How Much Should I Feed My Dog?

Nichole Petrie
Oct 21, 2016
2 min read

Updated: Oct 16, 2021

How much should I feed my dog? If I had a nickel for every time I was asked this question I would have $100,000 dollars. It's a common question with one simple answer:

Feed your dog to the TARGET weight they should be NOT the weight they are.

That simple instruction can help with managing their weight. Read all the labels on your dog food bag and follow the feeding suggestions. Always use a measuring cup to feed the correct amount. If you don't know your dogs target weight look up their breed. Click Here to find your dog. If you have a mix breed or a mutt and are unsure of their breed, See the chart below. Look at the following picture below to see the ideal weight for your dog.

Overweight Dogs

My dog is obese, what should I do?

There are many Diet dog foods that will cut the calories and fat that you can feed and here are some more tips.

1. No More treats:

Cut the treats out or only give healthy treats.Cut up pieces of Carrots, apples or bananas (in small amounts). Many treats are high in fat and calories and giving them 1-3 times a day is not beneficial to their health.

2. Do Not Give Table Scraps:

Giving dogs human food from your plate is cause many health problems. Even just sharing your rotisserie chicken very unhealthy. That delicious rotisserie chicken is filled with seasonings that dogs should not have. Also our food is higher calories that add to their unwanted weight.

3. Go For A Walk:

Get your dog outside. Outside of the yard, into the neighborhood and go for a walk or hike. Just like humans dogs need exercise. the backyard is NOT enough. Get out long enough daily to give them the proper exercise they need.

4. Watch how much you are feeding them.

After looking at the bag to see how much they should be fed, cut back on the amount you are feeding them. Always use a measuring cup to feed the correct amount.

Weight Management Foods: (All links go to Chewy.com)