There are many ways to feed a dog – dry food, canned food, raw food. How do you know what’s best for him?

What to feed your dog varies with his age, his lifestyle and whether or not he is overweight.

Young pups should be fed a good quality balanced puppy food. Puppy foods have lots more energy in them per ounce. This means that, although they have only a small stomach, they can still take in enough calories to help them grow.

Adult dogs tend to need less food, unless they are particularly active. Working dogs burn up energy at a greater rate than a dog who is a couch potato, so need either more food or a food with a higher energy content. If your dog is overweight, certainly feed him less, but also choose a food with a lower fat content.

The frequency of feeding changes throughout your dog’s life. Puppies will need to eat up to 5 times a day, again to allow for their rapid rate of growth. Adult dogs are best fed twice daily.

You have the choice of feeding canned or dry food to your dog. Canned food is often more palatable, but is mostly water. This makes it quite an expensive way to feed your dog as you’re paying for that water.

Kibble is more economical, but you’ll notice that the price of dry dog food varies quite markedly. How do you choose? Read the label, and look at the list of ingredients. You’ll notice that the more expensive foods have meat and meat products at the beginning of the ingredient list. The cheaper foods are based more on cereals. Obviously the more meat in a food, the better, however your budget may not allow for an expensive dog food. Choose a food that has meat products in the first two spots of the ingredient list.

When you’re working out how much kibble to give your dog, start with the guidelines on the kibble packet. Then, watch your dog. If you find he’s getting a bit too round in the middle, reduce on the amount that you feed him. The suggestions on the packet are fine to start with, but always use your dog’s body condition as a guide to how much food he really needs.

Raw bones are essential to make sure your dog’s teeth stay in good condition, and save you the expense of having to visit your vet for dental care. You can start your pup on small soft bones from around 4 months of age. Adult dogs can have raw meaty bones several times a week. Never feed your dog a cooked bone as it can cause gastrointestinal problems.

There’s no problem with feeding your dog table scraps or leftovers from your dinner. He’ll probably love it!  Make sure that he doesn’t get too much; human foods may be quite fatty and can lead to obesity.

It’s not hard to feed a dog correctly. By doing so, you’ll keep him fit and healthy, and his skin and coat will be in great condition.