The Complete Dog Feeding Guide: How Much, How Often, and What to Look For
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Food is the most important factor in your dog's life. It determines everything from their energy for daily activity to the nutrients that form tissues and support cellular processes. Yet most dog food brands make it deliberately difficult to understand what's actually in the bag.
I started Ultimate Pet Foods because I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. This guide is what I wish I'd had when I started. It covers everything from reading a label to feeding a senior dog — in plain English, without the marketing noise.
Understanding Dog Food Types
Complete foods contain all the nutrients your dog requires by law. They're available as dry (kibble), wet, or raw. Complementary foods — most treats, mixers, and toppers — are nutritionally incomplete and must be paired with a complete food.
For most UK dog owners, dry complete food is the practical default. It's convenient, shelf-stable, calorie-dense, and straightforward to portion. Our entire grain-free range is dry complete food — browse grain-free dry food here.
Wet food (70–85% moisture) suits dogs who don't drink enough water or have difficulty chewing. The trade-off: you're largely paying for water, and wet food is less calorically dense portion for portion.
Raw feeding (the BARF method — bones and raw food) can be excellent when done properly. Done poorly — incorrect calcium-to-phosphorus ratios, inadequate bone content, poor hygiene — it causes serious problems. Research thoroughly before starting.
How to Read a Dog Food Label
The ingredients list
UK law requires all ingredients to be listed in descending order of weight. The first ingredient is the most abundant in the recipe.
What you want to see first: a named meat or fish. "Freshly prepared chicken" or "salmon" tells you exactly what you're getting. "Meat and animal derivatives" — the phrase you'll find on most supermarket pet foods — can legally include almost anything, and tells you almost nothing.
In every Ultimate Pet Foods recipe, freshly prepared meat or fish is the first ingredient. It goes in wet and whole before cooking — not dried into meal and reconstituted afterwards. See our full range.
Typical analysis — what the numbers mean
The typical analysis panel shows estimated percentages for protein, fat, crude fibre, moisture, and ash. These are not guaranteed values, and they measure presence — not digestibility.
A useful guide for dry complete food:
| Nutrient | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25–30%+ | Higher in working dog and high-meat recipes. Animal-sourced protein is more bioavailable than plant-sourced. |
| Fat | 12–20% | Lower (8–12%) for weight management; higher for working dogs and high-energy breeds. |
| Crude fibre | 2–5% | Higher fibre improves satiety — useful for dogs prone to weight gain. |
| Ash | 5–8% | Reflects mineral content. Consistently high ash can indicate reliance on lower-quality bone meal. |
Puppy Feeding: Weaning to Adulthood
A puppy's nutritional profile is genuinely different from an adult dog's — not just "more food", but different ratios of protein, calcium, and phosphorus. Feeding an adult complete food to a puppy is not an adequate substitute.
Weaning (3–4 weeks to 8 weeks)
Weaning begins at three to four weeks. Introduce moistened puppy food alongside mother's milk, gradually reducing moisture as the puppy becomes comfortable with solids.
8 weeks to 6 months
Feed your puppy three to four times daily until around four months, then move to twice daily at around six months. Use a complete puppy food throughout this period.
Browse our grain-free puppy food →
Large breed puppies
Large breed puppies grow fast, and too much calcium too quickly causes developmental bone problems. Choose a food specifically formulated for large breed puppies — not a standard adult recipe.
When to move to adult food
Small and medium breeds: around 12 months. Large and giant breeds: 18–24 months. Always transition gradually over 7–10 days to avoid digestive upset.
Feeding Adult Dogs
The amount your dog needs depends on four things: body weight, age, activity level, and the energy density of the food. Packaging gives you the starting point — but treat it as a starting point, not a fixed rule.
Body condition scoring
Rather than fixating on weight alone, check body condition. You should be able to feel the ribs without pressing hard, but not see them clearly at rest. A visible waist from above and an abdominal tuck from the side are both good signs. Adjust portions based on what you observe over 2–3 weeks.
Neutered dogs
Neutering reduces a dog's energy requirements by approximately 30%. If you don't reduce portions to match, weight gain is almost inevitable. This is one of the most common causes of obesity in adult dogs.
