Training
A bag of kibble and a sheet saying three times a day. Feeding looks simple, which is exactly why it is where most of the unnoticed mistakes happen.
You have brought home a nine-week-old puppy, and the breeder gave you a bag of kibble and a sheet of paper that says "three times a day". That was it. Or you have adopted an adult dog and you are standing in front of the pet shop shelves, dozens of sacks and tins, with no idea where to start. Or your seven-year-old has quietly got rounder and you are wondering whether you are giving him too much.
Feeding looks like the simplest part of life with a dog, which is exactly why it is where the most unnoticed mistakes happen. Below: what a complete food is, how many meals a dog needs at each age, how to choose between dry and wet, and how to change food without upsetting his stomach.
Every pack of dog food says either "complete" or "complementary". That difference matters more than the brand. A complete food gives the dog everything he needs to stay healthy on it alone, for the life stage printed on the bag (growth, adult, all life stages). A complementary one (many "gourmet" tins, treats, some pouches) is not enough on its own, however good the ingredient list sounds.
Check what age and size it is made for, too. Puppies need more calcium and more energy. Large-breed puppies need a food made for their growth, with calcium kept within tight limits, because their bones grow a lot and fast.
The advert tells you little. The ingredient list tells you something, though less than you might think. The dog tells you most, after a few weeks: firm stools, a shiny coat, energy, a steady weight.
Start from the table on the pack, read for the weight your dog ought to be. If he is overweight, his current weight is the wrong place to start. The table is only a starting point. Two dogs of the same weight can need quite different amounts, depending on how active they are, how old, whether they are neutered and how cold it is outside.
For the first few weeks at least, weigh the portion on kitchen scales. A "full" cup can hold a third more or a third less than you think.
Then look at the dog, not the table, and check three things with your hands and eyes:
If you cannot feel his ribs, cut the portion by about a tenth and check again in two or three weeks. If you can see the ribs and the hip bones show as well, feed more. Weigh him once a month, at the same time of day.
Treats count too. Vets use a simple rule: titbits, chews and anything else he gets outside meals should stay under a tenth of what he eats in a day. At mantrailing training the dogs get a lot of treats, so on training days we cut their evening meal.
| Age | Meals a day |
|---|---|
| 8 to 12 weeks | 4 |
| 3 to 6 months | 3 |
| 6 to 12 months | 2 to 3, then 2 |
| Adult | 2 |
| Senior | 2, sometimes 3 smaller ones if he does better that way |
For an adult, two meals a day is what most vets recommend. He is less hungry, his stomach is not empty for hours on end and he waits more calmly for food. For big, deep-chested breeds (Great Danes, German Shepherds, setters), give two or three smaller meals instead of one big one, and no running or wild play in the hour after eating. That lowers the risk of bloat and a twisted stomach, a serious emergency.
Fixed times help with house training as well: what goes in at set times comes out at set times. A bowl left full all day suits very few dogs, and you lose track of how much he has eaten.
If they are complete, both are fine. The differences are practical.
Dry food is convenient, keeps well once the bag is open and works perfectly in food toys and on snuffle mats. It is dense, though: a handful of kibble packs a lot of calories.
Wet food is about three quarters water. He drinks less from his bowl but takes in more water overall. It is tastier for fussy eaters and for older dogs with few teeth left. Once opened it goes off quickly: keep it in the fridge and use it within a day or two.
You can mix them, on one condition: if you add a tin on top of the kibble, cut the kibble to match. Most of the extra weight we see comes from "a bit of wet to make it nicer" added on top of a full portion.
Home-cooked or raw food can be complete, but only from a recipe drawn up by a veterinary nutrition specialist. Recipes from the internet usually come out unbalanced, especially on calcium, and in a growing puppy that shows in the bones.
