How much should we feed our Rottweiler puppy?

by sasha
(Nevada)

Our puppy is 16 weeks old and weighs about 40lbs. We're feeding him what the food bag says, but he still seems to be hungry all the time.

Should we feed him more?



Hi Sasha
It's difficult to say if you're giving your pup the right amount of food as I don't know what food you're using, or how much it recommends that you feed per day.

First of all I'd want to make sure that your pup has been dewormed regularly, that way you can be sure that it's not canine worms that are causing him to be hungry all the time.

If he's up to date on his deworming and puppy vaccinations and is healthy, then you should be guided by his appetite.

Puppies go through phases and stages, just like human children do, and sometimes they are hungry all the time, other times they don't seem particularly interested in eating. Increases in appetite often coincide with growth spurts or significant periods of development in puppies.

Do make sure that you are feeding a high quality, premium puppy food designed for large breed pups. It's important to feed the best puppy food that you can as large breed pups have very specific dietary requirements. Check out my Feeding Puppies page for more on this.

Your pup will need to eat less of an appropriate premium puppy food than he will a cheaper/generic food. This is because the better quality foods are more nutrient dense and don't have a lot of fillers, or any 'junk' ingredients. This also results in fewer, firmer stools - always a plus when Housebreaking A Puppy.

Once you've chosen a good puppy food, offer him what the bag suggests for his age/weight and if he gobbles it all up in two minutes, then give him some more. Alternatively, if he walks off and doesn't return for more within 10 mins or so, then give him a bit less next time.

If you're ever concerned about his weight/eating habits and aren't sure if he's overweight/underweight etc., it's a good idea to have your vet take a look at him and he'll be able to tell you how to gauge that. You should be able to 'feel' his ribs under a thin layer of fat, and he should have a 'waist'.

Little puppies are often like little butter-balls, but bigger pups and adolescent dogs can look a bit 'out of proportion' for a while as they get their full height before they gain their full weight. Rotties, particularly males, are slow to mature so don't worry about this, it's normal.

Hope this helps. Best of luck with your pup.