How Much Should A German Shepherd Puppy Eat
On average, adult German Shepherds should eat at least 1,272 calories to 2,100 calories daily. This amount depends on their age, existing health conditions, and activity level. Older and less active German Shepherds eat around 1300 calories daily to maintain a healthy weight. Meanwhile, an active and energetic older GSD may eat at 1700 calories a day.
But what about a German Shepherd puppy?
How much should a German Shepherd puppy eat?
The answer will surprise you!
German Shepherd puppies eat twice the amount of calories per pound of weight when compared to adult German Shepherds. This means an 8-week-old German Shepherd puppy can eat double the food of an adult GSD! Puppies eat double their adult counterparts in order to maintain growth and development. Their caloric intake is crucial to keep their bodies strong and give them necessary energy to grow.
A German Shepherd puppy that is younger than four months old will need at least 80-90 calories per pound of body weight in order to grow and develop. Once a German Shepherd puppy reaches four months of age, then you can reduce his calorie requirements to around 40-60 calories per pound of body weight. Weigh your puppy routinely, check on their overall body condition, and adjust their calories to support their growth.
Remember, calories vary greatly between brands and manufacturers. Always read the feeding label and nutritional guidelines on the package of food you are feeding your GSD.
German Shepherd Homemade Food Risks
A poor diet is a significant threat to the health of your German Shepherd. Here are some things to avoid to provide a healthy diet to your pup.
- Not understanding the nutritional needs of German Shepherds
- Using inadequate or dangerous recipes
- Not preparing a balanced meal
- Using unsafe or harmful ingredients
- Not understanding the impact of food and dietary changes
- Neglecting your dogs health conditions
- Not understanding your dogs life stages nutritional needs
Research by the University of California Davis, School of Veterinary and two studies published in the journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine and The Journal of Nutritional Science found that most homemade dog food recipes lackkey essential nutrients, and other recipes used dangerously high levels of some nutrients.
Here are the findings:
- 48% of homemade dog diets had an imprecise determination of ingredients and quantities
- 71.3 % of dog owners did know how much food to serve per meal
- 30.4% of the pet parents admitted to purposely changing the recipe
- 40% of owners didnt measure the proportions of the ingredients well enough
- 28.3% didnt use any of the recommended vitamins, minerals, or amino acids.
- 97% of obesity cases in dogs could be traced to how owners fed and played with their pets.
How To Transition Your German Shepherd To A New Food
Puppy milk may not work on a three-month-old pup anymore. It only fits a week-old German Shepherd.
You may need to mix dry and wet foods at a certain age for your pup, or maybe you want to incorporate raw foods in their adult diet just like many dog owners do.
From mothers milk to puppy food and adult dog food, there will always be a lot of food transitions when it comes to your puppy.
You just have to make sure you know how to do it correctly, and you provide the most nutritious dry dog food or wet food.
Switching your dogs diet instantly will not only affect your dogs weight but can also cause digestion problems and loss of appetite. You should give enough time for your dog to adjust to a new food gradually.
Like other shepherd breeds, you should allow a 7-day transition period from feeding German Shepherds their old food to their new diet.
According to the American Kennel Club , 25% of your dogs new diet is given in the first couple of days, with 75% of their old diet. Then gradually increase it to 50% on the third day, and 75% on the 5th day.
However, you must monitor your dogs response while switching the proportions of their diet. If there is discomfort, vomiting, or diarrhea, you may opt to slow down the process even more or consult your vet directly.
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Giving Supplements To A German Shepherd Puppy
If youre looking for good food for your GSD puppy, you might run into many advertised dog supplements. These can make you think they are necessary for your GSD dog, but is this the case?
Your German Shepherd should eat an optimal amount of vitamins and minerals. Without them, their immune system will be weak, and they wont be able to fight off any illnesses.
For example, vitamin A is great for a dogs coat and skin. Without it, your GSDs skin might be dry and flake. Similarly, vitamin E is important for the immune system.
Calcium is important for bone development, magnesium is great for muscles, and potassium is vital for electrical charges in the muscles, nerves, and heart.
However, this doesnt mean you should add supplements to your dogs food on your own. If you give them too much of a certain mineral, this can also have terrible consequences for their health.
Because of this, you should never add anything to the dog food without consulting the vet. Go to a professional and explain to them what type of dog food your puppy is eating. Bring a package of the food if possible so they can look at the ingredients.
Only a vet has the authority to let you know whether your puppy requires additional supplements to their diet or not.
Create A Positive Meal Time Experience
If you have a new puppy that youve just brought home they might feel scared, anxious, or stressed. You can create a positive meal time by using the following tips:
- Always offer fresh water during their meal times.
