The frequency of feeding your dog depends on several factors, mainly your pet’s age. Puppies will need more meals than adult dogs. That is because young dogs are in the phase of intensive maturation, and thus their energy needs are very high.
An adult dog should be fed twice daily, like a senior dog. The situation is slightly different in the case of puppies, who, due to the development period, should receive food up to five times a day in smaller portions. The most important thing is to adjust the amount of food served to the dog’s needs.
What you will learn from this article:
- An adult dog should be fed twice a day
- The puppy should get food much more often, up to five times a day
- Adjust the amount of food served to the real needs of the dog’s body
How often to feed the dog
Do you want to be sure that your dog gets as much food as he needs? Nutritional issues are significant in caring for a pet. They directly impact the dog’s health, energy level and physical condition.
That’s why it’s crucial to know precisely how often to feed your dog. You should tailor the amount and volume of your dog’s meals directly to his needs. In this matter, there is no golden rule that will work for every quadruped.
First, your dog’s age is the primary determinant of how often you should feed your pet.
Why you need to know how often to feed your dog
The answer to why you need to know how often to feed your dog may be more complex than you think. Giving your dog food is more than just satisfying his hunger. How frequently you provide your dog directly affects his health, physical condition and well-being.
If your dog gets food far too often, it can lead to being overweight. Obesity in dogs is a severe matter. It can cause many diseases and unwanted ailments.
If you want to learn more about overweight dogs and how to deal with them, I refer you to my other post, which you can find HERE. In it, I tell you, among other things, what dog obesity can lead to and suggest how your dog can avoid it.
On the other hand, if your canine gets food too rarely, it will also have a terrible effect on his body. The energy and inner strength level depending on how many calories the dog consumes. So if the amount of food is too small to meet his needs fully, it will directly impact his health.
Dogs can also be underweight. Moreover, it is as severe a problem as obesity, and you should not underestimate it under any circumstances.
So as you can see, knowing how often you should feed your dog is very important. Let me say that this is one of the critical issues you need to pay attention to as a dog sitter. Therefore, I aim to make you aware of how to correctly determine how often you should feed your dog to keep it full of strength and energy.
What determines the frequency of feeding a dog
Before I answer how often to feed a dog, I want you to know what that frequency should depend on. Several factors influence how many servings of food your dog should get daily.
- age of the dog
- the size of the dog
- physical activity
- health
These are the factors that influence how often you should feed your dog. As you have probably already noticed, there are several variables. Moreover, they have a direct influence on each other.
Therefore, it is impossible to create one feeding method for a dog that will work for all quadrupeds. You have to take into account all the factors I mentioned.
Only then can you be sure that you adapted the frequency feed your canine accordingly. He will not be exposed to either overeating or not eating enough.
It’s also essential to find the perfect food bowl for your dog, which significantly impacts I can recommend bowls from the Bowl&Bone Republic brand. The duo line stole my pet’s heart.
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How often should you feed your dog?
When determining the frequency of feeding a dog, I will focus on three stages of our quadrupeds’ life. That most apparent division will allow you to quickly determine the absolute need for the number of meals your pet has.
How often to feed a puppy
We often hear that puppies should eat a lot because they are growing intensively. That is partly true. The body of young dogs needs a lot of energy to carry out the maturation process properly. Hence, providing the dog with the required amount of calories is necessary.
However, calories alone will not make the dog’s body full of strength to grow. The food given to the dog should be rich in vitamins and nutrients necessary for proper development.
Thus, it is not only about the amount of food given to the puppy but also awareness of the selection of its ingredients that will provide the dog with everything it needs.
So how often should you feed your puppy? They recommend frequent feeding in small portions for young dogs. You can divide puppy food into up to 5 meals that you can serve at more or less similar intervals.
You can use this feeding method until the dog is about half a year old. Then slowly, his puppy period ends, and he becomes a young dog. If you want to learn more about the stages of a dog’s life, I refer you to my other post, which you can find HERE.
Why puppies should eat up to 5 times a day
The argument for why puppies should have so many meals is that their body structure does not allow them to eat large meals. There is no denying that most puppies are huge gluttons. Seeing a bowl full of their favourite treats, they won’t be able to stop eating when they feel full.
As a result, the puppy may eat far too much, which in turn may end up in stomach pain, a feeling of overeating and a lack of strength. Frequent repetition of this situation can lead to serious health problems, including obesity.
How often to feed an adult dog
The dog is in the maturity phase for most of his life. Therefore, the method of portioning food for your pet, which I will tell you about in a moment, will work for a considerable length of his life.
It would be best if you fed an adult dog twice a day. Meals must be served at different times of the day so that the dog does not get them at a short time distance. The dog needs time to digest food calmly before it receives another meal.
Is two meals a day enough food for a dog? Yes, but only if they are balanced and rich in all the vitamins and nutrients your pet needs.
Between meals, she gives my pup various treats. I try to make them mainly treats that I prepared for him myself. I am sure my dog gets a product made of the best ingredients without flavour enhancers. If you also want to make DIY treats for your pet, I refer you to the entry that you will find HERE.
How often to feed a senior dog
The senior dogs need the frequency of serving food similar to that of adult dogs, i.e. twice a day. The difference lies more in the form of the meals themselves.
Senior dogs should eat more soft, very chewy food. Older dogs’ teeth can no longer chew hard, dry food. Therefore, in their case, you should focus primarily on wet dog food.
Familiar problem owners of older dogs face is their dogs’ lack of appetite. In this case, it is worth consulting a veterinarian.
Do you know how often you should feed your dog?
It would help if you fed dogs at a frequency appropriate to their age. Puppies will need more meals divided into slightly smaller portions.
It would be best if you fed adult dogs twice a day. The situation is similar to senior dogs, with the difference that soft, easy-to-chew food should prevail in their case.
And how often do you feed your pet? Do you stick to the standard rules, or maybe a different feeding system works better for your dog?
If you have any questions or want me to discuss a topic in the next post, share it in the comments section.
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