How Much Should I Feed My Puppy?
"How much do I feed my puppy?" is one of the most-asked questions of a dog's first year — and one of the easiest to get wrong in either direction. The pack chart is a rough average; a fast-growing pup that's over-fed risks its joints, and a tiny pup that's under-fed risks its blood sugar. Our best puppy food roundup covers which food to choose; this page answers the practical question underneath it: exactly how much, and how do you work it out as your puppy grows?
No product rankings here — for our actual picks see the best puppy food guide. This is the portion-and-calorie maths, in plain English. It's the puppy counterpart to our how much to feed a senior dog guide — the same formula, pointed the opposite way. Prefer to skip the maths? Our dog food calculator runs every step below for you — set the life stage to puppy, enter the current weight, and it returns the grams.
A note up front: these are representative figures to illustrate the method, not a substitute for veterinary advice. Every puppy differs, and any sudden change in appetite, weight or toileting that doesn't settle is a vet visit, not a portion tweak.
Feed for Growth — and Feed by Today's Weight
An adult dog is fed to maintain. A puppy is fed to build — bone, muscle, brain, organs — so it needs far more energy per kilo of bodyweight than it ever will again. The same vet formula used for adults still applies, with two puppy twists: a much bigger multiplier, and a moving input.
- Resting Energy Requirement (RER) — the calories burned just existing:
RER = 70 × (current bodyweight in kg)0.75. For a puppy you plug in today's weight and recompute as it grows — unlike an adult, whose weight is fixed. - Growth factor — RER multiplied by a growth multiplier that shrinks as the pup matures: about ×3.0 while under ~4 months (peak growth), tapering to about ×2.0 from ~4 months until adult weight, then settling toward ×1.6 as a young adult.
That shrinking multiplier is the whole story. Our senior guide describes the same factor falling with old age (toward 1.2–1.4). A puppy is the mirror image at the other end of life: it starts high and steps down toward adult maintenance. Same dog, same formula — the multiplier just travels in the opposite direction.
Puppy Calorie & Portion Table (June 2026, UK)
Here's the maths done for you for a representative medium-breed puppy growing to about 18–20kg as an adult. The grams column converts the daily calories into a daily weight of a representative 380 kcal/100g puppy kibble — always check your own food's label, since energy density varies, and adjust for your pup's actual adult size.
| Age | ≈ Current weight | Growth factor | Resting need (RER) | Daily calories | ≈ Kibble/day (380 kcal/100g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 months | ~5 kg | ×3.0 | ~234 kcal | ~700 kcal | ~185 g |
| 3 months | ~8 kg | ×3.0 | ~333 kcal | ~1,000 kcal | ~265 g |
| 4 months | ~11 kg | ×2.5* | ~423 kcal | ~1,060 kcal | ~280 g |
| 6 months | ~15 kg | ×2.0 | ~533 kcal | ~1,065 kcal | ~280 g |
| 9 months | ~18 kg | ×1.7 | ~611 kcal | ~1,040 kcal | ~275 g |
| 12 months (near adult) | ~20 kg | ×1.6 | ~662 kcal | ~1,060 kcal | ~280 g |
*The 4-month row uses ~2.5 as a glide between the early-growth 3.0 band and the 2.0 band — the factor tapers, it doesn't drop off a cliff.
Two things surprise most owners here. First, the daily grams barely move after about three months even though the puppy keeps growing — because the falling growth factor cancels out the rising weight. A six-month pup usually shouldn't be eating dramatically more than a three-month one. Second, peak appetite comes early: the 2–3 month window has the highest calorie demand per kilo of bodyweight of the dog's whole life, and it tapers from there. (The exact opposite shape to a senior's gentle decline.)
Turning Calories Into Grams of Any Food
The table assumes kibble, but the conversion works for anything once you find the food's energy density on the label (metabolisable energy, usually kcal per 100g):
Grams per day = (daily calories ÷ kcal per 100g) × 100
So a pup needing ~1,000 kcal/day eats:
- Puppy kibble at 380 kcal/100g → ~265 g/day (calorie-dense, cupboard-stable).
- Wet food at ~120 kcal/100g → ~830 g/day — far more weight for the same energy, because it's mostly water. That's why wet food looks like "more" in the bowl, and why it suits teething or fussy pups.
- Fresh-cooked at ~140 kcal/100g → ~715 g/day, usually pre-portioned to your pup's current weight and growth target by a fresh subscription — which removes the guesswork entirely.
This is also why mixing foods needs care: a topper isn't free calories. If you add wet or fresh on top of kibble, take an equal share of calories out of the kibble — our topper-without-overfeeding guide walks through the displacement maths.
The Two Big Exceptions: Size Changes Everything
The table above is a medium-breed average. At the two extremes of size, the priority shifts — and getting it wrong matters most here.