- Keep the area where they eat their food in calm and out of the way of the family hustle and bustle.
- Dont pester them while they eat, reach into their food bowl to remove food, or try to play with them.
I found sitting with a book reading, just keeping my GSD puppy company, encouraged my dog to eat their meals while giving us time to quietly bond. If your new German Shepherd puppy still isnt eating, try feeding them by hand.
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When To Wean A German Shepherd Puppy
When to wean a German shepherd puppy?
There is no definitive answer, as the decision largely depends on the individual pups age, weight and activity level. Generally speaking, however, most German shepherd puppies reach full maturity around six to eight months of age, so its generally safe to begin weaning around that time. Weaning off of human food should be gradual and carefully monitored, as sudden changes in diet can cause problems such as diarrhea or gastrointestinal upset. German shepherd puppies who are relatively inactive may not need to be weaned at all they can continue to receive all their nutrition from human food.
German Shepherd Puppy Diet: 2 Months Old
At two months of age, you can start to slowly decrease the moistening of your German Shepherd’s dry food. Eventually, the puppy will be used to eating the food completely dry.
Following the German Shepherd puppy food chart, from 2 until 4 months old, a puppy will eat 4 or 5 times a day. This has to be carried out with one very important addition: discipline. A puppy needs to learn that it will not be fed constantly throughout the day, but at specific times. This is part of a puppys socialization and early education.
We start of by placing a bowl of food down for 10 minutes, this should give the puppy enough time to finish its meal. After 10 minutes, we suggest taking the bowl of food away, even if your puppy hasn’t finished eating.
A puppy’s food bowl must only be available to the dog for 10 minutes. This 10 minutes should be enough time for the puppy to eat all of its provided food. As already mentioned, after 10 minutes, you should take the food bowl away, even if the puppy hasn’t finished eating. This pattern will introduce the puppy’s food schedule and allow it an opportunity to become accustomed to particular feeding times.
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German Shepherd Puppy Feeding Amount
How much you should feed a German Shepherd puppy really depends on a number of factors. Your GSD pup should eat enough to maintain their growth and energy, while not carrying any extra fat.
Consider the following factors for how much to feed German Shepherd puppies:
- Activity the daily energy expenditure of your pup
- Age puppies tend to need more food and calories than senior dogs
- Health any medical conditions that might affect not only the type of food, but the amount
Heres a brief look at how much to feed a German Shepherd puppy based on their lifestyle.
The When: How Often Should You Feed Your German Shepherd
If you have the added challenge of acquiring your Shepherd pup when theyre under six weeks of age, it may be worth preparing a mash of kibbles that can be given every few hours.
Once your puppy reaches six weeks old, you may still have to feed it a mash but can decrease meals to four per day.
German Shepherd puppies between the ages of 12 and 16 weeks can eat three to four times daily, while most dogs over four months of age decrease to a frequency of two to three times daily.
Although many owners are eager to decrease their pups mealtimes to one or two times daily for convenience, there are a couple of important reasons not to do this.
Bathroom Schedule
Itll require a few months to completely housetrain your puppy. Young puppies need to go to the potty pretty frequently. Centering a few potty breaks around meals that stimulate their intestinal tracts helps develop consistent habits.
GDV
Your German Shepherd puppy will begin to develop a deeper chest combined with significant size by four to six months of age. Both physical characteristics put your puppy at additional risk of gastric dilatation and volvulus compared to smaller breeds.
Four months is the age at which most pups will see a significant increase in their meal sizes. Studies have linked large meals with GDV, or bloat, life-threatening distension, and rotation of the stomach.
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What Nutrients Do German Shepherd Puppies Need
Puppies should eat about 500 calories daily, increasing to about 1,600 calories around 15 or 16 months old. Adults will need between 1,700 calories and 2,400 calories every day. Senior dogs require less, between 1,300 and 1,600 a day. Owners need to read labels and consider all the different needs their pup has when choosing what to feed them.
What If My German Shepherd Puppy Wont Eat
You need to understand why your puppy cannot eat because it will help you determine the way to deal with the issue.
There is no need to worry if the puppy lost appetite shortly and goes back to normal eating without any sign of illness.
If the puppy loses appetite and takes a few days without improvement, take your puppy to the vet to find the problem because your dog might be sick.
If the vet finds that the puppy is sick, they may suggest a special diet that will boost their immunity and give them extra nutrients to better their recovery.
The puppy may have stopped eating because of behavioral issues therefore, you may need to feed them same time to get a routine.
Treats and human food that is given to the puppy may need to be reduced and also you can try different kinds of food.
