How often do you feed your dog?

Question

My breeder told me to feed my puppy three times a day but I know that some people only feed their dogs once or twice a day. At what age can I start phasing out his lunchtime meal? Is there a formula to determine how much you should feed your dog, maybe based upon his weight? He's grown a lot in the month since I got him...

Answer 1

Puppies need fed three time a day until they are between 5 and 6 months old (on average). After that you can cut back to twice a day, but remember to make the meals larger so he is getting the same amount per day.

There should be guidelines on the back of the dog food bag as to how much you should feed. The better quality the food the less of it you will have to feed.

Answer 2

I would feed it two times a day and feed it about half cup full of food once it becomes four or five months old and then just start feeding it only twice a day and don't give it more than half a cup of food because dogs have a tendency to overeat. On occasion you can feed them at lunch but don't give him too much food because it will become overweight and that is deadly to dogs. Every time you take your dog to the vet ask if its weight is normal and discuss what to do if your dog is under weight but I doubt it will become underweight if you feed it this amount. Always consult your vet about how to vary its diet as it gets older to prevent it from getting over or underweight. Good luck

Answer 3

Depending on the age, if the dog is very young i would feed the dog three times. Once the dog reaches 6 months you can start feeding him or her twice a day. Once the dog reaches about a year or eighteen months you can start feeding the dog once a day. If you are not certain you can always ask you vet.

Answer 4

At 8 weeks, we fed our puppy 4 times a day for a couple weeks, then we stepped it down to 3 times a day at that point. The vet told us that around 4 months we could then wean the dog down to twice a day, which is the normal schedule in our home for all of our adult dogs, morning and evening.

Answer 5

If your puppy is a small breed you may not want to stop feeding it three times a day even when it is an adult. Just give smaller amounts. If it is a larger breed like a dane, four times a day, smaller amounts when adult. Danes and some other large breeds are prone to bloat and will gorge on their food if they only eat once a day, puppy or adult. Also a large breed needs a bigger kibble so they will chew it and not just gulp and swallow the kibble with lots of air.

Answer 6

Since my dog is home alone during the day. He only eats twice a day. He eats according to our household schedule. I had him on 3 times a day for the first 2-3 months.

Answer 7

It often depends on the breed of dog, you might want to consult your vet regarding this. Also ask the breeder their feeding schedule for their adults, and their show dogs. This should give you an idea to help you maintain your dog's health.
Good luck with your dog.

Answer 8

You eliminate the noon meal when the pup is not finishing it, or other meals. Then you go to twice daily. All dogs do better on twice daily feeding as opposed to once daily.

Answer 9

I believe you should check a website or your dogfood bag for the proper amount and times a day you should feed your dog. All depending on the dogs size and weight.

Answer 10

If you were stuck beetween the two - I would feed him three times a day but for one of the times feed him less than the others - your pup would probably like that