Depending upon your pet's age, breed and size we recommend feeding 4 meals a day up until 4 months of age. This can be reduced to 3 meals per day up until 6 months and then 2 meals until your dog is an adult.
How often should my puppy eat? Puppies should eat three times a day from weaning through four to six months, if possible. After six months, twice-a-day feedings are fine. But if you're not able to feed your pup three times a day, don't worry.
From when you bring your puppy home at eight weeks until they are four months old, it's best to feed them four meals a day. At four months, reduce this to three meals a day and when they turn six months, reduce to two meals. Continue a morning and evening meal for your pup's life.
It is best to spread out your dog's meals when he is transitioning from three to two meals. Due to their adjustment to their meal times, it is easier to keep two of the scheduled times and eliminate the midday feeding at this point.
Once your puppy is weaned (between 3 and 6 weeks) and has transitioned to solid food, it is best to feed them 4 times a day from ages 6 - 12 weeks. When your puppy is between 3 - 6 months old, reduce meals to 3 times a day. For ages 6 - 12 months of age, you can begin feeding them twice a day.
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.
Four feedings a day are usually adequate to meet nutritional demands. Large breeds should be fed unmoistened dry food by 9 or 10 weeks; small dogs by 12 or 13 weeks. 3–6 months: Sometime during this period, decrease feedings from four to three a day. A pup should be losing her potbelly and pudginess by 12 weeks.
The best time to switch your puppy from three to two meals a day is when they are between six and 12 months old. Keep in mind that most toy and small breed dogs can make the switch to two meals a day when they are between seven and nine months old.
However, if they regularly miss more than one to two meals, then there's something wrong. If your puppy goes for two days (48 hours) without eating anything, then it is a clear indication that you need to have your puppy checked.
So, what are the key factors to consider when feeding your pup? You can feed them before or after a walk, but you have to ensure that the walk or exercise takes place at least one hour before or after the meal is eaten. Plus, ideally, it's a good idea to feed your pup twice a day with 10 to 12 hours between meals.
You should be able to feel but not see their ribs, and they should have a visible waist when you look down at them. Body condition, not the amount eaten or left in the bowl, should determine portion sizes. Portion sizes depend on individual metabolism and body type, and nutritional requirements vary from dog to dog.
Don't be tempted to overfeed your puppy as too much could either upset their tummy or put pressure on their frame if they gain too much weight in a short period of time. Neither of these are good for your puppy's health, so take care when planning their meals.
We'd recommend feeding puppies three meals a day until they are aged between 8 and 10 weeks, reducing this to twice-daily feeds until their rapid growth phase has passed which can be anything from 8 months of age for a small dog to two years old for a large breed.
Starting around four months, puppies can begin eating about three times a day, and after that, puppies will quickly graduate to twice-a-day feedings. AKC is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to akc.org.
As a rule of thumb, remove the food and water bowls about two-to-three hours before bedtime. So, if your lights-out time is at 11 p.m., a puppy should have no food or water after about 8–8:30 p.m. This gives you a chance to take him out for a one last potty break before settling in for the night.
Getting the timing right. On average, puppies will poop between 5 to 30 minutes after eating. Just like humans, puppies have a gastro-colic reflux. This reflux action takes place after eating as the stomach fills and the colon gets stimulated and starts making poop.
AFTER MEALS
Most puppies eat three to four meals a day while they're growing and they'll have to pee and poop after each meal. For younger dogs, wait about 20 minutes after a meal to take him outside to potty. The younger the puppy, the sooner you should take him out after a meal.
It is not uncommon for a puppy to defecate 5-6 times per day. Some will eliminate even more frequently. The good news is that the pace of pooping will slow down as the dog matures. Although a 2-week-old puppy may defecate at every feeding, by 12 weeks, they may be down to only 4 times per day.
According to BeChewy, medium and long coat dogs should bathe every four to six weeks, and owners of dogs with short coats should bathe their pets somewhere between every month and every three months. Dog owners should be warned not to wash their pup's coats too much, though.
The morning/evening feeding schedule often aligns with most pet parent's schedules as well because it fits the normal work or school day for a household. You can feed your dog in the morning when you have breakfast and when you come home and have your own dinner.
Usually by the 8 week mark, puppies should have all of their baby teeth, and they potentially could eat only dry food. Nonetheless, if your puppy is still struggling with dry food, it's completely fine to feed them soaked kibble instead.
8–10 weeks: 30–60 minutes. 11–14 weeks: 1–3 hours. 15–16 weeks: 3–4 hours.
Newborn puppies spend “ruffly” 90% of the day sleeping — about 21 hours. On average, puppies between the age of 8 and 16 weeks sleep for 15 to 20 hours per day and can only stay awake for an hour at a time. It's perfectly normal for your puppy to take frequent naps lasting as little as 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours.
Take your pupper to the toilet area regularly – and definitely more often than just when they are getting desperate! This includes first thing when they wake up, after every meal and every two hours (or however many is right for your puppy's current abilities!).