Your puppy's current food
Your puppy is currently eating Purina Puppy Chow Tender & Crunchy. I'll send a sample home with your puppy so you can continue the same food during those first few days at home.
At around 8 weeks, I begin transitioning my puppies to Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy.
You certainly don't have to feed the same brand I do, but I do recommend choosing a complete and balanced food formulated specifically for large-breed puppies.
Changing foods? Take your time.
Coming home is already a big change—new people, new smells, new water and a completely different routine. I don't like adding an abrupt food change on top of all that.
If you plan to change foods, do it gradually over several days by mixing increasing amounts of the new food with the food your puppy is already accustomed to.
How Much Should I Feed?
At 8 weeks, I suggest starting with approximately 1½–2 cups per meal, three times a day. This is a starting point—not a hard rule. Puppies vary in size, activity level, metabolism and growth rate.
Watch your puppy more than the measuring cup. If your puppy is staying lean, growing steadily, has good energy and is producing firm stools, you're probably in a good range.
How often should I feed?
• Start with 3 meals per day
• Transition to 2 meals per day around 4–5 months
• Always provide fresh water.
• I like to always pour water over the dry food right before they are given a bowl. It’s great for digestion.
Growing Rottweilers can go through periods when they seem absolutely bottomless.
Watch your puppy’s overall body condition, stools, energy and growth rather than assuming every growth stage will require exactly the same amount of food.
Read the Puppy, Not Just the Measuring Cup
Look for:
- firm, well-formed stools
- good, steady energy
- a visible waist
- ribs that are easy to feel but aren't prominently sticking out
- steady growth without your puppy becoming heavy
Remember when I said I was on “poop patrol”? Now it's your turn. 😂
Feed for healthy growth, pay attention to your puppy's body and stools, choose a quality food appropriate for large-breed puppies—and don't panic when your puppy occasionally eats like a future linebacker. He's working on becoming one.
When to Call Your Veterinarian
A puppy skipping one meal isn’t necessarily an emergency, but repeated refusal to eat—especially with vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or other signs of illness—deserves a call to your veterinarian.