Gradually, over 7 to 10 days, mixing in the same bowl:
| Days | Old food | New food |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | three quarters | a quarter |
| 4 to 6 | half | half |
| 7 to 9 | a quarter | three quarters |
| 10 | none | all |
If his stools go soft, stay on the current step for two or three days. A puppy who has just come home keeps the breeder's food for at least two weeks. Moving house is change enough for him.
Fresh water at all times, in a bowl you wash every day. And never from your plate: grapes and raisins, onion and garlic, chocolate, "sugar-free" sweetened products, macadamia nuts, cooked bones, raw yeast dough, alcohol, coffee. The full list, and what to do if he has eaten something on it, is in our guide to dogs who have swallowed something.
A puppy, from 8 weeks to 6 months, grows fast and has a small stomach, hence the frequent meals. Feed a growth food suited to his adult size. Use part of the ration for training: every day, half his kibble comes from your hand, for things done well. A puppy who eats from your hand learns to look at you.
In adolescence, between 6 and 18 months, small and medium dogs move onto adult food at around a year. Large and giant breeds switch later, at 12 to 18 months or even 24, after you have talked to your vet. His appetite may drop or shoot up suddenly; you adjust by his ribs, not by the empty bowl.
An adult gets two weighed meals, and you make small corrections. After neutering, many dogs need fewer calories. If the portion stays the same, the weight goes on within a few months.
A senior, from around 7 or 8 (earlier in big breeds), can go either way. Some put on weight because they move less, others lose it because they chew with difficulty or digest less well. A senior food is a good option, not a must. If an old dog's appetite changes suddenly, see the vet before you change brands.
Judge a new food after six to eight weeks. The first few days only tell you whether his stomach tolerates it; the coat, for example, takes a month or two to show the change.
Signs it suits him, which you can follow at home:
If after two months his stools are still soft, he is scratching more, or he has gained or lost weight for no reason, write down what you have seen and take your notes to the vet before you change the bag again.
For nutrition questions, your own vet is the person to ask, and for recipes, a vet who specialises in nutrition. For begging, gulping food or growling over the bowl, get in touch with us. That is about training, and we work on it in our foundation classes.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer.
Twice a day, which is what most vets recommend: morning and evening, at fairly fixed times. He is less hungry, his stomach is not empty for hours, and in big, deep-chested breeds smaller meals lower the risk of a twisted stomach. Puppies need more meals than that.
Both are fine if the pack says "complete". Dry food is convenient and packs a lot of calories into a handful; wet food is mostly water and tastier for fussy eaters and older dogs. You can mix them, but then cut the kibble so the total portion does not grow, or he will put on weight.
Start from the table on the pack, using the weight he ought to be, weigh the portion, then look at him: you should feel his ribs easily under your palm without seeing them, and see a waist from above. If you cannot feel his ribs, cut the portion by about a tenth and check again in a few weeks.
Gradually, over 7 to 10 days: three days of a quarter new and three quarters old, then half and half, then three quarters new, then only the new. If his stools go soft, stay on that step for a few more days. A sudden switch often brings diarrhoea or vomiting.
Grapes and raisins, onion and garlic, chocolate, "sugar-free" sweetened products, macadamia nuts, cooked bones, raw dough, alcohol and coffee. Some are dangerous even in small amounts. If he has eaten anything on the list, ring your own vet straight away, even if he seems fine.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
You can no longer feel his ribs, the waist has gone, he pants after three flights of stairs. Fat creeps on and hides up close, but your hands find it in two minutes.
He sniffed the bowl and walked off, twice running, yet he's drinking and wagging. With a bright adult you can wait a day. With a puppy or an old dog, you can't.
Itching summer and winter, chewed paws, ear infections that keep returning, three foods that changed nothing. Food allergy is confirmed by a trial diet run to the end.
The bowl is empty in five seconds and sometimes the kibble comes back up. There is a reason for the speed, and you can slow meals down without taking food away.
In Puppy Class and the basic obedience course these exercises are worked in a group, with real distractions and feedback at every step.