Working dogs
A dog doing meaningful physical work — covering ground, field work, intensive training — has significantly higher energy demands. Higher protein and fat content is appropriate. Our high-meat 80/20 range is built for this.
Feeding by Breed Size
Small breeds (under ~10kg)
Small dogs have faster metabolisms and higher energy requirements per kilogram than large dogs. They also benefit from smaller kibble — physically easier to eat and better for dental contact. Small breed grain-free food →
Medium breeds
The broadest category, and the one most standard adult recipes are built around. Medium breed grain-free food →
Large breeds
Large breeds (roughly 25–45kg) are more prone to joint problems and bloat. Splitting daily rations into two meals reduces bloat risk. Large breed grain-free food →
Giant breeds
For dogs over 45kg, joint load is significant across a lifetime. Giant breed formulations typically include joint-supporting ingredients alongside controlled calcium and phosphorus ratios. Giant breed grain-free food →
Senior Dogs (7+)
Dogs begin to slow down at around seven years — though this varies considerably by size. Large breeds age faster; small breeds often don't show meaningful senior changes until nine or ten.
What changes with age:
- Metabolic rate decreases — fewer calories are needed to maintain weight
- Muscle mass becomes harder to maintain — counterintuitively, senior dogs often benefit from higher-quality protein, not less of it
- Joint health becomes a priority, particularly in larger breeds
- Kidney function declines over time — lower phosphorus is generally beneficial for older dogs
Grain-free senior dog food → | Dog food for joint health →
Fussy Eaters and Greedy Dogs
Fussy eaters
A warm meal is more aromatic than a cold one. If your dog hesitates, try warming the food slightly — not hot, just closer to room temperature. Avoid changing foods constantly in response: you'll create a dog that holds out for something better, and you'll never work out what actually agrees with them nutritionally.
If your dog consistently refuses food, rule out dental pain, nausea, or another underlying cause before assuming fussiness. A healthy dog will not starve itself.
Greedy dogs
Split the daily ration into smaller meals. High-fibre foods create better satiety. Our weight management range is lower in fat and higher in fibre — specifically designed for dogs who need to lose weight or are prone to gaining it. A slow feeder bowl also helps by physically slowing intake, reducing bloat risk and improving satiety signals.
Feeding Dogs with Health Conditions
Sensitive stomachs
Loose stools, gas, and intermittent vomiting after meals are often the result of an ingredient the gut doesn't agree with — typically grain, a specific protein, or artificial additives. Switching to grain-free removes one of the most common triggers.
Our grain-free recipes use sweet potato as the carbohydrate source — not peas or lentils — and include prebiotics (MOS and FOS) to support the gut microbiome from the start. Dog food for sensitive stomachs →
Food allergies and food sensitivities
If your dog has an immune-mediated reaction to a specific protein — symptoms including skin issues, ear infections, and coat changes alongside digestive upset — grain-free alone may not be enough. The protein itself is often the trigger.
Hydrolysed dog food breaks protein down to peptide level — fragments small enough that a sensitised immune system doesn't recognise them as a threat. Our hydrolysed range achieves 95% protein digestibility, tested at Ghent University Vet School. No prescription required. Hydrolysed dog food →
Joint health
Glucosamine and chondroitin are the most widely studied ingredients for joint support in dogs. They don't reverse existing damage, but there's decent evidence they slow progression and support comfort in dogs with early-to-moderate joint issues. Dog food for joint health →
How to Transition Between Foods
A sudden food change is one of the most reliable ways to cause digestive upset — even when the new food is objectively better. The gut microbiome needs time to adapt.
The standard approach: over 7–10 days, gradually increase the ratio of new food while decreasing the old. Start at 25% new / 75% old for the first 2–3 days, move to 50/50, then 75% new, then full transition. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, extend this to 14 days and go more slowly.
Not Sure Where to Start?
If you're switching to grain-free for the first time, or you're not sure which recipe suits your dog, our sample packs let you try several recipes before committing to a full bag. It's the most practical way to find what works without wasting money on the wrong recipe.
Glenn Bell is the founder of Ultimate Pet Foods and holds the British Canine Certificate in Small Dog Diet (BCCSD). Ultimate Pet Foods is an independent UK brand based in Aberdare, Wales, making grain-free and hydrolysed dry dog food manufactured in Lancashire.