Golden Retriever Food Amount: How Much Do I Feed My New Puppy?
It’s important to feed your puppy the right amount so she can grow healthy without overeating or undereating. But how do you know exactly how much food to feed your Golden Retriever puppy?
Knowing exactly how much to feed your new Golden Retriever puppy can be very confusing because there is a ton of misinformation on the internet.
In this post, you will learn how to determine the amount of food to feed your new Golden Retriever puppy!
Start With Your Breeder
First and foremost, ask your breeder. They will know exactly how much food your puppy was eating before it came home! The amount of food your puppy eats is different for each puppy depending on its weight and energy level. A good breeder will be able to tell you how much your new pup is eating at the time it goes home.
Ask Your Vet
Your Vet may be able to give you an idea of how much food your new Golden Retriever should be eating. Just keep in mind that this will probably be an average. You still need to pay attention to your pup’s body language to determine if it’s still hungry for full.
Your vet will also be able to tell if your puppy looks too skinny or overweight. This can help give you a confirmation that you are feeding your puppy the right amount.
Puppy Feeding Chart
Use the chart below to feed your new puppy based on size and age. Follow the chart by finding your puppy’s age and weight. This will give you a guideline on how much and how often to feed your new puppy.
This chart is just a starting point. Be sure to look for cues from your puppy to determine if she is eating enough to too much.
Cues From Your Puppy
As your puppy grows, so will its appetite. So be prepared to watch for cues that your puppy needs more food.
Cues your puppy is hungry:
- Whining near an empty food bowl
- Licking the food bowl
- Staring at you near her food bowl
Some food left in the bowl is good and means you are feeding your puppy enough food and she’s stopping when full.
How Much Our Puppies Typically Eat
At Yancey’s Golden Retrievers, our puppies typically eat 2-3 cups of dry dog food total in a day. This is broken up into 3 meals per day at 8 weeks old.
What Brand Of Dog Food Do We Feed Our Puppies?
Currently, we feed our puppies Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy food and will transition them to the adult version around 12 months old.
This can be purchased from Petco, Tractor Supply, or online.
Should My Golden Retriever Eat Grain Free Dog Food?
Golden Retrievers should NEVER be fed Grain-free commercial dog food. Recent studies have shown a link between grain free dog food and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). DCM can cause heart failure and death.
Dog Food Advisor
For more information on dog food, be sure to check out Dog Food Advisor and look at their dog food scoring system.