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When deciding which pet food is right for your pet, consider these three factors:
Puppies should be fed three times a day from weaning (3 to 6 weeks) to 4 months of age. After 4 months, they should be fed twice a day. Most dogs should continue to be fed twice a day throughout their life, although some pets do well with one feeding.
The answer to this question depends on your dog’s age, size, and activity level. Feeding guidelines, which list the daily-recommended portion, are included on all IAMS™ packages. Start feeding your dog with this amount and adjust according to its needs. Remember to divide the portion accordingly if you feed more than once a day.
The amount you need to feed your puppy depends on 3 main factors — breed, weight, and age. However, you can take a look at this general guideline that we recommend for puppies:
Puppy | Adult Target Weight (KG) | Recommended Daily Feeding (g/day) | ||||
<3 months 3-6 months 6-9 months 9-12 months 12-18 months | ||||||
Toy breed | 1-3 | 15-72 | 32-83 | 37-83 | ||
3-5 | 33-106 | 72-121 | 83-121 | |||
Small breed (25-50) | 5-8 | 48-151 | 106-172 | 111-172 | 111-170 | Transition to IAMSTMPROACTIVE HEALTHTM ADULT DOG |
8-10 | 69-178 | 151-204 | 170-204 | 170-201 | ||
Medium breed | 10-20 | 82-299 | 178-343 | 201-343 | 201-339 | |
20-25 | 137-346 | 339-404 | 339-404 | 339-404 | ||
Large breed | 25-40 | 136-492 | 346-575 | 404-575 | 396-575 | 396-563 |
40-50 | 191-509 | 493-675 | 575-681 | 563-681 | 553-676 |
This diet contains 390 kilocalories of metabolizable energy (ME) per 100 gms. Remember to have clean, fresh water available for your dog at all times.
You should not change your puppy’s food to adult abruptly. Giving your pet time to acclimatise to the new taste of adult food is very important. Also, if you suddenly switch your pup’s food, it can cause digestive problems. Go through this schedule that will help you understand how much to feed your dog and transition your dog’s diet from puppy food to adult food:
If you are wondering how much to feed your puppy by weight and age, check out the weight and age-wise breakdown on when to transition your puppy’s diet to adult food:
Weight range | Age to begin transition |
Small breeds that weigh < 9.07 kgs | 9 and 12 months of age |
Medium breeds that weigh between 9.07 and 22.6 kgs | 12 to 14months of age |
Large breeds that weigh more than 22.6 kgs | 12 to 24 months of age |
While transitioning from adult dog food to senior dog food, it is important to factor in your dog’s weight. Take a look at this weight table to know when to transition your dog’s food from adult to senior:
Weight Range | Age to Begin Transition |
More than 90 lbs | 5 years |
51 to 90 lbs | 6 years |
21 to 50 lbs | 7 years |
Up to 20 lbs | 7 years |
When changing your dog’s diet, it’s important to slowly introduce new food. Start by offering your dog’s daily portion in a ratio of 25% new food to 75% current food. During the next three days, gradually increase the amount of new food and decrease the amount of the old food.
If your dog has gained unhealthy weight, make sure to cut down on fats along with increasing regular exercise. We recommend you browse through IAMS™ products and choose dog foods that are low on fat. How much food to feed your dog if they are overweight, is another major concern. You can consult your vet to understand the right amount of food your furry friend needs for each meal.
It’s important to understand that your dog’s nutritional needs change during pregnancy and ensure you feed her nutrition-rich food. For pregnant dogs, we recommend IAMS™ Puppy food as it’s full of proteins that can help your pregnant dog during the gestation period and improve the quality of milk to nourish her puppies post-delivery.
Wet food is an excellent treat that can be fed alone or mixed with dry food. Although IAMS wet dog foods are nutritionally complete and balanced, it is not necessary to offer wet food at every feeding. Our dry foods are formulated with high-quality protein sources such as chicken, lamb or fish, and contain all the essential nutrients pets need. The crunchy texture of dry food also promotes healthy teeth and gums, and aids in overall good oral hygiene. In addition, some of our dry dog foods contain a dental enhancement to help block tartar buildup on teeth during and after meals.
No. Unlike humans, dogs have fewer taste receptors. Hence, they won’t feel the urge to eat something different every day. In fact, if you find something that suits your dog’s overall health and preferences, stick to that food.
Soaking dry food will ease up the initial job of the digestive enzymes. While water will not change its nutritional value, the food should be eaten relatively soon. Moreover, ensure that the leftover portion is discarded to avoid spoilage. We recommend providing your dog with IAMS™ dry food because it is beneficial to your dog’s dental health as well..