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German Shepherd Puppy Diet: 1 Month Old
From 3 to 4 weeks old, when it comes to feeding a German Shepherd puppy, we should start by letting them taste new foods and flavors. At this stage, the German Shepherd puppy’s diet plan requires them to eat a special wet food for puppies. At around 6 to 8 weeks old, a German Shepherd puppy should be given a little dry dog food with water, or unseasoned chicken stock between nursing sessions.
From their eighth week onward, a German Shepherd should be weaned and start feeding on solid food with a special puppy feed. The best dog food for a German Shepherd puppy is breed specific, but this may not be available everywhere.
In these cases, your veterinarian can create a proper food plan for your German Shepherd puppy. A professional will take into consideration a puppys feeding pattern, size and health status. At this stage, milk must be removed from the puppy’s diet as it could cause diarrhea. If by any chance your dog or puppy is suffering from a bad stomach, we recommend taking a look at our article on what to do if yourt dog has diarrhea.
In addition, it is vital that puppies have constant access to clean fresh water.
Pointers For Feeding German Shepherds
Improper feeding practices can lead to serious health problems for German shepherds. Most of the time, these problems linger throughout the dogs lifetime.
You should remember this before doing something reckless, such as altering your German shepherd puppys feeding amount.
An owner is responsible for taking into consideration the age and weight of a German shepherd before feeding them. So here are some tips that can be applied according to your dogs age and weight.
When feeding a german shepherd puppy that is four to six months old, you must give them two meals a day that comprises around eight ounces and five ounces.
When feeding a German shepherd puppy that is between seven and twelve months old, the meal amounts should be increased to ten ounces for each meal. This amount should be split into three smaller meals.
When feeding an adult or fully grown German shepherd, you should give them an amount that is equivalent to two and a half times the puppys daily calories.
This is regardless of whether they are active or not. Yep, German shepherds can gain weight regardless of whether they exercise or not. If you think your dog is gaining too much weight, you can split their daily calories into four or five smaller meals.
Some people prefer using dry dog food, while others would choose canned dog food. Whatever you choose for your German shepherd is usually okay, but canned food tends to contain more moisture than dry food .
Here are some tips for measuring their food:
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Feeding Treats To A German Shepherd
You can include small portions of fresh components to your puppys dry kibble for taste and flavor. But dont add more than a spoonful or two so your dog doesnt eat only the fresh ingredients and ignore the healthy kibble!
These components shouldnt make up over 10% of their daily calories to avoid them gaining excess weight.
GSD puppies enjoy eating:
How Many Calories Are Needed For A German Shepherd Puppy
One thing our German Shepherd puppy feeding chart didnt cover is the number of calories required for a puppy to have enough energy without becoming obese.
There are several things that you need to take into consideration when determining how many calories your puppy needs. For example, active puppies will need more calories than puppies that spend most of their days sleeping.
A general rule of thumb is that a German Shepherd puppy requires at least 500 kcals daily. However, this amount increases with weight.
The best way to determine how many calories your GSD puppy needs is to calculate its RER . The basic formula is 70*3/4
For example, if your German Shepherd puppy weighs 20 kgs, their RER would be 70*3/4, which is 1,324 calories.
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Types Of Dog Food For German Shepherds For Feeding Amount Chart
Different kinds of dog food are available for GS dogs. The most popular and the least expensive kind is dry food. But there is also wet canned food, raw food, home processed food, etc. You can also feed them a combination of wet and dry food. Just observe which kind of dog food your dog prefers the most and the nutritional value on the dog food label. Then, feed your dog the brand of dog food that is more nutritious and convenient for you to provide.
Look for animal protein sources in the ingredients list like pork, beef, chicken, lamb, fish, seafood, eggs, etc. But good branded dog foods contain multiple protein sources, including plant protein like beans and legumes, etc., the dog food should also have adequate starch, fiber, and fat sources.
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When To Switch From Puppy To Adult Food
Puppy foods tend to contain more nutrients and calories than adult food, to meet the nutritional requirements of your dog. As such, whether you feed a dry or wet variant, the puppy food you give will have higher levels of protein and fat. If you continue to feed this to an adult dog, they will be more prone to put on weight because of the high fat content. Moving over to adult food is an important stage in your dogs development.
Small breed dogs are usually fully mature by around 10 months, medium dogs by 14 months, but large breed dogs can take up to 24 months to fully mature.
With your German Shepherd, wait until he reaches around 80% of his anticipated adult weight before making the transition to adult food.
- Feed ¾ puppy food and ¼ adult food for the first week.
- Feed ½ puppy food and ½ adult food for the second week.
- Feed ¼ puppy food and ¾ adult food for the third and final week of the transition.
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