Puppy feeding and nutrition
In the early months of your puppy’s life, both you and your puppy experience exciting and significant changes. As your puppy grows towards adulthood, which depends on their size and can range from 8-24 months, they undergo substantial growth and adapt to new experiences. Bringing a new puppy home requires thorough research, especially regarding their diet.
This puppy feeding guide provides essential information to help you make the best choices for your puppy’s nutrition during their crucial initial months, ensuring they are set up for a healthy, long life.
Why your puppy’s diet is so important
How do puppies’ needs differ from those of adult dogs?
Birth to 1 month
2 to 4 months
4 to 7 months
10 months old to adulthood
Birth to 1 month
2 to 4 months
4 to 7 months
10 months old to adulthood
When does your puppy become an adult dog?
| X-SMALL | SMALL | MEDIUM | LARGE | GIANT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average adult weight | Up to 4kg | Up to 10kg | 11-25kg | 26-44kg | 45kg and more |
| Growth duration (birth to adulthood) | 8/10 months | 8/10 months | 12 months | 15 months | 18/24 months |
The nutrients needed in a puppy's diet
There are a range of vital nutrients that your puppy needs during the first months of life to aid healthy growth and development. A puppy's diet must be able to provide enough energy and quality protein to support growth and be easily digestible. ROYAL CANIN® diets are nutritionally balanced to offer a tailored diet to meet the needs of puppies of all sizes, lifestyles and breeds.
ROYAL CANIN®'s scientific approach to puppy nutrition
We specialise in health nutrition because, for us, puppy food isn’t just about providing energy. It’s about building and maintaining the body’s cells, protecting against disease and preventing digestive, joint and age-related issues.
A fine nutritional balance
To help your puppy grow to be strong and healthy, their food needs a very precise formula. We develop our foods in close collaboration with breeders, vets and nutritionists. And we enrich each diet with as many as 50 carefully selected nutrients to ensure they meet the particular needs of your puppy’s age, breed, lifestyle and sensitivities.
As well as focusing on the exceptional nutritional quality of our formulas, we also ensure the following key factors.
Highly palatable
Puppies are sensitive to smells and texture but have a less well-developed sense of taste. To make our formulas as appealing as possible, we:
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Select ingredients rigorously for their odour, density and texture as well as nutritional quality.
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Design kibble texture, shape and size to suit each size of dog.
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Preserve formulas.
Easily digested
Puppies have sensitive digestive systems. So we ensure our formulas are highly digestible to help avoid stomach upsets and make it easier for your puppy to absorb the nutrients.
High safety standards
We apply the same hygiene rules as for human food and prepare puppy food to the highest standards of quality and safety.
Puppy Growth Program
How much should I feed my puppy?
- X-small – up to 4kg when adult
- Small – up to 10kg when adult
- Medium – 11kg to 25kg when adult
- Large – 26kg to 44kg when adult
- Giant – over 45kg when adult
- X-small and small breeds have weaker jaws and smaller teeth so need food that’s the right size and texture.
- Medium breeds tend to be more active outdoors so need plenty of energy and helping building their natural defences.
- Large and giant breeds grow slower and need less energy per kilo of bodyweight than small breeds.
Setting the right puppy feeding schedule
X-Small or Small breeds
4-10 months 2 meals a day
Adult 1-2 meals a day
Medium breeds
6-12 months 2 meals a day
Adult 1-2 meals a day
Large or Giant breeds
Up to 6 months 3 meals a day
6-15 months 2 meals a day
Adult 1 or 2 meals a day
How a puppy’s feeding schedule changes
Puppies thrive on routine and don’t need variety in their diet like humans do. To help them feel secure, and avoid upsetting their digestion, give them the same food, preferably at the same times, in the same place, using the same bowl.
What is mixed feeding for puppies?
The benefits of mixed feeding for puppies
Hydration
In dry foods, the moisture content is around 8%, while in wet foods, this is usually at least 75%.
Palatability
Our wet formulas are designed to be highly appealing to the fussiest of puppies.
Weight Management
Wet food’s high moisture content means you can serve a larger portion for the same number of calories.
When should I begin mixed feeding?
Puppies can start mixed feeding at any time, but introducing them to variety at an early age may avoid fussy behaviour in adulthood. A dog's digestive tract becomes accustomed to the composition and type of food. So when starting a mixed feeding method, it’s important to gradually introduce the dietary changes.
How much should my puppy drink?
The amount your puppy needs to drink depends on factors including the environmental temperature and their size, exercise levels, physical condition and diet. A puppy fed dry kibbles (which contain around 10% water) will need to drink more than one fed with wet food (which contains at least 75% water).
Should I leave water out for my puppy?
The best way to ensure your puppy drinks the right amount is to give them constant access to fresh water. Change the water in their bowls daily to keep it clean and top it up throughout the day. Also wash their bowls daily to prevent parasites breeding in them.
Encouraging puppies to drink
As well as putting a water bowl near your puppy’s food, place a few around the house in calm areas. Then they always have the opportunity to drink in a quiet place.
Make sure the water bowls aren’t too big for your puppy to avoid them stepping into them. And avoid plastic water bowls as they can harbour off-putting smells and bacteria – ceramic or stainless steel bowls are best.
Good feeding habits for your puppy
Maintain portion control
Be careful with treats
Avoid human food
Limit activity before and after feeding
Keep feeding times calm
Set the pace
Maintain portion control
Be careful with treats
Avoid human food
Limit activity before and after feeding
Keep feeding times calm
Set the pace
How to change your puppy’s food
Sudden changes in your puppy’s diet can give them digestive upsets or even make them wary of their food. Whether you’re switching to adult food, changing products or beginning mixed feeding, it’s important to introduce new foods slowly. We recommend you do this during a week-long transition using the following proportions:
- Day 1 and 2: 75% previous food + 25% new food
- Day 3 and 4: 50% previous food + 50% new food
- Day 5 and 6: 25% previous food + 75% new food
- Day 7: 100% new food
Puppy feeding FAQs
Keeping an eye on your puppy’s weight is useful to make sure they’re growing, but the body condition score gives a clearer picture of whether they’re overweight or underweight. This is important to know as both can cause health issues. The body condition score focuses on the look and feel of your puppy to assess whether they’re a healthy shape. Your vet can show you how to score your puppy.
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