Large & giant breeds — feed lean, don't max it out
For a big pup, the danger is over-feeding. Pushing growth with too many calories — or too much calcium — drives over-rapid skeletal growth that's linked to hip and elbow dysplasia, osteochondrosis and other joint problems. So stay at the lower end of the calorie band, keep calcium controlled (around 1–1.5%, and never supplement it), aim for a body condition just on the lean side, and expect to feed puppy or large-breed-puppy food for longer — adult food often isn't until 18–24 months. See our Labrador, German Shepherd and Great Dane puppy guides for the controlled-growth detail.
Because a large breed keeps growing for far longer, its table looks different from the medium one above. Here's the same maths for a representative large-breed puppy growing to about 35kg, on a typical 370 kcal/100g large-breed puppy kibble. The growth factors are pitched at the lower end on purpose — leaner is safer for big joints:
| Age | ≈ Current weight | Growth factor | Resting need (RER) | Daily calories | ≈ Kibble/day (370 kcal/100g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 months | ~8 kg | ×3.0 | ~333 kcal | ~1,000 kcal | ~270 g |
| 3 months | ~14 kg | ×2.7 | ~507 kcal | ~1,370 kcal | ~370 g |
| 4 months | ~18 kg | ×2.5 | ~612 kcal | ~1,530 kcal | ~415 g |
| 6 months (appetite peak) | ~25 kg | ×2.2 | ~783 kcal | ~1,720 kcal | ~465 g |
| 9 months | ~30 kg | ×1.9 | ~897 kcal | ~1,705 kcal | ~460 g |
| 12 months | ~33 kg | ×1.7 | ~964 kcal | ~1,640 kcal | ~445 g |
| 18–24 months (near adult, switch) | ~35 kg | ×1.6 | ~1,007 kcal | ~1,610 kcal | ~435 g |
The shape is the key difference from a medium breed. A medium pup's grams plateau after about three months; a large pup's keep climbing to a peak around six months — when the body is laying down most of its frame — then ease back as growth slows even though the dog is still getting heavier and won't finish maturing until 18–24 months. So if a big six-month pup seems hungrier than its three-month self, that's expected; what isn't expected is a soft pad over the ribs. The two levers that protect those fast-growing joints are calories kept on the lean side and calcium kept controlled (around 1–1.5%, never supplemented on top of a complete food) — over-rapid growth, not high protein, is the documented risk.
Toy breeds — little and often, mind the blood sugar
For a tiny pup, the daily total is small but the schedule is the safety issue. Toy-breed puppies carry almost no fat reserves, so a long gap between meals can crash their blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). Split the day's food into four or more small meals, don't let a toy pup fast for long stretches, and lean on a calorie-dense food in a small kibble a little jaw can manage. Our Yorkshire Terrier puppy guide is built around exactly this.
The numbers are tiny enough to surprise people. Here's the same maths for a representative toy-breed puppy growing to about 3kg as an adult (a Yorkie, Chihuahua or similar), on a calorie-dense 400 kcal/100g small-breed puppy kibble. Note the daily amounts are measured in tens of grams, not hundreds — and that they're split across four or more meals:
| Age | ≈ Current weight | Growth factor | Resting need (RER) | Daily calories | ≈ Kibble/day (400 kcal/100g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 months | ~0.5 kg | ×3.0 | ~42 kcal | ~125 kcal | ~31 g |
| 3 months | ~1.0 kg | ×3.0 | ~70 kcal | ~210 kcal | ~52 g |
| 4 months | ~1.5 kg | ×2.5* | ~95 kcal | ~237 kcal | ~59 g |
| 6 months | ~2.3 kg | ×2.0 | ~131 kcal | ~261 kcal | ~65 g |
| 9 months | ~2.8 kg | ×1.7 | ~152 kcal | ~258 kcal | ~64 g |
| 12 months (near adult) | ~3.0 kg | ×1.6 | ~160 kcal | ~255 kcal | ~64 g |
*Same tapering glide as the medium table — the growth factor eases between bands, it doesn't step.
Two things matter here that don't on a bigger dog. First, the whole day's food fits in a teacup, so a kitchen scale isn't optional — eyeballing a 10g "pinch" extra on a 60g ration is a ~15% over-feed, a rounding error on a Labrador but a real one on a Yorkie. Second, the peak amount (~65g) is reached early and barely moves — like the medium curve but flatter still, because a toy stops growing soonest. The job is splitting those grams across four or more meals to keep blood sugar steady, not nudging the total up.
The Real Test: Body Condition, Not the Bag
Every number above is a hypothesis to check against your actual puppy. The gold standard is body condition scoring, with one puppy caveat — a growing pup carries a little more cover than a lean adult, and you judge the trend (steady, not rapid) as much as the snapshot:
- Ribs: you should feel them easily with light pressure, with only a thin layer over them — not a thick pad, and not sharply visible.
- Waist (from above): a gentle hourglass should be emerging behind the ribcage as the pup grows.
