There are a lot of Golden Retriever owners out there and with good reason. They are some of the most desirable breeds out there because they have a naturally beautiful aesthetic, they are loyal, and full of energy.

Besides, there is nothing quite as cute as a Golden puppy. They have big ears, they pounce around all the time, and they never seem to stop going. But part of having that energy means that you need to have them on the right diet.

Feeding any puppy, let alone a high-energy breed such as Golden Retrievers, comes down to the right feeding schedule and the proper feeding sizes. Here is what you need to know about feeding your Golden retriever puppy.

Golden Retriever Food

There are two things to consider when finding a Golden Retriever puppy feeding chart: the frequency and the type of food. Let’s start with a quick look at the food before finding out how often and how much you should be feeding them.

Puppies in general require a specially designed diet. This is due to their higher-than-normal developmental needs as they are in the important phase of their life that will set the stage for their adulthood.

Puppies should be fed with specific puppy food. If you feed them adult dog food, they won’t be getting the proper nutrients that they need to develop fully at a young age. There are plenty of good options out there; go with food that has more natural ingredients and less fillers. The less expensive you go, the more fillers you can expect to find.

Golden Retriever Feeding Chart

Finally, it is time to determine how much to feed your Golden Retriever puppy. With a Golden Retriever puppy feeding chart, you can have a very good baseline for how much and how often you should be feeding your Golden.

Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline. Check with the breeder to find out what they were feeding the puppy; try to use the exact food that they were using. If you do decide to make a switch, do so gradually over the course of a week or so. You should start by mixing in the old food with a small amount of the new kind, adding more and more of the new food with each passing day.

For the feeding chart, start on the low end of the chart. If your puppy starts to look on the thin side, add a little bit more as you go. It is also important to keep in mind that a Golden Retriever puppy should look a little thinner in order to be healthy. If they are on the chunky side, consider cutting down their feeding portions a bit.

Puppies will start out with mother’s milk from birth. By the eight-week mark, they should be weaned off and eating puppy food fully. For the eight- to twelve-week time period, they should be eating 1 ½ cups per day over 3-4 feedings. You want to break those feedings up so that their body can have the time to process the food that they are consuming.

At three months old, you should up that to 2 cups per day, keeping the number of feedings roughly the same. You will begin to notice that they increase by ½ cup with each month that they age. By the six-month mark, you will be down to 2-3 feedings per day depending on the eating habits of your pup.

For males, there is an important change that comes in the six- to seven-month range. They should be having between 3 ½ to 4 cups every day. But for females, they will stay at about 3 cups per day. This is the baseline for what they will eat throughout adulthood.

The Variables

Keep in mind that these are all just baselines. Their weight can fluctuate depending on their eating habits, their activity level, the quality of food, and more. Keep an eye on your dog to watch how they eat. If they are ravenous when they eat, consider adding to their feeding quantity. Should they leave food in the bowl, cut that amount back.

It takes some time to determine exactly what your puppy requires. If they are particularly active, running and playing a lot, you may need to add a bit more to their feedings. They will burn a lot of calories, particularly as a puppy, which means that they could be on the thinner side (though there is a difference between thin and underfed). It is a fine balance and takes time to really get it right.

Conclusion

Golden Retriever puppies are some of the cutest puppies out there. In order to prevent overfeeding and leading towards obesity, you need to ensure that they are getting the proper amount each day.

It is also important to make sure that they are getting quality food. They need the right nutrients to provide the energy that makes them so lovable in the first place. When you can nail down that feeding habit, you can give them the best possible development and put them on the right track.