How Often Should You Feed A GSP Puppy?

All dogs of the same breed are not the same. My Hank and your new GSP puppy could have wildly different personalities.

But I can say with certainty that they’ll both like two things: running around like a dog possessed, and eating.

I’m pretty certain that applies to all GSPs, no matter their age.

So when you take into account their active lifestyle and bundles of energy, knowing the right amount of food to feed your GSP puppy can be stressful.

How often should you feed a GSP puppy? How much do they need? Does it scale up with age and by how much?

These are all important questions, but rather than heading off to search online, I’ve done all the work for you and put it together in this handy guide.

Ready to find out all about your GSP puppy’s feeding needs? Then let’s get started!

How Much Food Does A GSP Puppy Need?

Depending on how old your GSP puppy is right now, they’ll have different dietary requirements.

Add in the fact that different food types and brands will recommend different amounts, and you start to see why it’s quite complicated to give advice on this matter.

So, all I can really do is give you my advice about the food type I’d feed my GSP puppy, if I got a new one now, and then give you the advice based on that.

For me, the clear option would be a premium-quality dry puppy food because it has everything your GSP puppy will need for healthy growth.

For premium-quality dry food, here’s what they’ll need over the course of a day based on their age:

• 2-3 months: 1 cup of dry food per day
• 3-6 months: 1.2 cups of dry food per day
• 6-9 months: 1.5 cups of dry food per day
• 9-12 months: 2 cups of dry food per day (slowly switching from puppy to adult dry food during this time by mixing them and adding more each week until eventually they have only adult food)
• 12 months+: 2.5 cups of dry food per day (solely using adult dry food)

You may need to keep an eye on your dog’s weight and activity levels to make sure they aren’t eating too much or too little.

You can tell if your GSP pup is overweight if you can’t feel any of their ribs.

They’re naturally lean dogs, so not being able to feel their ribs is a sure sign they’re eating too much or not moving enough.

It’s harder to tell if your GSP puppy is underweight since they are so lean, but your vet will point it out if they are so you can then amend their diet accordingly.

Remember, this advice applies only to premium-quality dry food for your dog.

If you decide to use another type of food, which is perfectly OK by the way, then you’ll need to check the package instructions or specifically discuss with your vet to make sure you’re feeding your GSP puppy enough,

That covers how much food your GSP puppy needs over the course of a day, but how often should they be fed?

Below I’ll cover it, but again it’s from the perspective of someone feeding their GSP premium-quality dry food.

Again, if you don’t do this method, it’s fine, but you’ll have to read the package instructions of your alternative food to see how often your puppy should be eating.

How Often Should You Feed A GSP Puppy?

If you do decide to stick with premium-quality dry food, then here’s a breakdown of how often they should eat the amount of food above:

• 2-3 months: 0.33 cups of dry food, 3 times per day
• 3-6 months: 0.4 cups of dry food, 3 times per day
• 6-9 months: 0.5 cups of dry food, 3 times per day
• 9-12 months: 1 cup of dry food, 2 times per day
• 12 months+: 1.25 cups of dry food, 2 times per day

As you can see, the younger your GSP puppy, the less amount of food they eat overall, but the more regularly they need to eat it.

That’s because your GSP puppy will burn off a lot of energy throughout the day, so you need to keep them fed regularly – morning, afternoon, and evening – to provide them with all the food they need to stay well-fed and satisfied while still being able to run around and burn off energy quickly.

As your GSP puppy gets older and starts to change to adult food, they need to be fed more food overall, but less frequently.

That’s because they won’t be burning off tonnes of energy in the same way puppies do.

They’ll learn to take things a little easier so they don’t waste all their energy and tucker themselves out fast.

Don’t get me wrong, even adult GSPs will be super active, but they just learn to control themselves a little more, so they don’t need to be fed as frequently.

Tips About Finding The Right Food

Throughout this post, I’ve only given examples based on premium-quality dry food because there are too many options out there for me to tell you specifically how much your GSP puppy needs and how often.

But there are other options available to you. Rather than listing alternatives, I’ll just give you some of the things you should look out for in puppy food to make sure your GSP is getting everything they need.

So, look out for puppy food that:

• Is suitable for active dogs
• Has whole grains throughout, as they’re perfect for young, active pups
• Has only natural preservatives
• Is packed full of protein 21-30%
• Is high in fat (for energy and growth)
• Has plenty of vitamins and minerals

Find a puppy food that ticks these boxes, and you know you’re giving your GSP puppy the right ingredients for a healthy start in life.

Remember, check the package instructions of your specific brand to make sure you feed them the right amount, the right number of times per day!

Final Points

Your puppy needs feeding little and often. Remember that, and you’ll know that you’re not overfeeding or underfeeding your GSP puppy.

Look for the right food for them to help them grow and maintain their active lifestyle, and most of all, don’t stress too much about it.

Do your research, yes, and make sure you provide healthy food options for your GSP puppy, but if you are over or under feeding them, this will be picked up quickly by your vet during all the early check ups your new pup will have.

You’ll get the hang of it eventually, so follow the advice in this guide as a start, and listen to any advice your vet provides, and your pup will be healthy and happy!