Whether you have a Standard, Miniature or Toy Poodle, giving them the right food in the right quantities is super important. By taking feeding them seriously, you’ll be giving your dog’s health a boost while helping them enjoy delicious meals.
Throughout your Poodle’s life, its feeding habits will change significantly. The ratio of wet to dry food, the number of meals per day and the quantity of food will all need to be adjusted at each stage. Knowing how much food to give your dog will ensure they stay as healthy and happy as possible.
Note that this guide refers to the Standard Poodle breed. Toy and Miniature Poodles will typically need less food at each stage.
At two months old, your Poodle puppy should be eating around 550 calories per day. This translates to around 1 1/2 cups of puppy food every day. At four months, this requirement will rise to approximately 2 cups daily.
By the time your puppy is 12 months old, it will weigh around 25 kg and need around 3 cups of food daily. The general rule for adult Poodles is that this intake should be divided into two regular meals throughout the day.
Many owners of older Poodles choose to start feeding them senior-specific food, and this is definitely a good idea. The portion size for seniors will be similar to adults, but you can increase or reduce this if you want your dog to gain or lose weight respectively.
Pregnant Poodles require extra nutrients to share with their pups, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you should feed them more food than an adult dog.
Instead, you should look for food designed specifically for pregnant dogs since this will have a higher concentration of nutrients.
Feeding your Poodle raw food is generally not recommended since raw meat can carry dangerous pathogens. Fresh and commercial food diets are much safer. If you want your dog to follow a fresh diet, then it’s important that you pack enough goodness into every bowl of Poodle homemade food.
Using treats can be an excellent positive reinforcement tool for your Poodle. You can definitely give your Poodle treats throughout the day, but we recommend following the “10% rule”. This means you should ensure that treats don’t take up more than 10% of your dog’s diet.
There are quite a few human foods that you shouldn’t feed your Poodle. Some of the main ones to avoid are chocolate, avocados, garlic and raisins.
Generally, Poodles are considered to be less fussy than the average dog breed. Of course, some individuals are fussier than others, and it’s important to pay attention to your dog’s needs when choosing their dog food.
Poodles need at least 6 cups of water per day, rising to 12 cups in the hotter months of the year. The best way to make sure they get enough water is to simply keep their bowl full of clean water.
It’s clear that feeding your Poodle isn’t just about putting any old dry or wet food in the bowl. It’s essential to think carefully about what your Poodle needs at all stages of its life to keep them healthy.
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