- Belly (from the side): an upward tuck from chest to hindquarters.
If your pup is carrying a soft pad over the ribs and losing its waist, ease the daily amount back ~10% — especially for a large breed. If ribs, spine and hips are sharply visible, increase it and book a vet check, since a thriving puppy shouldn't look gaunt. Feed the puppy in front of you, not the chart on the bag — and aim for steady growth, never the fastest.
The Bottom Line
- Feed for growth, by today's weight. Estimate need with RER (70 × current kg^0.75) × a growth factor of ~3.0 early, tapering to ~2.0 then ~1.6 — and recompute as the pup grows.
- Grams barely move after ~3 months. The falling growth factor offsets the rising weight, so a six-month pup usually eats much like a three-month one.
- Convert calories to grams with your food's kcal/100g — puppy kibble is dense, wet and fresh need far more weight for the same energy.
- Size flips the priority: large breeds eat lean to protect joints; toy breeds eat little and often (in tens of grams) to protect blood sugar — each has its own table above.
- Body condition beats the bag chart, and any sudden change in weight or appetite is a vet visit, not a portion tweak.
Ready to choose the food itself? See our best puppy food picks, the Forthglade vs Butternut Box for puppies head-to-head, or — for when puppyhood is behind you — how much to feed a senior dog, where this same formula points the other way.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I feed my puppy per day?
It depends on the puppy's current weight and age, because a puppy is fed for growth, not just maintenance. Estimate the resting energy requirement (RER) — 70 × current bodyweight(kg)^0.75 — then multiply by a growth factor of about 3.0 while the pup is under roughly 4 months, tapering to about 2.0 from 4 months until it reaches adult weight. As a rough June-2026 guide, a medium-breed pup might eat around 700 kcal/day at 2 months (~5kg), about 1,000 kcal by 3 months (~8kg), then plateau near 1,000–1,100 kcal through the rest of the first year as the falling growth factor offsets its rising weight. Convert calories to grams using the kcal-per-100g figure on the pack, and judge by body condition, not the scoop.
Why doesn't my puppy's portion increase much as it grows?
Because two things move in opposite directions. As the pup gets heavier its resting calorie need rises, but the growth multiplier falls — from about 3.0× resting energy in early puppyhood toward 2.0× and then adult levels. Those two trends roughly cancel out, so daily grams often barely change between about 3 months and the end of the first year even though the dog keeps growing. Many owners panic that a six-month pup 'should' be eating far more than at three months; usually it shouldn't. Feed to the maths and the waistline, not to how big the dog looks.
Should I feed my puppy by its current weight or its expected adult weight?
Use the current weight in the calorie formula, and recompute as the pup grows — that's the key difference from feeding an adult, where the input weight is fixed. Expected adult weight still matters for choosing the right food (large and giant breeds need controlled calcium and lean growth) and for knowing when to switch to adult food, but the daily portion is driven by what the puppy weighs today. Pack feeding charts that are organised by expected adult weight are doing a rougher version of the same thing.
How do I turn puppy calories into grams of food?
Find the metabolisable energy on the label — usually kcal per 100g. Puppy kibble is energy-dense, typically 370–400 kcal/100g; puppy wet and fresh foods are far less by weight (often 80–140 kcal/100g) because they're mostly moisture. Then grams per day = (daily calories ÷ kcal per 100g) × 100. A pup needing 1,000 kcal on a 380 kcal/100g kibble eats about 265g a day; on a 120 kcal/100g wet food it would need far more weight of food for the same energy.
How much should I feed a large or giant-breed puppy?
Use the same maths but stay at the lower end of the band, and never push for fast growth. Over-feeding a large or giant puppy drives over-rapid growth that's linked to hip and elbow dysplasia and other skeletal problems, so leaner is safer. Keep calcium controlled (around 1–1.5%, never supplement), aim for a body condition just on the lean side, and switch to adult food later than small breeds — around 18–24 months, because big dogs keep growing for longer. Our large and giant-breed puppy guides go deeper on this.
How much should I feed a tiny or toy-breed puppy?
The daily total is small, but how you split it matters more than the number. Toy-breed pups have almost no fat reserves, so a missed or skipped meal can crash their blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). Feed little and often — four or more small meals a day in early puppyhood — and don't let a toy pup go long stretches without food. A calorie-dense food in a small kibble a tiny jaw can manage helps deliver enough energy in a small volume. Our Yorkshire Terrier puppy guide covers this in detail.
How many meals a day should a puppy have?
Roughly four meals a day until about 4 months, three meals until about 6 months, then two meals from there. Puppies have small stomachs and fast metabolisms, so little and often suits them. Splitting the food into more meals changes the rhythm, not the daily total — it's the total calories that controls growth and weight. Whatever schedule you use, weigh the food rather than eyeballing scoops, and aim for steady growth over fast growth, especially with larger breeds.