How much food should a 4 month puppy eat?

Ideal Weight of Dog (At Maturity)	Weaning-12 Weeks	4-5 Months
3-12 lbs	0.5-1 cup	0.75-1 1/3 cups
13-20 lbs	0.5-1.25 cups	1-2 cups
21-50 lbs	0.5-1.5 cups	1.5-2.75 cups
51-75 lbs	0.75-2.5 cups	1.5-4 cups

Puppies develop quickly, so it’s normal to question whether they’re getting the nutrition they need to grow into happy, healthy adult dogs. The key to solving the equation is determining how much and how frequently to feed a puppy. However, those numbers depend on a variety of factors, including:

Having said that, determining how frequently to feed a puppy who is healthy and leading a typical puppy life isn’t that difficult. We’re providing you with some straightforward puppy feeding charts to aid in your calculation. First, let’s take a look at some questions.

Why feeding puppies puppy food is important

Puppy food is balanced to provide the amount of calories, extra protein, and fat that puppies need to support growth. Puppy food commonly contains nutrients found in mother’s milk, such as the Omega Fatty Acid DHA.

Make sure the food is specifically labeled for puppies or says “for all life stages” somewhere on the package to be sure you are choosing a puppy food.

How much to feed a puppy and how often to feed a puppy depends first and foremost on his age. The easiest way to remember how much to feed a puppy is to create a puppy feeding chart that matches your puppy’s breed and weight at maturity.

Very young puppies need to eat a high-quality puppy food diet approximately 3 to 4 times per day. The frequency of feeding puppies goes down to 3 times per day at around 3 to 6 months of age, and 2 times per day at around 6 to 12 months.

After about a year, most puppies can transition to a nutritionally balanced adult dog food diet 2 times per day.

How much to feed a puppy
Age	Portions	Frequency
8 – 12 Weeks	Small Portions	3-4x/day
4 – 5 Months	Puppy Food	3x/day
6 – 8 Months	Puppy Food	2x/day
9 – 11 Months	Adult Food	2x/day
1 – 2 Year*	Adult Food	2x/day
2 Year +*	Adult Food	2x/day
Check the back of your puppy’s food packaging to get accurate portion sizes for his weight.

*While some giant breeds don’t mature until around 18 to 24 months, toy and smaller breeds may be able to transition to adult food a little earlier (some as early as 7 to 9 months). Ask your vet for specific advice in this regard, and if you’re unsure of when your puppy will be considered a fully grown dog, keep him on puppy food for a little while longer. Giving puppies a few extra nutrients is preferable to giving them insufficient amounts.

What to feed puppies in the first year

There are plenty of dog food options available for feeding puppies if you’re a new pet parent. Due to their rapid growth, puppies may experience a few food transitions.

Starting Solids: 8 weeks old

Typically, solids introduced at 8 weeks of age.

Transition the pup slowly to solids, usually over 5 – 7 weeks.

At first, wet the kibble with water.

Allow the kibble to soak for a few minutes so that’s it’s soft.

Continue to wet the kibble with water over several weeks.

Each week use 1 tsp less water to soften the food.

By week 3 – 4, your puppy’s meals should be mostly crunchy kibble.

At week 7, he should be fully transitioned onto the dry dog food.

Regular Feeding: 6 – 12 months old

At 6 to 12 months establish regular eating times.

Start serving 2 feedings per day.

Create your own puppy feeding schedule routine.

The first step on the schedule is to leave the bowl of food on the floor for a set amount of time.

For beginners, start with 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how fast your dog eats.

Be consistent with the schedule and always use the same place to feed your dog, same time, and same time period.

Your dog will learn how this schedule works for the next 2 weeks.

Once your puppy is familiar with regular meal times you’ll find that they’re followed by regular potty times.

Bonus! More solid foods make picking up after your pup a lot easier.

Switching to Adult Dog Food: 1+ years

Adult dog food is introduced from a year old.

Transition your puppy slowly by mixing the new food into his puppy portions.

Meals should be a mix of 75% puppy food to 25% adult food.

Continue to serve mixed portions for about 2 – 3 days.

Gradually increase the adult food and decrease the puppy food by 10%.

By day 5 or 6, your puppy should be fully transitioned, eating 100% adult food.

Patience is key and a slow transition will help your puppy’s stomach adjust.

The whole process should take about a week.

If you’re worried about when, how, and what to feed your puppy, your worries are well-founded. Your choices for your puppy’s diet and nutrition could have a big impact on how it grows and develops. If you feed your puppy nutritious food, it will live a long, healthy life. Here is our comprehensive guide to feeding your puppy, along with a puppy feeding chart, to assist you in making the best choices for your puppy’s nutritional health.

Usually, four feedings a day are sufficient to meet your puppy’s nutritional needs. Additionally, once they reach 9 or 10 weeks old, you should start feeding your large breed puppies unmoistened dry food. Additionally, by 12 to 13 weeks, you can start feeding your small breed puppies the same dry food.

Puppies should choose formulas that are high in protein because it supports their developing muscles. While calcium aids in the healthy development of their teeth and bones, carbohydrates give them the energy they need to stay active and playful. Additionally, the DHA in the formula supports the growth of a strong brain and vision.

Although the puppy feeding chart is typically helpful, not all dogs can use it. It is important for you to monitor your dog’s weight and overall health as a dog owner. This will enable you to decide how much food to give your dog. Depending on its current state, you might need to feed it a little bit less or a little bit more. Therefore, be sure to check with your vet to see if your dog is a healthy weight or not.

It is advised that you cut back on your puppy’s feeding from four to three times per day once it reaches the three-month mark. To ensure that your dog loses its pudginess and potbelly by 12 weeks, this is done. Feed your puppy puppy-sized portions until it reaches a healthy weight if it is still chubby at this age.

FAQ

What should a puppy eat at 4 month old?

Puppies should be fed puppy food, a diet formulated specifically to meet the nutritional requirements for normal development, between the ages of 6 and 12. Feeding adult food will rob your puppy of important nutrients. Typically, four feedings per day are sufficient to meet nutritional needs.

Can you overfeed a 4 month old puppy?

Your puppy might gain weight between the ages of four and six months if he consumes too much food or does not exercise regularly. Check your puppy’s body condition frequently to make sure he’s at the right weight.