According to the American Kennel Club, Labrador Retrievers are the most popular breed of dogs to own. It makes sense, given their sweet disposition, playfulness, and their great love of fetch.
But, like any family member, you need to care for them properly and you need to know how much to feed a lab puppy whether he or she is a 4 week old, 8 weeks old, 10 weeks old or 12-week old lab puppy.
Nutrition during puppyhood is one of the biggest influencers of your dog’s lifespan and development. Although pet nutrition is important throughout their lifespans, puppyhood is the most important of all.
Feed too much, and your adult Labrador will be prone to joint problems, feed too little, and puppies fail to realize their genetic potential.
If you have recently adopted or are considering adopting a lab puppy, you will need to make sure that you are taking careful care of your new addition.
This includes knowing how much to feed a lab puppy. Nutrition is so crucial to developing dogs as it increases their longevity and quality of life.
Mealtimes and Schedules: Or When to Feed Your Puppy
Your puppy’s feeding schedule can fit in with your personal preferences up to a point. But don’t try and cram all his meals into the evening. If you have to work during the day, you’ll need to make sure someone comes in to feed him.
You can’t just leave a puppy’s food ration for the day down, because he’ll eat it all at once and this may upset his tummy.
You may have heard of the ad lib feeding system, where puppies can help themselves to food at any time from a hopper.
The idea is that the puppy will regulate his own food intake if food is never restricted.
However, studies have shown that puppies fed this way have a higher incidence of bone and joint problems. As a result, it really is not a good idea.
Choosing the right time of day to give your puppy his meals is important, because it determines whether you can keep your puppy clean and dry at night. Feeding schedules can also influence how long your puppy sleeps for at night.
Puppies love food, and crave the attention that comes with feeding time. If you’re feeding your Labrador puppy at 6am, because he has woken you and was hungry, the chances are he’ll wake you at 5:45 the following day!
Remember, feeding is a powerful reinforcer of behavior. If you don’t want to encourage your puppy to wake you up earlier each morning, don’t feed him as soon as you get up. Have a coffee and wake up before filling the bowl.
Have a set time for breakfast and don’t feed her before then, even if she has been awake for two hours. She won’t starve in that short period of time, although she might make you feel like she is! Be firm and resist the temptation.
Try to space your puppy’s meals out fairly evenly throughout the day. Most importantly, don’t feed your puppy just before you put her to bed for the night.
I like to leave at least a four-hour gap between the puppy’s last meal and her bedtime. This helps to reduce the risk that she will want to use the bathroom at 2 am.
Just to help you on the way, here is an example puppy feeding schedule. Of course, you can adapt this to suit your own routine as long as you pay attention to the above advice.
Feeding schedule for an 8 week old Labrador puppy
My puppy feeding times for 8-week-old puppies tend to be something like this:
You don’t need to be a slave to the clock, but this is just to give you an idea. A few minutes or even half an hour earlier or later won’t cause problems.
Feeding schedule for a 12 week old Labrador puppy:
If you want to make an early start with training your puppy, you can use all or part of his daily rations during training sessions. Again, spread these out throughout the day, and don’t feed too close to bedtime
What About Feeding Puppies On Raw Food?
Some people are worried about the long term effects of feeding your Labrador puppy kibble and believe there are advantages to feeding a more natural raw diet. I have fed many of my own dogs this way. There are pros and cons to raw feeding which you need to consider carefully before plunging in.
You’ll need to do some research on the nutritional needs of puppies in order to maintain a balanced diet during this period of rapid growth. Here is a link to the articles you need to help you decide whether or not raw feeding is for you:
Although I like the raw diet for my dogs, most puppies fed kibble go on to have long and healthy lives. Whatever food you choose, the most important thing is portion control. Too much food and they will become fat: too little and they might not grow and develop properly.
What Do Most Labrador Owners Feed Their Puppy?
The majority of Labrador owners feed their puppy kibble.
Kibble is ground meal, shaped into dried biscuit-like pellets that are extremely convenient to buy, store and feed, providing everything a puppy needs in one easy to handle product.
All the major brands carry a range of kibble and many are specifically formulated to suit the precise needs of puppies.
However, like all things concerning dog food, there is a lot of debate as to whether or not kibble is ‘The Best‘ thing to feed. But there’s no doubting puppies and dogs absolutely do thrive on it.
For our recommendations of the best puppy food for labs, please read our article on: The Best Food for Labrador Puppies.
FAQ
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