No. Cats and dogs have different nutritional requirements. Moreover, cat foods are made with higher fat levels, which can be harmful to a dog. While it is okay for dogs and cats to sniff and lick some food from each other’s bowl, you shouldn’t let dogs eat cat food.
We recommend feeding your dog approximately two to four small biscuits per cup of food. Keep in mind that when you add biscuits to your dog’s daily diet, this increases its daily calorie intake, so you should reduce the amount of food you feed. Check the calorie content of the biscuit since biscuits vary in size and formulation.
Since IAMS™ dog foods are nutritionally complete and balanced, adding more vitamins, minerals or oils can disrupt the balance our dog food provides. The reason why you provide your dog with a high-quality product is that it has been developed to offer nourishment in proper ratios and ensure optimal nutrition. Hence, nothing needs to be added
Protein is one of the essential elements that should be a part of your dog’s diet. Including protein in your dog’s diet will strengthen its muscles, ligaments, and cartilages. A protein-rich food also brings about a healthy shine to your dog’s coat!
It is important to maintain a feeding schedule for dogs so that they are conditioned to expect food at that time and avoid irregular snacking in between.
You should never feed your dog home-baked goods, candy, gum, chocolate, limes, onion, and grapes. They can harm your dog’s digestive tract and cause infections as well.
IAMS™ dog food is full of key nutrients that your dog needs for its healthy growth. The basic ingredients in our food include chicken, fish oil, beet pulp, wholesome grains, and natural prebiotic.
Follow our blogs to know more about pet nutrition and dog food diet. Feel free to contact us here in case of any queries.
Adrena Wilhelm from Canine Companions for Independence shows you how you can teach your dog to speak and be quiet on command. She also provides effective techniques for teaching your dog to not bark when the doorbell rings and when other dogs are near.
Hi. I'm Adrena Wilhelm from Canine Companions for Independence on behalf of IAMS. Today, we're going to learn how to teach your dog to stop barking. It may sound nonsensical. But to stop your dog from barking, first, teach him to bark on command. Give your dog the command to speak. Have someone immediately make a noise, such as knocking on the door that is sure to make your dog bark. Let him bark two or three times. Then, stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say speak. Once your dog can reliably bark on command, move on to the quiet command. Teach your dog that barking is OK until told to be quiet. Simultaneously, hold a treat in front of your dog's nose. Most dogs get quiet immediately because they can't sniff and lick the treat while barking at the same time. Praise your dog continuously during his quiet time with petting and words of encouragement. When your dog makes a mistake and barks, and he will, reprimand him immediately. Never strike your dog, but do something that will catch his attention, such as clapping loudly. As soon as your dog stops barking, you must instantly reward him. If you're still having trouble, then you may need to spend some time working with your dog on specific barking situations. Here are a few of the more common ones. If your dog is in his crate or confined to a room behind a baby gate or other barrier, he may bark because he wants to be with you. But if that's not always possible, then you'll need to train him to stay quiet. Next time, he's barking uncontrollably in his more confined space, try this. Start by turning your back and ignoring him. Whenever he stops barking, turn and praise him. Give him a treat and make a game of it. As he catches on that being quiet gets him a treat, lengthen the amount of time that he must remain quiet before being rewarded. Dogs that are afraid of other dogs will often bark at them. Have a friend with a dog stand out of sight far enough away that you know your dog won't bark at the other dog. As soon as the friend and dog come into view, start feeding your dog lots of treats. Keep feeding treats until the friend and dog are out of sight. Ask your friend and her dog to gradually walk closer. Don't try to progress too quickly. It may take days or weeks before your dog can pay attention to you and the treats without barking at the other dog. When the doorbell rings, your dog alerts you to the presence of an intruder by barking wildly. Once you've taught your dog the quiet command in a calm environment, practice in increasingly distracting situations. Teach your dog to react to the doorbell by going to a special place and laying quietly while the intruder comes into the house. Start by tossing a treat on his mat and telling him go to your place. Have him go to his place before you give him the treat. When he's reliably going to his mat to earn a treat, up the ante by opening the door while he's on his mat. If he gets up, close the door immediately. Repeat until he stays on the mat while the door is open. Then, increase the difficulty by having someone ring the doorbell while your dog is on his mat. Reward him if he stays in his place. Try these techniques to stop your dog from barking. All of them can be successful, but don't expect miracles overnight. The longer your dog has been practicing the barking behavior, the longer it will take for him to change his ways. Let's recap. First, teach your dog to speak or bark on command. Once he has that down, teach him to be quiet on command. Use treats and praise to help get the desired outcome. And lastly, be patient and consistent in training. Don't expect overnight changes. I'm Adrena Wilhelm on behalf of IAMS. To join the IAMS community for more information and offers, check out the website.
