How much food your dog should have depends first and foremost on its weight, age and activity level. The feeding chart on the back of the bag gives you a guiding starting point for the daily amount, but that is only the beginning. The right portion is the one that keeps your dog at a healthy weight over time, and that requires you to adjust according to your particular dog and not just according to the table. In the following, we go through how to work out the amount, when you should increase or decrease it, and how to distribute the meals throughout the day.
How to use the feeding chart as a starting point
All ESSENTIAL FOODS' dog meals come with a guiding feeding instruction based on the dog's expected adult weight. You find your dog's weight range in the chart and read off the recommended daily amount. Because our meals are nourishing and prepared from concentrated, human-grade ingredients, the daily portion is often smaller than many expect. This means your dog gets what it needs without having to eat large amounts to cover its requirement.
The chart states the total amount for the whole day. If you give your dog more than one meal a day, you must therefore distribute the total portion across the meals your dog gets. Use a proper scale or a fixed measure rather than guessing, because even small inaccuracies add up day after day. For that purpose, a precise measuring tool like THE ESSENTIAL CUP can make the daily routine both easier and more consistent.
Weight, age and activity level determine the amount
The feeding chart's weight range is the foundation, but three factors pull the portion up or down. The dog's weight is the most significant parameter, because a larger body has a greater basal energy requirement. Age plays a role, because a growing puppy burns energy differently than an adult dog, and a senior dog often has a lower energy requirement than earlier in life. Finally, activity level matters a great deal: a dog with a high activity level that runs, works or trains for large parts of the week needs more energy than a dog with a more moderate everyday life.
Therefore, you should read the chart as a framework and not as a definitive answer. Two dogs of the same weight can have a noticeably different requirement if one has an active everyday life in the field and the other mainly goes on calm walks. Know your dog's everyday life, and let it determine whether you settle at the upper or lower end of the recommended range.
When to adjust the portion up or down
The best guideline is not the table, but the dog itself. The feeding chart tells you where to start, while your dog's body tells you whether the amount is right. Follow the weight and body shape over weeks rather than days. You should be able to feel the ribs without pressing hard, and the dog should have a clear waist seen from above and a tucked-up belly seen from the side. If your dog slowly gains weight, you can reduce the amount a little, and if it loses weight or seems hungry and thin, you can adjust it up.
Always make changes gradually and in small steps, so the stomach has time to keep up. Large, sudden jumps in amount can cause an upset digestion. If you are in doubt about whether your dog is at a healthy weight, you can dive into our guide what is good dog food to understand how the composition of the meal affects the daily requirement. If you need to work purposefully with weight, in our ideal weight collection you will find relevant products gathered with healthy weight in mind, just as overweight collection and underweight collection are aimed at dogs that need to lose or gain weight respectively.
How many meals a day should you give?
The number of meals is less about the total amount and more about how you distribute it. An adult dog typically thrives fine with two meals a day, morning and evening, which provides a steady energy supply and a calm digestion. Some choose one daily meal, but two smaller portions are often gentler on the stomach and help keep hunger at bay between meals.
No matter how many meals you give, the total daily amount is the same. If you choose two meals, you simply halve the daily ration between them. Fixed times make a noticeable difference, because a predictable rhythm both calms the dog and makes it easier for you to keep an eye on the appetite from day to day.
Puppy meals should be spread across several times
A puppy has a completely different requirement than an adult dog. It grows quickly, burns a lot of energy and has a small stomach that cannot hold the daily ration all at once. Therefore, puppy meals should be distributed across several smaller portions throughout the day, typically three to four times while the puppy is very small, and gradually down towards two meals as it grows. The amount follows the puppy's growth and must therefore be adjusted continuously as it gets bigger.
Our BEGINNING series is created for the finest start with luxurious, grain-free puppy meals, fresh raw materials, human-grade ingredients and carefully selected local and regional delicacies, entirely without grain and unnecessary fillers. If you want the full overview of feeding, amounts and the first years of life, all the advice is gathered in our puppy universe, where the guidance comes directly from ESSENTIAL FOODS. If you need to choose the right meal specifically for a small or large breed, you will find them in the Beginning - kibble.
The senior dog's meals require a watchful eye
In the dog's senior years, the energy requirement often changes. Many senior dogs move less and therefore burn less, which means the amount that was right during the adult years can suddenly become too much. At the same time, there are senior dogs that lose muscle mass and need a meal that supports them where they are in life. Therefore, keep a watchful eye on the weight in the golden years, and adjust the amount so your dog maintains a stable body shape.
Senior meals like our OLDER are composed with the senior dog's everyday life and wellbeing in mind. You will find the relevant options in senior collection, where the meals are gathered with the older dog's needs in mind.
Remember to count treats into the daily ration
One of the most common reasons a dog slowly gains weight is treats that are never counted. If you use treats for training or as a daily moment of enjoyment, they are part of the total energy budget and should be subtracted from the food the dog otherwise gets. As a rule of thumb, treats should make up a limited part of the daily intake, so the meals still deliver the nutrition the dog needs.
If you choose well-considered treats rather than random snacks, you keep track of the budget more easily. In treats low in fat you will find options that are easy to account for in an everyday life where the weight needs to be kept stable, and if the treats are to be used purposefully in training, treats landing page gives an overall overview.
When you are in doubt about the right amount
Even with a good feeding chart and a watchful eye, situations can arise where it is difficult to get the right amount. Perhaps your dog changes life stage, changes activity level or reacts differently than you had expected. In those situations, you do not have to be alone with the guesswork. You are always welcome to contact ESSENTIAL FOODS' nutrition advisers, who are ready by phone, chat or email and can help you find the right feeding, amount and composition for your particular dog.
If, on the other hand, the doubt concerns health, for example unexplained weight loss, lack of appetite or changes in the dog's general condition, you should contact your veterinarian. The right amount of food is rarely a number you find once and for all. It is a balance you adjust as your dog lives its life, and that is precisely why the best tool is your own attention to how it thrives day by day.