How Much To Feed a Puppy (Australia)

If you’ve just adopted a puppy, chances are you have a lot of questions about how to properly care for the newest member of your family. Some of the most daunting questions you have might be around feeding your new dog. How much should a puppy eat? When should a puppy eat? How does weight and breed affect their dietary needs?

It can be overwhelming to deal with new feeding schedules, changing nutritional needs, and establishing good behaviours at mealtime, but Hypro Premium is here to help! Use the puppy feeding guide on this page to help you figure out how much food your dog needs, when they should be fed, and at what age their needs will change. There are lots of factors to consider when feeding your dog, like their size and weight. 

On this page, you’ll also learn how much to feed a puppy by weight (kg), and how to avoid common health issues caused by overfeeding. 

How Often Do I Need to Feed My Puppy?

Puppies need a lot of food to grow up big and strong. One of the fundamentals of feeding puppies is that they have greater caloric requirements than adult dogs, because of the incredible rate of growth that puppies experience in their first year of life. However, there are a few factors that can impact how often you need to feed your puppy. 

Size is important in figuring out how much food to feed a puppy and when. Overfeeding can cause serious health complications for puppies, so it is important to only give your dog as much food as their stomach can digest. For small breeds, it is safest to feed small meals between 4 to 6 times a day. Toy breeds in particular should be given small meals very frequently. Medium sized breeds, like bulldogs and cattle dogs, should be given three meals a day. However, the larger the dog breed, the more food they will need to keep them energised. Breeds like German Shepherds and Great Danes usually need to be fed 3 to 4 meals a day. Learn more about how to feed your puppy by reading on, and ask your vet if you aren’t sure how often you should feed your puppy. 

How Much to Feed a Puppy Under 4 Months Old

The first food in life that a puppy needs is milk. When you adopt a new puppy for your family, it is more than likely that your new friend has already been weaned off puppy milk. The RSPCA recommends that puppies be put in the care of their owners no earlier than 8 weeks old. This is because, until puppies reach this age, almost all their nutrients should be coming from their mother’s milk. However, if you are caring for a puppy who is less than 4 weeks old, you will need to begin the weaning process and introduce solid foods into their diet. 

Puppies are ready to be weaned between 4-6 weeks old. These dogs will naturally seek out other food sources, aside from milk. When you begin weaning, solid foods should only make up 10% of your puppy’s diet. Solid foods need to be introduced to puppies in the form of a gruel. 

How Much to Feed a Puppy 4 – 10 Months Old

Once your puppy is eating solid foods, their body will begin to grow rapidly. During this time of rapid growth, it is very important that you remain consistent in your feeding and training to give them the best possible start to life. Your puppy’s dietary needs will change quite a lot between 4 and 10 months old, as many puppies become close to fully physically developed before their first birthday, so read on to learn how best to accommodate their needs. Remember that a good feeding routine is not just essential for supporting your puppy’s physical development – it is also great for building good habits around toileting and obedience training.

How Much Food to Feed a Puppy 4 – 10 Months Old

Puppies do most of their growing in their first year of life, so it is important to know how to adjust their diet to accommodate their development. 

If your puppy is a small breed, by 9 months they will probably be their full size. However, larger dogs still have a lot of growing to do by the same point. For both small and large dogs, growth plateaus, so their food needs will change. 

If you aren’t sure how much to feed a puppy by weight (kg), or you are worried about overfeeding or underfeeding, ask your vet or consult the brand-specific feeding guide on your dog food.

How Often to Feed a Puppy 4 – 10 Months Old

The schedule you use to feed your puppy needs to fit your lifestyle. Start your puppy’s day when you begin yours, and make sure that all the people in your household who are able to help can assist you in maintaining a good feeding routine. Most puppies under 10 months old need to be fed around 3 times a day, with a 5 hour interval between meals to help them digest properly. Puppies should be fed in the morning after they wake up, in the middle of the day, and finally once more at night around 2 hours before bedtime. 

How Much to Feed a Puppy 10-12 Months Old

By 10 months old, your dog will be reaching the end of puppyhood, and their rate of growth will slow down. For most breeds, especially small ones, puppies have reached their full adult weight and size before they reach 12 months. Larger dogs continue to develop for up to a year after this point, although they will have undergone most of their skeletal development by this stage. While your dog will have completed most of their physical development, they will still have a long way to go when it comes to social and emotional development.

How Much Food to Feed a Puppy 10-12 Months Old

By the time your puppy reaches 10 months old, regardless of breed, they will be close to the end of their physical development. If your pup is a small and toy breed, they will likely have reached their full adult size and weight. Larger breeds still have some growing left to do, but most of their dramatic growth is behind them by 10 months old. 

Once your puppy is 10 months old, you should consider how size and weight will impact the amount of food they need. Since different foods contain different caloric values, it’s best to consult directly with the brand-specific feeding guide (or, your veterinarian) for exact amounts. 

How Often to Feed a Puppy 10-12 Months Old 

Once your puppy is 10 months old, you should have an established feeding schedule that fits your lifestyle and family needs. This schedule should change as the amount of food your dog needs each day decreases. Once their rate of growth slows down, puppies only need 2 meals a day. This will prevent unnecessary weight gain or the onset of obesity. Puppies should be fed in the morning after they wake up, and then at night around 2 hours before bedtime. You can also consider how exercise and potty training will fit into your dog’s new feeding schedule, as changes to a well maintained routine can be confusing for adolescent dogs. If you aren’t sure about how to change your dog’s feeding schedule, ask your vet for advice. 

Food Options for Puppies

There are a lot of options available when it comes to puppy feeding guide by breed or size. It’s best to choose a puppy-specific food for your dog when they are young, as puppy foods will be formulated differently than foods designed for older dogs. Puppy foods tend to contain different amounts and types of proteins and fat. 

Puppies also need more healthy fats in their diets than adult dogs, as this helps support their fast growing bodies. Puppies can eat wet foods, or dry kibble, like Grain Free Turkey & Lamb or Wholesome Grains Chicken & Brown Rice kibble from Hypro Premium. 

Kibble

Kibble is a practical and popular food option for young dogs. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of kibble when it comes to feeding puppies.

Overall, there are many high quality, specially formulated puppy kibbles to choose from that contain the essential nutrients your puppy needs as they grow. You should consider if puppy kibble is appropriate for your breed, as some deep chested or larger working breeds may grow too quickly if fed too much puppy kibble.

Wet Food

Wet food is another option that pet owners turn to when it comes to making a choice about puppy feeding. Here are the advantages and disadvantages.

High quality wet foods are usually made with ingredients designed to nurture puppies as they grow, and often contain plenty of rich fats and proteins. However, they can be more expensive and require more preparation and clean up. For these reasons, many owners opt for kibble over wet food. A combination approach could be a good way of introducing the two textures.  

Hypro Premium Puppy

While considering how much to feed a puppy, you should also think about which high quality brand to trust when it comes to choosing food. Hypro Premium has two great options that will support the development of your dog and set them up for a healthy and happy life. Wholesome Grains Chicken & Brown Rice kibble is a delicious and nutritious dry food for your puppy. The delicious blend of lean chicken and healthy brown rice, as well as plenty of natural antioxidants and fatty acids, gives your puppy all the minerals and micronutrients they need to grow up healthy. For owners who want to avoid grains due to allergy or intolerance concerns for their puppy, Grain Free Turkey & Lamb kibble is another great option. This dry food is expertly crafted to support joint, skin, and coat health. It’s also excellent for developing your pup’s immune system, as well as eye and brain development.