (cups) | (cups) | (cups) | (cups) | (cups) |
| 3 – 12 | 1.4 – 5.4 | 1/2 – 1 | 2/3 – 1-1/3 | 1/2 – 1-1/2 | Feed as Adult | Feed as Adult |
| 13 – 20 | 5.9 – 9.1 | 1/2 – 1-1/4 | 1-1/8 – 2 | 3/4 – 1-1/3 | 1 – 1-1/2 | Feed as Adult |
| 21 – 50 | 9.5 – 22.7 | 1/2 – 1-1/2 | 1-1/2 – 2-3/4 | 1-1/8 – 2-1/3 | 2 – 3 | 2 – 4-1/4 |
| 51 – 75 | 23.1 – 34.0 | 5/8 – 2-1/3 | 1-1/2 – 4 | 1-1/2 – 3-3/4 | 2-1/2 – 4-3/4 | 2-5/8 – 6-1/4 |
| 76 – 100 | 34.5 – 45.4 | 1 – 2-2/3 | 2-7/8 – 3-3/4 | 2-7/8 – 6-1/3 | 3-7/8 -7 | 5-5/8 – 11 |
| 101 lbs and over | Over 45.4 kg | 2-2/3 cups plus 1/3 cup for each 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs | 3-3/4 cups plus 1/3 cup for each 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs | 6-1/3 cups plus 1/3 cup for each 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs | 7 cups plus 1/3 cup for each 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs | 11 cups plus 1/3 cup for each 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs |
*These are generic recommendations only. Please check the package for product specific feeding recommendations.**Nestlé Purina Research indicates that avoiding overfeeding of puppies may help their development. Maintaining ideal body condition is key to encouraging proper growth in all puppies, especially large breeds. The indicated amounts are only a guideline. If your puppy becomes overweight, a reduction of your puppy’s daily food intake may be appropriate. As puppies near adulthood, their calorie needs may drop, and your puppy may begin leaving some food in the bowl. Dont misinterpret this as an indication of dislike for the food. Instead, begin offering less so your puppy doesnt overeat and stays in ideal body condition. You may wish to consult your veterinarian about a weight control program.
Our puppy feeding chart is a starting point to help you determine how much dry kibble to feed your puppy. Consult the puppy food package for more specific feeding instructions or talk with your veterinarian.
Once you know the daily feeding amount, you need to create a puppy feeding schedule. Take the total amount of food your puppy needs each day and divide that into two to three smaller meals. Give those smaller amounts to him at regular intervals each day.
An easy puppy feeding schedule to follow is to feed him when you eat—at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Remember to feed him early in the evenings so he has time to digest his food before bedtime. This can help prevent accidents inside. Consistency is key. Feeding puppies at consistent times each day helps them get used to the routine.
What kind of puppy treats should I give?
Many pet owners like to reward their dogs with treats, but itâs best to limit them. Because puppies need so many nutrients to grow, itâs important to give them food that provides complete and balanced nutrition. A puppy should get most of their calories from puppy food rather than from treats, which typically donât provide complete nutrition.
Aim for no more than 5% of calories from treats, say nutrition experts at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Choose treats that are the right size for your puppy. A Yorkshire terrier, for instance, doesnât need an extra-large dog biscuit. And avoid table scraps, which teach your puppy at a young age to beg for treats at the table and can cause digestive upset and pancreatitis, a serious illness.
Consider giving other types of treats to deepen the bond with your puppy. Healthy snacks like bits of carrot, green beans, or bell peppers give your puppy something to crunch without many calories. And remember, in your puppyâs mind, spending time with you is the best treat of all.
âPlay is a treat, training is a treat, learning tricks is a treat,â Buffington says. âDogs are a pack species, and they want to be a member of the pack. Anything a member of the pack does with them is positive reinforcement.â
HOW TO FEED A PUPPY Everything you need to know!
It can be so exciting to bring a new furry puppy into your family, and along with that excitement comes a lot of decisions to make on how you will raise your puppy. One of the most important decisions you will make is deciding what to feed your new puppy. The information below is provided to help guide you through this decision and to help you understand your puppy’s nutritional needs.
Growth is one of the most nutrient demanding life stages that dogs go through. During the growth period, your puppy has requirements for several essential nutrients, such as protein, amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, that must be met through the dog food they eat. These requirements are established by:
Commercial dog food has a nutritional adequacy statement on the label that says the food is formulated to meet the requirements for a certain life stage (growth, lactation and gestation, or adult maintenance). This means that the dog food contains all of the nutrients in the correct proportions – or in simpler terms, is complete and balanced, for that life stage. You should find a puppy food that is intended to be fed for growth.
Next you need to decide whether to feed dry kibble, wet food (also referred to as canned food), or a combination. There is no research to support that one food form is better than the other and so this choice is really based on personal preference.
In general, it is a good idea to expose your puppy to both forms of food, even if you plan on exclusively feeding one or the other. There may come a time where you need to feed canned (or dry) food and if your puppy turns into a picky eater as an adult dog, he or she may refuse a food type that is unfamiliar.
We want our puppies to grow into healthy adult dogs, but we do not want to over feed them. Overfeeding leading to obesity has become an epidemic in our pet population and a 2018 survey by the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention found that nearly 60% of pet dogs and cats in the USA are overweight or obese (3). You can use the following methods to keep your puppy a healthy weight:
Remember that as your puppy grows, his or her energy needs will also grow and so you will need to continually adjust the food dose based on body condition and weight.
Feeding management refers to how you feed your puppy and there are a couple of options to consider:
As your puppy grows, it is very important to monitor his or her weight to make sure growth is occurring at an appropriate rate and that your puppy is not getting overweight. Waltham has created puppy growth charts based on final adult body weight and these are a great resource for monitoring your puppy’s weight trends. More information about these growth charts can be found here.
Most puppy owners choose to also feed their puppy treats – especially during training sessions! The important thing to remember about treats is that they all have different calorie amounts per piece, so be sure to read the label. Treats and snacks should make up no more than 10% of your puppy’s calorie intake per day. If your puppy needs 500 Calories, 450 should come from a complete and balanced puppy food and the remaining 50 Calories can come from treats. A great alternative is to use the puppy kibble as treats – set aside a portion of the total daily amount to be used as treats during the day.
Puppies sometimes get diarrhea and it can be caused by a number of different reasons. The most common causes for puppies are dietary indiscretion (when they eat something they were not supposed to eat) or parasites. If your puppy gets diarrhea, it is important to think about the following things:
One or two episodes of diarrhea are usually not concerning (unless there is blood present, puppy is also vomiting or showing other symptoms, or puppy is not eating/drinking). If your puppy has diarrhea, the best course of action is to call your veterinarian to make an appointment.
Generally, the best time to transition to adult food is when your puppy reaches about 12 months of age. Large breed and giant breed dogs that still have a lot more growing to do can be kept on their puppy food for longer (up to 18 to 24 months). When you are ready to transition, do it slowly over several days. A suggested transition schedule is: