# How much to feed a 12 week old puppy?



## TheBladeRoden (Jul 26, 2015)

When we got Rocky from the breeder at 8 weeks he recommended 1/2 cups twice a day. But since he's 50% older I wonder if we should be increasing the amount?


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## AngelCoopersMom (Oct 15, 2015)

No pro here but we picked up our 14 week old guy a week ago. The Puppy K trainer that he was living with said 2 cups/2x day (morning and night). I've seen others say 1 cup/2x day. I forgot to look at the bag after we poured it in our container to see what it said. That's a good place to start too. 

The lady that we got Tanner from said twice a day but the trainer that has raised many dogs and shows them said when they were younger like 7-10ish weeks they should eat 3x/day. Who knows! Hopefully someone here will give you a more solid answer.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

When we got Noah (at 6 weeks) - we fed him 3 x a day - 1/3 cup each time, gradually increasing the amount for each meal - always watching though that we didn't allow him to become a fat puppy. We wanted to keep him lean - so volume for us was more determined by his body condition than by bag recommendations (which almost always recommend more than what is actually needed). 

When he started to show less interest in one of his meals, we cut him to 2 x a day. We also "supplemented" (and still do) his dinner meal with fresh steamed veggies (usually a blend of broccoli/cauliflower, sweet potato, spinach and kale) and 1 raw egg - coconut oil, Grizzly salmon oil, Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar and Golden Paste (turmeric paste). 

Because studies seem to indicate that even mildly overweight dogs are higher risk to develop cancer - and the fact that this breed is also prone to cancer, all our nutritional decisions have been made on paying close attention to his body condition and adjusting his food intake. We also tried to follow the Slow Growth plan as well, for less stress on developing bones. 

Noah will be 1 year old on the 22nd of this month and he's now on 1 cup of food 2 x a day. That is "bulked up" on his evening meal with the above mentioned veggie blend. He is a nice lean and athletic 65 lbs. On days that he's more active (dock diving or a lot of aerobic activity) I do tend to give him a little more to compensate - like an extra 1/2 cup at dinner. It's seemed to work for us.

Also remember - the volume that you feed is going to be dependent upon the brand you use - we used Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy - each brand has a different caloric value per cup. Let your dog's body condition be your guide. Now is a great age to also introduce carrots and other raw fruits and veggies between meals as snacks. To this day Noah comes running to the kitchen when I am cutting up bell peppers to sit patiently for me to share some with him - he loves the colored varieties best. 

He also enjoys blueberries, strawberries, bananas, apples, carrots, raw asparagus, peppers, celery, green beans, melons. Introducing them to him when he was more willing to try new things helped to cultivate his love for fresh fruits and veggies as snacks.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

I think by twelve weeks Chloe was eating 2.5 cups to 3 cups a day. At around 4 months she had a very short time where she ate 4 cups a day. But it didn't last long. At a year she now eats around two cups a day. Maybe slightly more. Sometimes at lunch you can tell she is hungry or after her two mile walk she will get a tiny bit more. I don't know how much she weighs but my guess is around sixty pounds.


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## Coopersbro (Sep 14, 2015)

At 12 weeks cooper was getting about 3/4 cup 3 times per day. That was on Acana, also adding in cottage cheese and sardines 2 times per day(Based on the place where we get our dog food, they have a very good reputation). He wasn't ever close to fat and still isn't at 4 months. Now he probably gets about 2.5-3 cups per day as I'm a little less careful when I get his food, I just make sure he doesn't get over a cup per time. It all depends on what you feed and what they recommend, usually they will recommend a bit more than you need to feed, just feed what you think is enough based on how active he is and the bag, and if he starts to look a bit fat or overweight, cut back a bit. I have no doubt cooper will be a big dog, probably at least 90 pounds, which isn't a problem as long as he is lean and mostly muscle.


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

Depends on the size & activity level of your dog.
Bella was 10 lbs at 10 weeks. She's a petite female, 65 lbs at age 4.
Puppy food: 1 cup, twice per day. Up to 1.5 cups at one year.
Switch to adult food at 1 year, & 1 cup twice/per day.
Bella has been at this for last 3 years. She will typically ignore the morning portion all day until evening, when we add 2nd cup, & she'll eat it all.
Her check-ups & weight are good with the vet. 

Mike D


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Your puppy absolutely needs to maintain a healthy weight, any excess weight puts him at higher risk of developing hip dysplasia if he is genetically predisposed. Even at this young age, it's really important that your puppy start looking a little leaner rather than roly poly. Any extra calcium is absolutely not needed and can really cause problems. No extra cottage cheese etc.

​"Puppies that weigh more at birth as well as those with higher growth rates (so they get heavier sooner) have a higher risk of degenerative changes in the hip joint (Vanden Berg-Foels et al 2006)." 

Here is a link to excellent information on maintaining slow growth rate in your puppy:

Retrievers

Here's a visual on BCS (body condition score) recommended for puppies throughout adolescence:
http://animalmedicalnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Nutrition-in-Dogs-and-Puppies-.pdf


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## Coopersbro (Sep 14, 2015)

nolefan said:


> Your puppy absolutely needs to maintain a healthy weight, any excess weight puts him at higher risk of developing hip dysplasia if he is genetically predisposed. Even at this young age, it's really important that your puppy start looking a little leaner rather than roly poly. Any extra calcium is absolutely not needed and can really cause problems. No extra cottage cheese etc.
> 
> ​"Puppies that weigh more at birth as well as those with higher growth rates (so they get heavier sooner) have a higher risk of degenerative changes in the hip joint (Vanden Berg-Foels et al 2006)."
> 
> ...


It's not extra calcium, it's his source of calcium. He eats adult food which doesn't have calcium like the puppy food does. That's the reason for the cottage cheese. We raised our two coonhounds like that and cooper, and haven't had any issues so I don't think it's a big deal.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

Kaizer was getting 1/2c 3x a day when he was around that age. I think we kept him at that much until he was around 4 months old and we started weaning him off the midday meal. Then he was getting 1.5c 2x a day. It didn't take much to tire him out, so up until recently, I never had to adjust his food from that 1.5c 2x a day. Now, at 7 months, he gets fed 2c in the morning and 1c in the evening. Like others mentioned, he frequently gets fruits and vegetables (bananas, celery, carrots, blueberries, apples, green beans etc.) and he gets a spoonful of coconut oil and yogurt once a day too. He gets an egg once a week. He gets string cheese as treats whenever we're teaching him something new, or proofing a behavior somewhere else. He gets chicken once a week for training class too.

Also, sorry to switch the topic, but is a raw egg or hard boiled egg preferred?


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## rachelprogress (Nov 4, 2015)

Murphy came home at 10 weeks and has 3/4 - 1 cup 3x a day. At 6 months we'll go to 1.5-2 or so cups AM and 1 cup PM.

There is a lot of supplementing with mini treats right now for training so I keep an eye on his weight and keep cups on the scant side. If he doesn't show interest in a meal, cut back a bit. 

Love your name, my heart dog growing up was a sweet golden named Rocky!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Coopersbro said:


> It's not extra calcium, it's his source of calcium. He eats adult food which doesn't have calcium like the puppy food does. That's the reason for the cottage cheese. We raised our two coonhounds like that and cooper, and haven't had any issues so I don't think it's a big deal.



I think because it can be so tough to make sure human kids get proper calcium that we have that importance drilled into our heads. It is important that puppies have proper calcium intake as well, but when they are being fed a high quality dog food, it's been formulated to give them exactly what they need. Giving them additional sources of calcium isn't necessary and with growing large breed puppies it has been shown to be harmful and is an accepted risk factor for accelerated growth and hip dysplasia risk. 

Adult formulas will generally have close to what a large breed puppy should have which is generally in 1% range or just a bit higher 1.3%. Compare labels on high quality brands. Some brands can be even higher for their adult food.

Adding in the occasional treats that contain higher calcium isn't a problem, I just didn't want anyone who is trying to gather more information on the best way to feed large breed puppies like Goldens to get the impression that adding additional calcium sources to each feeding is recommended, because it's not, regardless of who you have done with previous puppies.

Here are some links:

Do You Know What to Feed Your Large or Giant Breed Puppy?

How to Choose the Best Large Breed Puppy Food | Dog Food Advisor

https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/hips.htm


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## Coopersbro (Sep 14, 2015)

nolefan said:


> I think because it can be so tough to make sure human kids get proper calcium that we have that importance drilled into our heads. It is important that puppies have proper calcium intake as well, but when they are being fed a high quality dog food, it's been formulated to give them exactly what they need. Giving them additional sources of calcium isn't necessary and with growing large breed puppies it has been shown to be harmful and is an accepted risk factor for accelerated growth and hip dysplasia risk.
> 
> Adult formulas will generally have close to what a large breed puppy should have which is generally in 1% range or just a bit higher 1.3%. Compare labels on high quality brands. Some brands can be even higher for their adult food.
> 
> ...


I never said that it was the best way, or that others should do it. I was just adding in the fact that he gets it as well as his food, and he isn't overweight. Also we mentioned it when the vet asked what we were feeding him and the vet didn't seem to have a issue with it.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Coopersbro said:


> I never said that it was the best way, or that others should do it. I was just adding in the fact that he gets it as well as his food, and he isn't overweight. Also we mentioned it when the vet asked what we were feeding him and the vet didn't seem to have a issue with it.


With all due respect, MOST veterinarians do not specialize in nutrition. They know generally, but not specialized. 

I think what happens here is that we all love this breed so very much that we love EVERY golden retriever, even everyone else's, and try to share the collective knowledge that we have learned as to what we believe is critical information to share. 

The members have to determine what of that information to assimilate and what of that information to reject for themselves. 

My vet prescribed PetTabs for Noah - and within the first week of bringing him home, I'd read about the cautions of too much calcium and have not given him another one since during his growing years. But that's because I decided to assimilate that particular part of information. 

I will admit though - I am just a "wee" bit obsessive about every bit of his health and growth - slow growth to promote healthy bone growth, keeping him on the lean side, because lean dogs live on average 2 years longer than even slightly overweight dogs - and even slightly overweight dogs have an elevated chance of contracting cancer. And also those slow grown, if they are going to get cancer tend to have onset later than those who were not slow grown. I add steamed broccoli, kale and spinach because it "might" also help prevent cancer (and won't hurt him if it doesn't), coconut oil, salmon oil and turmeric paste all to promote health, and turmeric has anti cancer fighting properties, as well as is an anti-inflammatory. Did I mention I'm a wee bit obsessed? 

But - none of it will hurt him, and it is my belief that my choices for him may very well help him with his long term health.


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