How Often to Feed Your Pup
Puppies should be fed three to four times a day therefore if you are currently feeding ¾ a cup of puppy food
Smaller meals are easier to digest for the puppy and energy levels don’t peak and fall so much with frequent meals. At around six months you may start feeding twice a day for convenience but because your dog is a mixed large breed dog I would recommend sticking with a 3-4 times a day feeding schedule if possible to minimize the risk of gastric dilatation volvulus.
Weaning Your Puppy to Solid Food
Weaning your puppy to solid food should not be an overnight endeavor but should ideally take place over the course of two to three weeks. First select the brand of puppy food you intend to feed. Puppies have high caloric and nutritional needs and so the food selected should be a high quality brand of puppy food. Talk to your veterinarian for specific recommendations but generally the best puppy foods
Starting around four to six weeks of age begin introducing your puppy to puppy food by making a gruel by blending the puppy food with milk replacer. Offer the gruel three to four times a day gradually reducing the amount of milk replaced used to make the gruel. This way your puppy gradually learns to adapt to solid food and gastric upset is minimized. By around eight weeks of age your puppy should be eating solid food.
How Much Food Should I Feed My Puppy?
These amounts are for every 24 hours.
| Ideal Weight of Dog (At Maturity) | Weaning-12 Weeks | 4-5 Months | 6-8 Months | 9-11 Months | 1-2 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-12 lbs | 0.5-1 cup | 0.75-1 1/3 cups | 0.5-1.5 cups | Adult portion | Adult portion |
| 13-20 lbs | 0.5-1.25 cups | 1-2 cups | 9.75-1.25 cups | 1-1.5 cups | Adult Portion |
| 21-50 lbs | 0.5-1.5 cups | 1.5-2.75 cups | 1.25-2.25 cups | 2-3 cups | 2-4.25 cups |
| 51-75 lbs | 0.75-2.5 cups | 1.5-4 cups | 1.5-3.75 cups | 2.5-4.75 cups | 4.25-6.25 cups |
| 76-100 lbs | 1-2.5 cups | 2.75-3.75 cups | 2.75-6.25 cups | 4.75-7 cups | 6.25-11 cups |
| 101+ lbs | 2.5 cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 | 3.75cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 | 6.25 cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 | 7 cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 | 11 cups + 1/3 cup for every 10lbs over 100 |
Feeding Puppies 8 weeks old
While it’s always important to feed your dogs well, it’s especially important to know how much to feed a puppy, so they can get the best start in life with the proper nutrition.
Your puppy’s growing bones, muscles, brain cells and tissues require specific nutrients: Too few or too many calories, over supplementing or nutrient deficiencies—all of these can be harmful to your pup in the long run, making it vital to know how much to feed a puppy. And, no, feeding a standard dog food is not the solution as most will not fulfill these needs.
If you have found yourself to be the caregiver of a puppy (or puppies—lucky you!), take a look through our guide below to learn how much to feed a puppy. It will help you understand what your puppy needs nutritionally through every stage of their young life so you can help them thrive.