Dog Food Nutrition: How Much Should I Feed My Dog?

Dog nutrition requirements will give you some guidelines on how much to feed your dog and using a maximum nutrition dog food will get the most energy per pound but it still does not answer the question of how much I need to feed my dog?
This is one of the most confusing questions a dog owner has to deal with. The problem is that there is not a good answer. There are to many individual variables to be considered for each dog to set a quantity that each dog of a specific size should be fed.
The best answer is to start with the recommendation on the food bag and adjust quantities to fit the animal. If possible it is a good idea to weigh your dog once a month to monitor his weight and adjust his feeding accordingly. One word of warning, do not feed your pet an inferior dog food. Most are full of fillers, which have little or no nutritional value and can cause physical and mental problems for your dog.
If you are like the majority of pet owners you should keep in mind that most dogs are overfed and do not get enough exercise to wear the extra food off. Overweight dogs have even more physical problems then underfed dogs, so you do not do your dog a favor in either case.
Your dogs annual visit to the vet is a good opportunity to monitor how well your dog is responding to your feeding program because a good vet will take into account not only weight but muscle tone and coat quality which are very important also in analyzing your dogs overall health.
Nutrition facts for dogs and AAFC dog food nutrition guidelines can give you black and white answers on nutrition but if you are overfeeding you dog he will get fat and unhealthy. It is an ongoing process to monitor your dog for the proper amount to feed him but it is one of the most important jobs for his health!
Daniel Stevens is a professional dog trainer and he has put out an e-book and dvd’s on the subject which is highly recommended for all do owners. Also come and see our main web page at perfect family dog!