How much to feed?

Question
Hello,  I have a 6 month old cockapoo, at last vet weigh in in early Dec she was 14 lbs.  I am feeding her Wellness (puppy formula)at a rate of 1/2 cup twice a day.  She eats each serving within several minutes.  She sits while she eats (I have never seen a dog do that!) and she does not gulp, just eats until the food is gone.  She get very little 'treats' usually only if we are working on training commands or sometimes after a walk.  My question is, is this enough food for her?  Too much?  How do I judge what to feed her?  If I follow the recommendations on the package of food, then I am underfeeding her, but I don't get the impression that she is underfed.  Her coat is beautiful, her teeth are great, she doesn't act hungry.  I just want to be sure she is getting enough to eat and not being over fed.  Thanks for your help.

Answer
At 6.35 kilograms, a six month old puppy needs about 1000 calories  day, give or take a little depending on projected adult weight.  One cup of Wellness puppy formula contains 450 calories. If you're feeding this amount you need to increase it significatly. It's important to go by the puppy's weight and condition to some extent, but also  their growth rate; a pup can have beautiful coat etc and be grossly undersized for their age. I wouldn't just double the food, increase by 25% (add a quarter cup extra) and then double that so you're adding 1/4 cup extra at both meals.

Since it can be difficult with mixed breeds to project how much they will weigh as adults, and since we often start to taper food intake DOWN after 6 - 9 months of age depending on breed, I think you will have to watch this puppy carefully and adjust accordingly. Ideally I'd like to see you get to 1000 calories a day and then reduce that amount at about 10 months. But for now, aim to increase by 25% pr meal and I will feel better about it. Remember that the food is not only supplying energy, but all the nutrients in correct amounts for correct growth rates. This means vitamins, minerals, fatty and aino acids - pups need significantly higher levels of all of these than do adult dogs, and cannot possibly be getting enough if their total food intake is half RA.

Don't panic, though, dogs are amazing creatures and I have seen pups raised on just dreadful diets, or who have battled illness in their formative years,grow (amazingly) into healthy adults. If your pup starts to get pudgy, try to exercise her a little more; if you increasefood  and she stays smallish please see your vet ,as parasites can mean they eat and eat but don't grow correctly.

Best wishes,
Catherine